Alstroemeria Inspiration

My mom has these gorgeous alstroemerias (Peruvian lilies) growing in her frontyard and they were on my mind when I did this mani:

I used Confetti Vava Voom as the base because it's almost a perfect match for the flowers.  The design I stamped using pink Konad polish was from H Series plate H38:

To be honest, I'm not sure what the design is supposed to be.  Grapes and thorns, maybe?  Then on my ring finger I added two slices of fimo clay flowers over a layer of top coat.  Here's a shot of my nails next to the flowers:

Confetti Masquerade Ball (compared to I'm With Brad)

Masquerade Ball is another great color from Confetti.  It's a black base with dark red shimmer and the formula was super smooth and pigmented.  I think it's comparable to I'm With Brad from Sephora by OPI:

I can't really tell the difference when I look at my nails and I thought the formulas for both were great with no issues.  If you're interested in a comparison of the brushes you can check out my old post on Metro Chic where I have the brushes lined up.

Green French Tips w/ Confetti My Favorite Martian

I was thinking about how much I enjoyed my orange french tips from a little while back, so I thought I'd try green french tips using Confetti's My Favorite Martian.  I started with Barielle Nail Brightener, stamped the flower pattern from Konad m25 using Konad white polish, and then added the french tip.  Not sure I like how this turned out...I think it looks like there's algae growing on my nail.  I guess not all manicures are meant to be.

China Glaze - FYI

After dazzling myself with the holo of DS Coronation the other day I decided to go for more holo.  I like how holo is very eye-catching and fun but it's really easy to remove, unlike glitter polishes.  China Glaze FYI is a nude / beige holo from the OMG collection.  I like how the holographic effect prevents the color from washing out against my skin, so it doesn't look like mannequin hands.

Confetti - Vava Voom

Vava Voom is a magenta / fuschia color between pink and purple.  The pic above is in direct sun and the color looks really bright and cheerful.  I was actually kind of surprised when I saw the photos because I applied this polish at night and in my mind it was a much darker color.  I took another pic in the shade so you can see the difference:

In low light, Vava Voom is a darker berry color.  Now that I'm looking at it more closely, it reminds me of China Glaze Designer Satin...I'll have to dig that out from my stash for a comparison sometime.

OPI DS Coronation w/ Houndstooth

I loved the My Private Jet houndstooth mani from a few weeks ago so much that I had to do another one!  This time I used OPI DS Coronation (from the Designer Series with the silver bottle cap) as the base.  It's a silver holo so it has a really cool rainbow 3D effect in the light:

And then I stamped the houndstooth pattern from Konad plate m63 using Konad black special polish:

I love how the houndstooth pattern comes out so crisp and perfect.  Thank goodness for Konad--I'd never be able to get this look by free handing with acrylic paint.  I can'd decide whether I like this black & white look better than the brown & gold combination when I used My Private Jet . . .

Revlon Not So Blueberry

Every time I go to CVS I see a display of scented nail polishes from Revlon and today I finally gave in to the temptation to buy one.  If you're interested in smelling these polishes before you buy, I recommend holding the open bottle a respectable distance away.  Though they're scented, they're still made of chemicals and the fumes probably aren't meant to be inhaled directly.  I carefully smelled a few of the bottles and settled on Not So Blueberry, which is a light frosted purple shimmer:

It smells like blueberry syrup or bubble gum, yummy but artificial.  The display says it is formulated with a top coat "included" (I assume because adding your own top coat would diminish the scent).  Not So Blueberry is a very pretty color but a little too flashy and shimmery for me, so I stamped a big leaf design from H Series plate H11 using Konad's Violet Pearl polish:

My nails still smelled faintly of blueberries after covering with Konad polish and top coat so this was a fun novelty to try.

Lace Nails!

I was prepared for my first attempt at a lace manicure to be a total disaster, so I was pleasantly surprised with this result.  I think it turned out...cute?  Or at least interesting.  And it was super quick and easy.  The purple base is OPI's Done Out in Deco.  I added black tips and a coat of Seche Vite and just stuck on a square piece of lace and cut it to fit my nail once the top coat dried.  So simple!

Confetti Paparazzi + Barielle Nail Brightener

My mani for today is pretty simple but I really enjoyed it.  I started with two coats of Barielle Nail Brightener, which is my all time favorite base for french manicures:

It has a subtle blue shimmer for a "brightening" effect, just like blue shimmer that you sometimes see in lip gloss.  The blue counteracts yellow/dull tones and the shimmer reflects light.  In the bottle it looks kinda opaque, but it goes on very sheer and subtle so it can be layered on top of white tips without a problem.  When I use Nail Brightener, it's like my natural nail...but better!

Then I used Confetti Paparazzi, an orange jelly shimmer, for the french tips.  I am terrible at free handing french tips so when I like to use jellies and glitters that are buildable and don't streak--they tend to be more forgiving towards shaky hands.

Confetti - Smitten vs. Pop The Cork Purple

I got an email requesting a side by side comparison of Confetti's Pop The Cork Purple and Smitten, so here it is:

They both look like dark purples in the bottle and navy blues in low light, but Smitten is much more sparkly while Pop The Cork has a smooth even shimmer.  I'd say Smitten is also more purple, but it really depends on the lighting.  Hope that helps!

Purple & Black Zig Zag

I came up with this purple and black mani as a combination of the zig zag from this mani and the half and half look from this one.  I started out by painting my whole nail lavender using Confetti Belle of the Ball, and then painted over half with Confetti Centerstage.  I added a layer of Seche Vite (because I wasn't patient enough for the polish to air dry), then added two triangles of tape and painted over everything with Sinful Colors Black on Black.  Then I removed the tape, and that's it!  This look took a little longer than I would've liked since it required three colors + top coat, but I like the way it turned out.

Confetti - Belle of the Ball (compared to OPI)

I've been working through these Confetti polishes steadily for weeks, but there are still a bunch to go.  Above is Belle of the Ball, which looked to me like a potential dupe for OPI's Do You Lilac It?  The first picture is in direct sunlight so the color appears a bit lighter than it does in person.  OPI is on the ring finger and each nail has two coats.  The second pic is a close-up indoors, which I think is more true to color.  To me the two are nearly identical--maybe Do You Lilac It is a little more cool-toned and Belle of the Ball is a little bit brighter.