Canadian Cottage Scene

Hello!

More wintry themes from me!

I started with a base of Quo by Orly Prepster for the sky, Canvas lacquer Polar Bear Dip for the frozen skating pond, Elevation Polish Alpine Heights (Carlit) for the trees, Nails Inc Oxford St for the cabin with just a hint of bondi nyc Chasing the Sun for the warm glow through the window, a combo of CoverGirl Silver Lining and Sally Hansen Whiteout for the all the snow and smoke out of the chimney, then topped everything off with Canvas' Winter of '99 for the snow falling. Konad Gold Black for added depth. Phew! All freehand.

Let me do your nails next Saturday! Come by 224 Wallace Ave, Unit 104 on Dec 6 for our Pop Up event!

-L

31C2014 Day 23 - Inspired by a Movie

Hello!

yeah, yeah, yeah - not even close.
To be fair I did, and posted this on Instagram on the right day - it's just taken me awhile to get the details here - sorry guys!

OMG TOTORO!!! Seriously, if you can't find anything charming about Miyazaki or anything else from Studio Ghibli, you have no heart. My Neighbor Totoro is a fave of mine, but the dust sprites are also featured in my other fave Spirited Away. Yes people - two movies in one mani - can I collect extra points? Anyway...

I started with a base of OPI My Vampire Is Buff.

Next I freehanded the soot sprites with Essie Licorice (black) and Sally Hansen White On. Totoro is Misa Paint My Nails @Work, Licorice, White On and Sally Hansen In the Groove (green).
I stamped the stars using pieces of an image from VividLacquer 014 and used In the Groove, Sally Hansen Brisk Blue and Sally Hansen Presto Pink.

I was absolutely gleeful with the way this turned out! I don't do 'cutsie' very often, but I'll always make an exception for Totoro.

-L

31DC2014, Day 9 - Rainbow

Hello!

Day 9 - Rainbow

If you haven't figured it out - I love colour! I didn't have a lot of time to go crazy and really think outside the box for this one, but I'm still pretty happy with how this turned out.

I thought I was being clever by using piCture pOlish Sparkle because it has a rainbow of micro glitter in it, but you can't tell in these photos! They look more like random specks. gah
So then I used the same Bundle Monster 021 image and stamped using Konad Red, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Snappy Sorbet, Lightening, In the Groove, Brisk Blue and OPI Funky Dunky.

I used 2 shades per stamp, hoping the colors would bleed together more to create a bit more of a gradient effect, but it didn't come out that way. It could have been the nature of the Insta-Dri polishes, they're quite thick and dry quickly - great for stamping, not so great for stamping gradient.

-L

31DC2014, Day 8 - Metallic

Hello!

So I made it past the first week! We're now beyond simple color prompts and moving onto other ideas.

Day 8 - Metallic

Like so many others, I immediately turned to chrome polishes and foil.

My base is OPI Push & Shove. You're not supposed to use top coat, but for a tape mani you just gotta. I found the topcoat made the brushstrokes more obvious, but didn't diminish the reflective quality.
I used simple french guides to create the diagonal line. The 'foil' polishes are from Sally Hansen ColorFoil line (though the finish is often referred to as chrome). Index: Minted Metal, middle & ring: Purple Alloy, pinky: Colbalt Chrome.

On the thumb I tried to do a 'distressed metal' look with the dry brushstroke technique but there wasn't even contrast with the shades. On my accent nail I finally go around to trying nail foil for the first time. It was super easy and painless! Thanks discounted Ciate pack at Winners!

-L

31DC2014, Day 7 - Black & White

Heyo!

Day 7 - Black & White

I feel like I really stretched my creative muscle on this one!

This is an ode to old film! I tried to create a vintage vignette look with a radial gradient. I'd say it was semi-successful - my collection is really lacking the perfect grey.
I started with a base of Sally Hansen White On, then used CoverGirl Silver Lining, Misa Paint My Nails @Work and Essie Licorice.

I gotta give props to VividLacquer 021 for making this mani possible! What an awesome image plate.

-L

31DC2014, Day 5 - Blue

Hello!

Day 5 - Blue

So far one of my most popular Instagram posts ever! I loved how this turned out and was so sorry to have to take it off!

Whoo! This was NOT a lazy interpretation, but it didn't take hours either. The base is Cirque Tibetan Nights, a fave blue, but damn does it stain! The clouds were freehanded using a combination of bondi blue skies, Misa Blue Over a Boy, bondi nyc NYPD and a bit of Sally Hansen White On for highlights and stars.

The moon I stamped since I didn't trust myself to freehand a circle! I used Konad Silver and VividLacquer 017.

Sometimes I impress myself.

-L

31DC2014, Day 3 - Yellow

Hello!

Ok, full disclosure. Part of the inspiration for this mani was just a total and complete cop out.
I know it was only day 3, but I felt like my skin was already getting burned out from all the acetone.
Til now I was painting both hands. For this, I decided my Orange Citrus mani went over so well, I would do a Lemon Yellow mani and not have to repaint my right hand as it would still be a cohesive look.

WHOOOAAAAA! I don't really know what I was thinking when I was editing this photo, the details are way too blown out to really see. What also fails in this mani is the white base. My orange mani really worked because the base wasn't white, so when you stamp with white there's more contrast (duh).
The white base is Sally Hansen (Xtreme Wear) White On, and then Sally Hansen (Insta-Dri) Lightening. My index and pinky are also featuring one of my favorite glitter toppers, Elevation Polish Huangshan. The images are from MoYou Tropical 08 and Bundle Monster 308.

Silly me. I should have edited this shade shot instead. buh.

-L

New Stamping Possibilties with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri

Hello!

So. If you didn't know... I like stamping. With my recent plate purchases I've been also dying to get my hands on more stamping polish. Konad polishes are a bit pricey (relatively), but are supposed to be the hallmark of stamping polish. My Gold Black is amazing, but the Silver I bought is way weaker than my nOPI Positive Energy, so my experience is hit/miss.
I started hearing RAVE reviews of Mundo de Unas stamping polish so I tried to hop on that train, but alas! I kept trying to check out and getting an error, then I read that they stopped shipping internationally recently. *cry*
With a little research (ie, going past page 1 in google results), I surmised the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri line was full of great stamping options. I raced over to the local drug store and voila! A sale!!!
So I picked up 8 shades. Here's 4.

I started with a base of In The Groove, a cross between a lime and avocado green. These polishes are so creamy and opaque! I find the brushes kinda fat and ragged looking, but it works for most of my fingers because the cuticle line is curved. My thumb is more straight across, and getting a nice straight line with those brushes is a bitch!. I then sponged on Mint Sprint (which I don't find minty, but closer to turquoise), and Brisk Blue. With Pueen plate 52 I added these geometric images using Sand Storm.

Can't wait to keep playing with these shades and finally be able to do more stamping over dark, and more double stamping!

Do you have any favourite non-Konad stamping polishes?

-L

A Rip in Time & Space

Hello!

Sorry it's been awhile. A few different things have been keeping me busy the last couple weeks, but it's all been good!

A couple weeks ago I did this mani, and for the first time tagged myself into a trending theme. This thread was started by The Nail Art Guild, a small group of nail bloggers I follow on Instagram. I'm happy to say this mani has gotten more likes than I've ever received before! For a newbie like myself, hitting just over 100 likes (about 105 last count), is very thrilling!

This theme was Time & Space, so I decided to interpret a wormhole, a rip in the space-time-continuum.

nebula, before the rip

I actually freakin' love this nebula look before I added extra streaks and sparks - but it didn't represent the theme well enough for me so I had to take it to that next level. However, next straight-up galaxy mani I do HAS to have a nebula like this!

I started with a black base of Essie Licorice. Then with a makeup sponge I did a bit of a circle gradient plus random spots with Sally Hansen White On, bondi nyc Blue Skies, Misa Blue Over a Boy, China Glaze Orange Knockout, Misa A Sunny Smile Makes Me Go Wild and bondi nyc Fuschia-istic. Using a few of those colours I also took a detail brush and drew light outward streaks from a centre point - the tiny dot is actually Dance Legend New Prisms Optical Illusion.

wormhole mani!

I continued to add the coloured streaks, added a few light black streaks on top of the colour for dimension, and a few white spots. To soften the look I added little splotches of white and grey in the form of Nfu-Oh Jelly Syrup 01 & 04. Topped with KBShimmer I Only Have Ice For you and a coat of Cult Nails Wax That (after Seche Vite, of course).

I'm so proud of these results that I plan on tagging myself into more themes in the future!

-L

Sunday Saver Mani!

Hello!

Ok, today is not Sunday - but it was when I did this mani, so whatever, right!?

This is a saver because I picked up these two Sally Hansen shades on sale, they are already pretty cheap, but when they're $2 each you can't say no!

The two shades are Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Coral Reef and Blue Me Away!
I used Konad White with Pueen plate 70 for the roses. Then I dusted off my dotters, which I don't use enough, and filled in the empty space with polka dots.

Blue Me Away! is almost a one-coater. It disappointed me a little bit that Coral Reef required 3 coats to look perfect, but it was $2 and a great shade so I'm not complaining. However, I did find both shades a hint 'stain-y' but nothing too bad.

Do you jump for sales??

-L