Alien Attack!

Whoa, watch out, we're under attack!

For this fun little mani, I started with a base of Wet n Wild Black Creme.  I pulled out my stamping polishes from My Online Shop in bright yellow, green, pale blue.  I used yellow and BM 14 for the stars.  I used stamping polishes for the little monsters on middle and thumb.  I pulled out a very old (and awesome) bottle of Sally Hansen Chrome in Burmese Ruby for the thumb monster.

For the ring finger and pinky, I stamped the monsters in white and tried to covertly (or not so covertly) fill them in with sheery polishes.  The monsters are those adorable guys from Cheeky 34 and 45.

The execution wasn't perfect - I probably just should have stuck with the stamping polishes - but I love the colors!

Thanks for reading! Keep your eyes on the skies, Konaddicts!

2014: Under Construction!

Happy New Year, Konaddicts!  2014 is well underway.  In honor of "constructing" our new year, I decided to try out the traffic and construction designs on plate OB 30.  I've had this unique little plate for a while, and I've been waiting for a chance to try it out.

This mani is Sally Hansen Insta Dri Man-go Team! with Milani Black Magic and silver for the designs.  I'm loving the vibrant color, especially after all of my Christmas designs.  The traffic designs are from OB-30; I stamped the checked pattern on the index finger using Cheeky 13.

My "execution" - I'm sure you've noticed - could use a little work.  When I tried stamping the traffic signs, I couldn't position them correctly or they bent too much around the nail and it threw off the shape.  I also wanted to add a second color to the stripes, so that meant making the designs as decals.  I can usually make my decals without problem, but sometimes getting them on - and tacking them down - is where I run into trouble.  So...there are some weird smudges and chunky parts, but I'm enjoying this one all the same.

Thanks for reading, Konaddicts!  I hope your year is off to a dazzling new start!

Jackpot!

Hello, everyone!
I wanted to share with you my slot machine nails!  I decided to take a break from the wonder that is the newest set of Bundle Monster plates to try out a plate that I've wanted to use for a long time.

This cute slot machine design is from Cheeky plate CH33.  I was feeling too lazy to make so many decals, so I just stamped it with Wet n Wild Black Creme over a base of NYC French White.  I got out my tiniest nail brush and an assortment of colors - I tried to select some that were a little sheer - and got to painting!

I used NYC Broadway Burgundy Frost for the 7s, Wet n Wild Red Red and Sinful Happy Ending for the cherries, L'Oreal Gems B Outrageous for the bells, and Sally Hansen Insta Dri Orchid Express for the - well - whatever that thing is!

To mix things up a bit, I made an accept nail with Color Club Gingerbread Man topped with China Glaze Blonde Bombshell.

Here's wishing you a lucky, lucky day, Konaddicts!

Parisian Sunset

Woot, woot - my new Bundle Monster plates arrived!  I couldn't wait to try them out - in fact, I kept looking at the designs in anticipation of the set arriving.  The image that most caught my eye was the delightful cityscape.  Of course, the designs on this set were created by stampers for stampers, so the design is perfect!

I went with a sunset theme for this design.  I started with a base of Pure Ice Frosted Ice Georgia Peach.  From there, I sponged on my blue skies with Kleancolor Pastel Blue.  I used Sally Hansen Insta Dri Man-go Team for the bright orange in my sunset.  I decided to add a little bronze with Cover Girl Bronze Beauty to provide a bit of sparkle.

When I had my sponged background in place, I added black tips with Milani Black Magic.  Then I used Konad Special polish in Black for the stamping and my brand new BM 414 for the lovely buildings.  I wanted to make this a fully BM manicure, but the Eiffel tower on plate BM 419 was too long for my nails.  So, I used Cheeky's European Romance Jumbo Plate for the tower silhouette.  I used BM 419 to add the word "Paris" beside the tower.  I couldn't stop with this one, so I dotted a few "lighted" windows and building tops with red and yellow.

My thoughts on the new Create Your Own Bundle Monster set? C'est magnifique!

Think Pink: Pink Panther Nails

 Hello, everyone!
When I was doing my Raggedy Ann nails, I noticed that the MJ XVI plate also had an image of the Pink Panther!  I was inspired by that and by all of your kind comments on the rag doll nails to give it a go.  What a fun walk down memory lane!

Essie Fiji (of course!) is my base coat.  Our perplexed panther is a decal made with MJ XVI and Orly's Sweet Temptation, a gorgeous chrome pink, as the stamped outline.  I filled in the panther's eyes with Sally Hansen Butterfly Stroke and filled in his body with Pure Ice Love.  Once I transfered the decal from the stamper to the nail, I used a pin to dot his eyes and add his eyebrows in black.

I went with a full nail pattern from Cheeky Jumbo Plate European Romance.  I stamped with Sweet Temptation and filled in random squares with Love and with Kleancolor Holographic Pink.

I don't know if you remember the cartoons, but the fun part of the cartoons was watching the poor, unlucky Inspector trying (in vain) to catch the Pink Panther.  I decided to make foot prints and a magnifying glass (I have been dying to use that!) to incorporate that into the manicure.

I used Sweet Temptation and Cheeky CH27 for the foot prints.  I used the magnifying glass from Gals GA 47 and Milani Black Magic for the magnifying glass.

Well, Konaddicts, thanks for stopping in.  I noticed I have 86 followers now!  How did that happen?  Thank you!  I appreciate that you let me share my polish obsession with you!

Pink Kissses

Hello, everyone!
Are you ready to start a new week?  I know I'm...not.  Well, there's nothing like a fun mani to get the week going (at least that's what I'm hoping!).

For this mani, I decided to use my absolute favorite design - this simple little weave from BM 21.  This is my favorite "full nail" pattern.  I don't know if I have a sentimental attachment - since it was the first plate set I bought - or whether I just like the look.  Of course, Bundle Monster was new at the game, too, so the design is small and you have to do some finagling to get it to cover your entire nail.  Anyway, I love this pattern and I rarely use it, so I decided that today would be the day.

I wanted to jazz it up a bit, so I decided to stamp it over a pink gradient.  I used Sally Hansen Insta Dri Pink Blink and Milani Cherry Pie.  I stamped my BM 21 pattern using L'Oreal Violet Vixen.

I wanted to add something else.  At this point, I usually go with a flower.  I decided to try something new (for me!) and decided to go with kisses.  These lip smacks are from BM 02 (I was on a BM roll!) using Konad Special White.  I couldn't resist testing the "Kiss" phrase from Cheeky 27, so I decided to add that as well.  You can't see it perfectly, but it's fun to know it's there.

Well, Konaddicts, thanks for reading!  I'm hoping you have a week full of love!

Tell me, what patterns top your "all time favorite" list?

Festive Fourth Nails

So...I don't usually do 4th of July nails.  Typically, they turn out to be a great big mess.  This year, I thought I'd give it another try and, well, I just couldn't stop - stars and glitter and flags and the Statue of Liberty and dots!

In my head, I had some kind of lean and sophisticated look going, but in fact, it's like The Party Store exploded all over my nails...and I kinda like it. :)

I used Wet n Wild Red Creme and Revlon Urban as the base colors.  I went about it the easy way and polished the whole nail red, stamped my stripes with Sally Hansen Whirlwind White, painted the blue tips, and stamped the stars over that.  Cheeky CH4 provided the perfect stars and wavy stripes.  I used Cheeky CH51 for the star image on the thumb and Essie No Place Like Chrome for the stamping.

My favorite part of the mani is the way over the top image of the Statue of Liberty on the accent nail.  This plate is Winstonia W114 and, boy, is it cute! Decorated with a little red glitter and silver dots, it's a fun added touch!

Well, thanks for stopping by, Konaddicts!  If you're reading here in the US, I hope you have a wonderful and safe holiday!

Tropical Heatwave

I am obsessed with peach this summer!  Anything peachy, orange, or mango colored totally catches my attention.  I can't quite get to the look and feel that's in my brain but I'm getting closer.

Here's what I started with - what a lovely trio!

Sally Hansen Insta Dri Butter-fly Stroke is the base.  The design is from Winstonia plate W111.  I used Man-go Team and Orange Impulse to do the stamping, mixing the two a little on the plate.

I felt like something was still missing [glitter], so I added a flower with Milani Blackberry Baby using Cheeky CH2.  I dotted the centers with a rich purple glitter, Orly Bubbly Bombshell.

It's not yet exactly what's in my brain, but it is a bright burst of summer!

Take care, Konaddicts!  Thanks for reading!

Anchors Aweigh! Nautical Nails Twin Post with Jajuana from Mani's by Moore

Thank you to Jajuana from Mani's by Moore for suggesting a twin post of nautical nails!  I've never tried this theme before, so it was a fun challenge!

There was a lot of back and forthing on this this one - I pulled out every anchor, star, and wave plate that I had.  I did a lot of experimenting with colors and created one very horrendous manicure before I stumbled on a look like that I liked.  The bonus was that I got to add buttons - one of my favorite stamping designs.

This is two coats of the lovely, navy Revlon Urban.  I stamped the tips with Cheeky CH 24 and I used BM 201 for the wavy lines on the accent nail.  I used a dotting tool and a big dollop of Urban over the tip to create a solid background before stamping the button from Konad M16.  The anchor is from BM 08.  I used white Konad Special polish for the stamping.

Now all I need is a sailor - haha!  I hope he's a singing and dancing one!

Have a great weekend, Konaddicts!  Can't wait to see the awesome mani Jajuana posts!

But That's Bananas!

WHAT?  You can make your own decals with your Konad stamper?  But that's bananas!  An awesome thing just got, well, awesome-er!

New technique?  Here I come!

For my banana-rific background, I started with a base of Sinful Colors Unicorn, that lovely, sweet lemon yellow.  I stamped bananas using Cheeky CH 20 using Wet n Wild black creme.  To create a little contrast, I filled in the bananas with a nail brush using Sally Hansen Insta Dri Lightening.

To start my decals,I stamped - this is Wet n Wild black creme polish and the image is from Gals plate GA 45.

I filled in my monkey's face using a small nail brush and Kleancolor Mocha.  I let it dry for a few minutes.

Next, I used Orly Prince Charming and a nail brush to fill in the rest of the monkey.  I let it dry a few minutes before applying a medium-thick coat of Out the Door topcoat.

I only have two or three stampers, so I couldn't do the 4 decals all at once (and I wasn't sure how long they needed to dry).  I let the first two monkeys dry overnight and used tweezers to peel them from the stampers.  I made a second set and found that they were reasonably dry within about 30 minutes.  

It worked like a charm!

I'm not sure if you're supposed to use topcoat on the nail before sticking the decal on.  It seemed to work both ways and appeared to blend in a little better without the additional topcoat on the nail.

Omigosh!  So many new possibilities!  Get polishing, Konaddicts!

Mint Chocolate Mani

Apparently, February 19 is mint chocolate day!  I was sad to have missed it, but decided to celebrate it as a nail design.  I'm not a huge fan of mint, but any friend of chocolate's is a friend of mine!

For this tasty manicure, I started with Sally Hansen Mint Sorbet.  I stamped the cakes with Cheeky CH41 and my go-to brown - Revlon Top Speed Espresso.  I used a small nail brush and the sheery and slightly darker Sinful Mint Apple to around the cake slices to add a little contrast.

I decided to go for a contrasting accent nail.  I used a Nail Savvy chocolate brown and stamped the "yummy" with Cheeky CH42 and Sally Hansen Insta Dri Jade Jump.

Anyone for a snack?

Thanks for stopping by, Konaddicts!

Cheeky Autumn Leaves

Hi, everyone!
I can't believe it's been so long since my last post!  Adjusting to the new canine member of the family has been fun and a little more work than I anticipated.  I've never had a small dog before, and she insists on being in the middle of whatever I'm doing.  She loves to be in my lap and it's hard to "remove" a small dog from your space with wet nails!

I did manage to put together this fall colored manicure.  This is a base of L'Oreal Walk on the Beach stamped with red, green, brown, and Kleancolor Metallic Yellow (I love this color!).  The metallic yellow softened the other colors and adds lots of sparkles.

I stamped the leaves using Cheeky Ch33 and Kleancolor Military Green.

Thanks for dropping by, Konaddicts!  I'm sure I'll be posting more as soon as I can figure out how to keep this little dog busy!

I'm not the only one having to adjust to this little whippersnapper!

Pineapples

Hi, everyone!
I have been feeling like having fruity nails (never mind that it's now feeling very much like Fall outside!)  I have seen some really cute designs created with the Konad plate with the pineapple.  Unfortunately, this is a plate I don't own (gasp!).  Luckily, the first set of Cheeky plates (CH20) has a super cute pineapple.

This is a simple one.

• First, you get a Mark Wahlberg movie (Contraband was my choice) - he's just so cute, you won't even notice how many pineapples you stamp.  
• Then, you select your base.  I used Sinful Colors Unicorn as a fruity, yellow backdrop.  
• Next, get to stamping!  I stamped the pineapples with a chocolate brown Nail Savvy polish (sorry, the label fell off) and Kleancolor Grass Green.  
• Finally, you ignore the absurd plot twist in the movie and choose instead to gawk at how handsome Mark Wahlberg is.  Oh, and your nails are done!

Delightful! :)

Moons & Stars

Today, I'm wearing moons and stars!  I love moons and stars; they remind me of my favorite pair of comfy pajamas. I have searched and searched for an image of moon and stars together and couldn't find anything that fit the bill, so, for this mani, I decided to improvise.

I started with a base of Sinful Midnight Blue.  I sponged on some Sally Hansen Insta Dri in Blue Blast. I added some glitter with Wet n Wild Shine Kaleidoscope.  I stamped the designs with Konad Special polish in White and China Glaze Passion.

I used images from Mash 32 for the moon, Mash 33 for the shooting star, and Cheeky 4 for the star cluster.

It's cosmic!
I really like how this turned out (despite the dent I managed to get on my thumb)...

Sheesh...my nails are getting longer.  I think I might try some french manicure designs before one of them breaks!

Thanks for reading, Konaddicts!

PS:  Guess what?  My new set of Cheeky plates finally arrived in the mail!  Hooray!  I can't wait to try them out!

Summer Cherries

My favorite thing about summer is cherries!  When I was first deciding whether or not to try Konad, seeing the plates with cherries on them was one of the things that cinched the deal.

This is one of those manis that I've always wanted to try but never quite got around to.

For my cherry mani, I used a base of Sally Hansen Xtreme wear Mint Sorbet.  I used Mash 50 and Sally Hansen Insta Dri Lickety Split Lime to add the background lines.  It added more color to the design and made me feel better because I couldn't settle on a green that I really liked.

I used the Pure Ice Siren and Kleancolor Military Green to stamp the cherries using the cherries on Cheeky CH13.  I added a highlight with Pure Ice Sparkle Berry.

Let me tell you...this is one busy design!  But it's also a fun one to wear!

July 4th Nail Fail

It's been a holiday week here in the US and I wanted to try some patriotic nails for the 4th of July.  Unfortunately, this turned into a "nail fail".

I love layering but I have a hard time getting it right.  Too much glitter?  Was my red too red?

Oh well...I headed straight for the remover.  There is one positive note: the stars on Cheeky CH5 are perfect!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 16: Tribal Nails

Hi all!
Here's my shot at tribal nails.  I went for a bright "tribal" look, rather than one of neutrals.  I just picked out patterns as I went along.  Some of my stamping wasn't clean; I think those triangles took a while to get the hang of.

Here's what I used:
Sally Hansen Insta Dri Lightening
Cheeky CH-13 and Pure Ice Siren for triangles
BM-202 and Kleancolor Grass Green for edging
Tips in Insa Dri Whirlwind White
Stamped with Cheeky CH-22 and Insta Dri In-A-Blink Blue

It was fun to try something so bright and so different!  The next challenge should be fun - it's glitter!

Thanks for reading!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 12: Stripes

Hello, everyone!  I wanted to (finally!) post pictures of my stripes nails.

I started this mani with a base of Pure Ice Love - a warm pink.  I stamped the stripes using Cheeky plate CH-10 and Konad Special polish in White.  They're the perfect stripe - not too thin, but also not too crowded.

I decided I would try to spice up my stripes a bit. I've always liked the combination of pink, white, and black so I decided I would give that a try.  I stamped the bows using plate QA-24 - a new (of course from eBay!) plate that just came in the mail.  I used that super cute kitty on Konad M83 for the accent nail.  I used Wet N Wild in Black Creme as the stamping polish.

This has been a fun one to wear but now it's off to work on the next one - animal print!  See you next time, Konaddicts!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 2: Orange Nails

Hello, all!  Well, today's nail challenge was orange so I polished my nails with Kleancolor Pastel Orange, one of the few oranges in my collection.  I couldn't resist stamping it, so I used an interesting full nail pattern from XL Image Plate B and Milani Metallic Mango to stamp those interesting "fish scales".  

Well, once you have the plates out, it's easy to take one more step, so I decided to add a flower from Cheeky plate CH12.  I stamped the flower with Sally Hansen Insta Dri Blue Blast and filled in the petals with a green nail pen.

Well - I've tried new patterns, polishes and plates already!  I'm hoping the rest of challenge keeps those creative juices flowing.

Thanks for reading, Konaddicts!

Bright Dots

Hello, everyone!  Today, I have an easy and vibrant mani using Cheeky plate CH10.  I started with twocoats of coats of Pure Ice Free Fall.  I used a final coat of Pure Ice Tease, a magenta with a blue shimmer.

I stamped the dots using Cheeky CH10 and Kleancolor Metallic Aqua.  The aqua looked more purple on the nails, but it worked!  Before picking CH10, I tried the dots on Konad M60.  I liked the Cheeky plate better for this mani.  The dots on the plate blend more at the bottom on the Cheeky plate and I liked that look better for these colors.

It's a simple look, but I love the sparkle!

Shine on, Konaddicts!