China Glaze - Grape Pop

I've been wearing the mani above for almost two weeks now, which is why I haven't posted anything new.  I started with two coats of China Glaze Grape Pop and then stamped the flower pattern from GCOCL K04, which I used last month.  I thought it still looked a little unfinished so after that dried, I used tape to cover the flowers and painted a stripe of light purple using OPI Do You Lilac It? along the left side of each nail.  Loved the way it turned out!

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.

Black w/ Cleopatra Tips

Today's mani was super quick.  I used two coats of black (Sinful Colors Black on Black) and a gradual glittery french tip using China Glaze Cleopatra.  Cleopatra is amazing--it's a gold glitter with a rainbow of other colors thrown in that always make me think of a treasure chest.  To get the gradual look, I started with a regular french tip and then dabbed the brush sporadically right below it.  I like it because it's easy to free hand in a hurry and it doesn't need to be perfect and symmetrical on each nail.  I used thick top coat after the glitter tip so that the glitter wouldn't be scratchy.

Citrus Inspiration

I've been eager to try out my new citrus fimo canes, so for today's mani I used Life Preserver from China Glaze's Spring 2011 Anchor's Away Collection.

In the bottle, Life Preserver looks like a soft creamy orange, but it dries a shade darker into a bolder color.  I stamped the citrus design from Konad plate m55 using China Glaze 2030, and then added fimo slices of lemon and grapefruit to one nail over a layer of top coat.

I think fimo fruit are so cute!  I know it looks pretty impractical but it was definitely fun to try.

Spring is in the air!

After some rain for the past few days, it's finally sunny outside and it feels like spring, so I wanted to wear something cheerful:

The shimmery lime green background is China Glaze Tree Hugger.  I stamped the flowers from fauxnad plate M59 (or GCOCL plate B02) using green and yellow Konad polish.  The grass on the ring finger is from Konad plate m66 and the dragonfly is a slice of fimo clay.

Palm Tree Nails

My friend showed me this pic of Alexa Chung's nails and asked me how easy it would be to get the look, so I  grabbed my white nail polish and Konad plates to give it a shot:

I used three coats of China Glaze White on White and stamped the palm tree from fauxnad plate M01 (or B70).  The green fronds are Konad special polish and the trunk is China Glaze Unplugged.  I know the shape of the palm trees look different from Alexa's (hers were probably free handed with acrylic paint) but with my lack of coordination, Konad was the best I could manage.

Sephora by OPI - Techno Girl (with Red Tips)

I thought Techno Girl from Sephora by OPI would be cute for Valentine's Day, so I tried it using China Glaze Sexy Silhouette for the tips.  Techno Girl is a nice medium pink but it's similar to a lot of pinks that I own.  Sexy Silhouette is a really nice shimmery fuschia but it goes on translucent so I usually use it in layers.  I played around with a few different combinations including a matte effect--see more pics after the jump.

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Zig Zag Tape Manicure Tutorial

Here's another mani using U-Concrete-Me:

I created the zig zag pattern by using tape and included a step by step tutorial after the jump:

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China Glaze - First Dawn

The dark grey charcoal metallic above is China Glaze First Dawn.  It has tiny flecks of multi-colored glitter in it that don't show up very clearly but make for a nice overall shimmer.  As with most metallics I've tried, there is a little bit of streaking but I like the look of it.

Here's the polish before I started stamping:

I used flowers from GCOCL (fauxnad) plate F01.

If you don't have the GCOCL plates, there are very similar flowers on Konad plates m51 and m57:

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 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.

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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.

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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!