China Glaze Jitterbug

I'm trying to pick the perfect color for New Year's Eve and I immediately thought of Jitterbug from China Glaze's Vintage Vixen collection.  It's a dark grey shimmer that's flashy without being over the top.  When I was ready to change colors I added a matte top coat (Essie's Matte About You) just to see what it would look like:

Very interesting suede-like finish.  I'll have to wear this with matte top coat again sometime and maybe try stamping with it.

OPI Have You Seen My Limo?

OPI Have You Seen My Limo? came out for Christmas a few years ago and I thought the color was so unique.  It has a a great reddish / eggplant shimmer in the light but at other angles it looks very dark, almost black.

Love it!

More Snowflake Nails

I was thinking about the snowflake manicure I did a few weeks ago and I wanted to try using the same design over a light blue background (OPI What's With the Cattitude?) or white (OPI Kyoto Pearl on the index finger).  As before, I stamped the snowflakes from Konad plates m20 and m59 using China Glaze Millennium for the silver and Konad special polishes for the dark and baby blue.

I really love the detail on the Konad snowflake plates--they stamp crisply every time.  On the nail above, I added a little embellishment by tracing part of the snowflake with clear top coat using a striper brush and tapping on a little bit of loose silver glitter.  I like how it turned it out but I can't decide whether I prefer the dark blue base better:

Holiday Nails Pt. 3

OPI Here Today Aragon Tomorrow without top coat

I've always been mystified by suede nail polish but in my search for another holiday green I picked up OPI's Here Today...Aragon Tomorrow Suede.  The formula was very smooth and the finish was matte with a little shimmer.  I liked the suede look but I absolutely fell in love with this color after I added a clear top coat:

OPI Here Today Aragon Tomorrow Suede half-painted with top coat

It was like magic!  The suede became a beautiful emerald colored shimmer.  

Here Today Aragon Tomorrow with China Glaze Hi-Tek Tree Konad

Above is two coats of OPI Here Today....Aragon Tomorrow with one coat of clear top coat.  I added the gold Christmas tree from Konad plate m12 using China Glaze Hi-Tek.

OPI Ink - Matte & Glossy

I wanted something cute and elegant for my manicure today so I used OPI Ink with silver flowers and rhinestones.  OPI Ink is a gorgeous dark purple shimmer.  I muted the shine with matte top coat and then stamped a flower pattern from Bundle Monster octagon plate M02 (Konad m6) along the side of each nail in silver.  For the finishing touch I added a tiny rhinestone on each flower.  I'm secretly crazy about rhinestones but I have trouble incorporating them in wearable looks.

Above is what OPI Ink typically looks like.  As you can see, it has a very intense shimmer.  After putting it on I decided to go matte because I really wanted to use Konad with rhinestones and I was afraid the combination would be too much.

This picture is right after applying the matte top coat, before I started stamping.  I love how quickly matte top coat dries.  I've tried a few brands of matte top coat and so far I like Essie's and Rescue Beauty Lounge's the best.

Continue Reading . . .

Jade Is The New Black

I was never much of a fan of green nail polish until I saw Jade Is The New Black from OPI's Hong Kong Collection.  It's a nice dark green that's eye catching without being over the top.  I experimented a little with incorporating a holiday theme by stamping a poinsettia on one finger:

In the design above, the white base color is OPI She's Golden, which is a pearlescent white with subtle gold shimmer.  I used the poinsettia from Bundle Monster octagon plate M57 using Konad polish in red and green.  I wanted to try something different on my other hand so I used the houndstooth pattern from Konad plate m63 in white below:

Not sure how I feel about the houndstooth but it was fun to try!

OPI Yodel Me On My Cell

My sister is visiting for the holidays and she wanted a manicure using OPI Yodel Me On My Cell, which is a turquoise blue shimmer from the new Swiss Collection.  I just picked it up a few days ago and I think it's a great color.

The gold vine pattern is from Bundle Monster plate BM20 using China Glaze 2030.

Continue Reading . . .

Holiday Nails Pt. 2

Above is OPI Dating a Royal, which is a soft dark blue creme.  I wear this color in all seasons, but to add a holiday flare I stamped on some white and silver snowflakes:

The far left is the dandelion from Konad plate m20 and the snowflakes are from Konad plates m20 and m59 using Konad white and China Glaze Millenium.  When I stamp metallics I usually use China Glaze polishes from the Khrome Collection because I think they show up better than the Konad silver and gold.

Holiday Nails Pt. 1

Winter is such a great season for nails--I love playing with darker tones, reds, and metallics.  Today I'm wearing one of my favorite deep reds, OPI's Little Red Wagon, which is from the 2008 Holiday in Toyland collection.  I thought it could use a little embellishment so I stamped a design from Bundle Monster (fauxnad) plate BM11 using China Glaze 2030.  The design reminds me of Christmas lights--perfect for the holidays!

Welcome!

Hi, I'm Michelle.  I love experimenting with new colors, techniques, and brands!  I started this blog to share nail designs and connect with fellow polish lovers.  Feel free to contact me at lovepolishblog@gmail.com.