Vines and Flowers

Hi everyone,
I wish I had gotten an earlier picture of this mani.  I was waiting for a sunny day and we just didn't have any, so, I apologize ahead of time for the chips and wear.   I still wanted to share my attempt at these colored, flowery manicures.  I love all the new image plates out there, but I also like using multiple colors, so this was my first attempt at combining the full nail design and multiple colors.

To start, I used the lovely neutral Sally Hansen Insta Dri Sand Storm.  The plate is QA 61.  I used Kleancolor Military Green for the stamping.  Then, I grabbed my tiny paint brush and added some additional colors: Kleancolor Cappuccino, NYC Spring Street, and Sally Hansen Royal Red Cream.  I added a few dots of gold to add a little sparkle.

Initially, I wasn't sure how I felt about this one, but after a day or so, it grew on me.  I'll keep at it!

Stay warm, Konaddicts!  Thanks for reading!

Delicate Rose Decals

Hi everyone,
I didn't have much time for nails this week, so I decided that it might be a good time to try out my nail decals from the Born Pretty store.  Ach!  I love them!  They're water decals, so they're super easy to apply and they lie flat on the nail.  Since the decals are typically clear, you need a light base color.  I used Sinful Easy Going.

I love these!  I am surely headed back to the Born Pretty Store for more decals.  They have awesome sales that making stocking up on these a cinch.  I only wish I had tried them in Spring when the pastels would have a been a better fit for the season - we actually have a light dusting of snow this morning!

Take care, Konaddicts!  Thanks for stopping by!

Rosy Variation

Hello, everyone!
Today I'm wearing a variety of roses - a mixed bouquet! I love how this simple combination turned out.

I started with that lovely nude, NYC Fashion Safari.  My stamping color is Sally Hansen Insta Dri in Cinna Snap.  For the leaves on the index finger, I used Top Speed Emerald to stamp and filled in the outline with Sinful Happy Ending.  I used a dotting tool to dab a little Wet n Wild Lavendar Creme on the rose petals on the middle finger.

I used three plates for this design: the roses with nets are from Pueen 27, the little bouquet comes from Pueen 47, and the roses on the middle finger and lace on the pinky are form BM 323.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you're doing well and that you outlook is, well, rosy!

Lattice and Roses

Hello, everyone!
If this is your "Back to School" week, I hope it's going well.  As for me, things have been a little hectic and I'm still wearing a peeling and cracking mani from (gasp!) last week! I wanted to take a moment to share this design with you because - amazingly - I did NOT use Essie Fiji as a base (what?).

I LOVE Essie Fiji.  It's a sweet, pale pink that I use all the time.  I've never been fond of the application of Essie Fiji, but the light color and opacity has made it a favorite.  When I saw Sinful Easy Going, I thought I might be able to add a little variety to my pale pinks.

For this design, I used Easy Going and stampepd it with Orly Mind's Eye using Pueen 22.  I was going for a softer, vintage rose look when I added Pure Ice Love and Wet N Wild Lavender Creme.  They came out a little more "impressionist" than "vintage", but I liked the overall effect.

Well, Konaddicts - what do you think about this one?  Are there other pale pinks that you'd recommend?

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!

Subtle Spring Flowers

Hello, everyone!  
I had a hard time trying to capture this pastel mani on camera.  With temperatures topping 104 degrees (!), I was in the mood for something light and airy.

This is a light gradient of Salon Perfect Lavender Fields and SP Azure.  I used the cute butterflies on  Pueen 39 and Sally Hansen Whirlwind White for the stamping.  This was my first experience with Salon Perfect polish and, I have to say, the Lavender went on like butter!

Here's another look - this time indoors.  The focus isn't perfect, but it gives a truer sense of the colors.  

Well, Konaddicts - I hope this post finds you cool and collected!  Thank you for stopping by!  Be sure to catch my Saturday post - I'm going to be doing a "nautical nails" twin post with Jajuana from Mani's by Moore!  I've never done nautical nails before, so it's going to be a fun challenge!  See you soon!

Fuchsia Flowers

Hey, everyone!  I hope you had a safe and fun Memorial Day weekend.  Thank you to all of those veterans out there!

We've had an illness in the family, so I have been traveling a lot and I've had to keep things simple and quick. This bright and cheery mani completely fit the bill!

This is Sally Hansen Fast Fuchsia stamped with Konad Special polish in White and dotted with SH Insta Dri Quick Canary.  There's a sparkle to the yellow that's a little hard to see in the picture but it adds just the right amount of spring to design.  The plate is another lovely design from the Pueen Love Elements plate set - Pueen 31.

There was one weird thing - I noticed that the Fast Fuchsia dried with a lovely shine to it.  So lovely, in fact, that the stamp didn't want to "stick" on the polish.  I gave each nail a very quick wipe with polish remover, and "voila!".  I wonder if there's a new addition to the Insta Dri formula?  Anyone else out there have this kind of issue?

Be well, all.  Thanks for stopping by!

Valentine Hearts and Roses

Hello, everyone!  Valentine's day is long gone (thank goodness!), but I'm still in the mood for hearts and flowers.  Luckily, Mash 39 has a unique design that is both roses and hearts!

I have been eyeing this plate for a while but I hadn't been able to come up with a design I liked.  This time, I opted for double stamping, and I love the result!

This is a base of Orly Sweet Temptation with a thin coat of holographic glitter - Wet n Wild Kaleidoscope.  I thought about sponging a background, but opted for something a little quicker.  Instead, I stamped the design once with Konad Special Polish in Pastel Pink and then stamped the design again with the darker Orly Mind's Eye.  I tried to line the designs up, but didn't worry too much about overlap.

Pink + Hearts + Flowers?  Love it!

Wishing you much love, Konaddicts!  See you soon!

Fall Plaid

Hello, everyone!
Today's nails just scream "Thanksgiving".  The only things missing are the pilgrims!

I've been wanting to do a plaid design in Fall colors.  I experimented for a while and came up with this design.  This a base of China Glaze Life Preserver, stamped with a pearly brown from Nail Savvy.  I used that classic Konad plate, M60, for the plaid.

The plaid was pretty, but I wanted to add some kind of accent, so I chose the lovely Fall leaf on Red Angel plate RA-121 and China Glaze Passion.  As has been true with the other plates, the image is etched a little too deeply, but it was usable.  My leaf came out better when I lightly stamped it on.  If I applied too much pressure  - splat!

Overall, I like the result.  Every time I notice my nails, I immediately think of turkey and cranberry sauce!

Take care, Konaddicts!  Are you as ready for Thanksgiving dinner as I am?

China Blue Roses

Hi all!  I hope you've had a chance to enter my giveaway!  I wanted to take a moment to show you today's nails.

This design started with a base of Sally Hansen Insta Dri Whirlwind White stamped with Insta Dri In-A-Blink Blue using BM 323.  I covered the roses with a glitter in a sheer blue base, Milani Glitzy in Denim.  It provided the right amount of sparkle and softened up the white "petal lines" of the roses.

Today's mani is quick and easy - just my style!

Parchment and Roses

Hi everyone!

First, you may have noticed that I have 50 followers now!  Thank you so much!  I so much appreciate that you stop by to see what my polishes and I are up to!

To celebrate you, and one my one year blog anniversary later this month, I'll be posting details of a little giveaway later in the month.

So...on to today's manicure!

I was feeling nostalgic and trying to think of a design that was romantic, elegant, and kind of old fashioned.  I thought back to all those photos of roses on old music sheets (now you know what all my screen savers were back in the day!) and ultimately came up with this design.  I also wanted to try a new technique, so I created this look using saran wrap.

I started first with a base of that lovely caramel, L'Oreal The Perfect Trench (I am not yet over this color!).  I sponged on a little Revlon Top Speed in Stormy to add a darker color.  I covered the entire nail with white - Pure Ice Siren - and dabbed it using saran wrap.  That worked perfectly to give me the mottled-type background for the roses.  (Doesn't that seem like a weird combination?  It worked, though!)

I used BM 323 and Pure Ice Rumors for the roses.  I added the leaves from XL Plate I with Revlon Top Speed Emerald.

Ah...this suits my mood perfectly (isn't it great when that happens?).

Take care, Konaddicts, and see you soon!

Blue Jean Nails

Hi, everyone!  A very busy week continues...but I wanted to take a moment to show you my denim jeans nails!

This is Milani Sail Away - a gorgeous, sparkly blue that is opaque in one coat - stamped with China Glaze Hi Tek using Konad M80.  I dotted centers to the flowers with Kleancolor Metallic Fuschia, Kleancolor Metallic Pink, and a silver nail pen.

Gotta dash, Konaddicts, but hope you had a great weekend and great start to your work week!

Redo: Flower Gradient

Hello, everyone!  I decided to take a break from the nail challenge to take a another stab at a gradient mani. I started with two coats of Orly French Manicure Sheer Nude.  For the gradient, I used the same colors that I used in my last attempt - Sally Hansen Insta Dri Pink Blink, Konad Special Polish in Pastel Pink, and Kleancolor Barbie Pink.  I finished with the flowers from Konad M60 in Konad Special polish in white.  The dot of the flower is Kleancolor Metallic Gold.

Oh my goodness!  It's sooo much prettier than my last try!  The Nailasaurus picture tutorial made all the difference!

Thanks for stopping by, Konaddicts!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 18: Half Moons

Hello, everyone! Today's challenge was "half moons", another new look for me!  I started with a base of Love My Nails Angel - a chrome kind of white.  I used french manicure stickers to section off the nail before polishing Kleancolor Metallic Red at the bottom.  I used plate A28 and Silver Bullet to stamp the little flower.

I loved this look!  I've used Kleancolor Metallic Red for stamping but I haven't worn it on its own.  It's a stunner!

"Galaxy" nails are next - see you then!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 14: Flowers

Thank you to Sammy a Nailasaurus for the awesome gradient picture tutorial!  With her help, my gradient has gotten much, much better!

I also just received my the new Bundle Monster set in the mail - what a great day!  I decided to combine a new effort at gradient nails with my new Bundle Monster plates to come up with a "flowers" manicure for this day of the challenge.

I started with a base of Kleancolor Pastel Teal.  I should have tried my gradient with only two colors, but I didn't feel like the green was dark enough, so I made a gradient with Sally Hansen Insta Dri Lickety Split Lime and a tiny bit of Kleancolor Grass Green.  It made the gradient a little splotchy - especially since I'm still working on this technique - but it did darken up the green a bit.

I stamped with Konad Special Polish in white using a plate from the newest Bundle Monster set - BM314.  They've got some interesting designs that I can't wait to play around with!  At their website, you can see closeups of the new set.  

To add a little contrast, I dotted the flower centers using Kleancolor Metallic Green and Metallic Aqua.

I hope you're having a great weekend, Konaddicts!  Thanks for stopping by; see you next time for "tribal" nails...

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 10: Gradient Nails

For my "gradient nails", I decided to go with one of the looks that initially drew me to try Konad.  I started with a base of Bella Il Fiore Baby Doll - a sheer french base.  I decided to start sponging with Sally Hansen Insta Dri Pink Blink; then I went with a medium pink, Konad Special Polish in Pastel Pink; and finished the darker pink, Kleancolor Barbie Pink. I slapped on some topcoat and then stamped the flourish using Red Angel RA-116 and Sally Hansen Whirlwind White.  I didn't have any actual pearly accents, so I used Love My Nails Angel, the pearly white, and a dotting tool to add the dots.

I love the look of sponging but I never feel like I have it totally down...  Today's mani was a good chance to get out the sponges and to give it a try!   BTW:  All you polish queens, what sponges do you think are the best to use?

The next challenge is polka dot nails!  See you then!

31 Day Nail Challenge - Day 5: Blue Nails

Hello!  Woo hoo - I'm getting to wear my absolute favorite nail polish today!

This is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Blue Me Away!  I stamped with Sally Hansen Insta Dri in Whirlwind White using Konad M60.  I used rhinestones for the flower centers.

I love this blue!  Stamped with white or with silver, it always looks awesome.  It's a gorgeous color when worn on its own.  Blue Me Away!, however, is not for the faint of heart.  Expect to have a little staining when you remove the polish.

See you tomorrow for purple nails!  Thanks for reading, 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!

Summer Island Nails

Summer is here, and thank goodness for that!  Here's a summer island mani to celebrate summer.

I started with two coats of Kleancolor Pastel Blue.  I stamped the wavy tips using Kleancolor Beach Blue and one of the French manicure designs on BM216.  I stamped my "islands" using plate A33 and Sally Hansen Insta Dri In-a-Blink Blue for the wave, Revlon Top Speed Espresso for the palm tree trunks, and Revlon Top Speed Emerald for the tops. (I love these polishes; what would I do without my Top Speeds?)

My waves/island bottom didn't blend like I (magically) expected them to, but this breezy mani is fun all the same.

I hope it's smooth sailing for you, Konaddicts!

Summer Flower Layers

So...this didn't come out exactly like I was hoping it would.  I wanted to do more layers and the intention was to layer flowers over a leafy base. 

Here are the layers:

1) Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mint Sorbet

2) Kleancolor Holo Green

3) I stamped the leafy image from M83 with Finger Paints Sketch n Etch,a sheer green.

4) Finally, I stamped the flowers from Cheeky plate CH14 in Kleancolor Metallics Metallic Pink and Metallic Fuchsia (mixed around a little with the scraper before stamping).   I dotted with Kleancolor Metallic Yellow.

Well...I like the blending in the flowers, but I was hoping to see more of the "leafy" base.  I tend to like clean, crisp images and this pairing makes the flowers look a little like blobs.  I love the almost "hippie" like style of the flowers, but I don't think it worked for my design.

Oh, well...I'll take the "E" for "effort" and make a grab for the remover.  Take care, Konaddicts!