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 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

Faux Watermarble

Hello!

Whoa - I've been a busy bee this week so I don't have a lot of art to share today.
I only have an iPhone pic of the final mani that I had to snag from my Instagram.

I started with a base of OPI I Don't Give A Rotterdam, a shimmery grey that is more complex upon closer inspection. Then I created a diagonal gradient with Essie Naughty Nautical (aqua) and Nyx Purple.
Here's a look at the gradient pre-stamp:

I added the faux watermarble type image from Vivid Lacquer plate 009 and Konad White.
I have never been able to make watermarbling work for me, so this is an easy cheat.

Any tips of making real water marbles work?

-L

Surreal Garden with Dragonflies

Hello!

Today's look could have been two separate manis. I wasn't sure what I was doing exactly when I started, and even though I'm happy with both looks, they don't seem that cohesive.

I started off with a base of piCture pOlish Atomic. Some of you must be sick of hearing what I use as a base since it seems it always gets covered up anyway! I'm often intending for some of the qualities of the base polish to shine though, but it rarely turns out that way.

pre clean up and stamp

On my thumb, index and middle finger I used a combination of sponging and dry brush technique for this ethereal look. Polishes are Misa Lash Out, Motives Tahiti Surf, Misa Let's Go Green, and Elevation Polish Wuyi Mountain. On my ring and pinky, with the same techniques, I used Duri What a Keeper, Elevation Polish El Cap, Cirque Vaudeville and Cadillacquer Pinkman.

The grass is from Vivid Lacquer plate 14 and the dragonflies and stars are from plate 19. The flowers are from Konad plate m53. I love the surreal garden, and the whimsical dragonflies, but they don't necessarily work together do they? What do you think?

Bonus macro to show off some shimmer:

Tropical Top Man

Hello!

Wow, time flies - sorry for my absence. Between birthdays, a camping trip and prepping for CANVAS lacquer's first street festival (check out the info here!), blogging had to take a bit of a back burner. However, I never stopped doing my nails, so here's the back log!

This look really reminds me of the prints I've seen on lots of men's clothing this year. The tropical trends from the 90's seem to be back full force and it was very evident when I went shopping with the bf at Top Man.

I started with 2 coats of Essie Mojito Madness on my thumb, middle and ring finger. I forgot how much I really like this shade of green! It's subtle, but to add sort of a weathered, vintage Hawaiian shirt vibe, I sponged on a bit of Essie Navigate Her.
On my index and pinky I used 2 coats of bondi nyc Chasing the Sun. It doesn't appear in photos well, but I also layered on CND Gold Shimmer for some sunny sparkle.

Using Vivid Lacquer plate 21 and OPI Eurso Euro I added the palm tree images. I love this plate!
Overall I really like this result. I think I nailed some current guy trends, an unexpected accomplishment!

-L

More holo! More floral!

Hello!

If you follow the canvaslacquer Instagram account you may have seen this a few days ago. I'm kind of new to this whole nail social media thing, so I'm happy to report this has so far been my most 'liked' look.

I started with 2 coats of a-England Her Rose Adagio. Not sure why the pink doesn't really come through in photos, but it's a beautiful shade (and I'm not typically big on soft pink). For added interest I dabbed on a bit of a-England Dancing with Nureyev. The blue seems to read a bit better than the pink, but overall it comes off sorta silvery.

For the branches I used a-England Briarwood, an amazing brown holo that also stamps beautifully. I used Vivid Lacquer plate 014. Next for the leaves I used Pueen 33 with my usual OPI Amazon...Amazoff, the only non-holo polish for this look, I have plenty of green holos that probably do stamp well, I just thought it might clash too much with all the other holo going on so I opted for a creme. Finally, with a dotting tool for the flowers I used Colors by Llarowe OABTRAD. The little centers are Color Club Kismet.

passiflora

I've been trying to incorporate more visual interest in my nail pics, but I find holding an item and positioning my hand for the photo at the same time incredibly awkward! So here's a rando photo of me trying to pose with one of my passionflower vines.

Do you guys prefer JUST the nails or do like seeing someone posing with something?

-L

Dusky City Skyline, Nails of the Day

Hello!

Today's look is sort of a practice run for a similar idea I've been playing with in my head for awhile, but I'm not going to reveal all the details yet!

I started with 2 coats of bondi nyc Chasing the Sun.

Orange is certainly not my first pick of polish shades, but I quite like this! It reminds me of creamsicles.

I then sponged on Duri What A Keeper (blurple with hidden shimmer) and bondi nyc NYPD (the deep blue). The sparkly 'stars' are Color Club Magic Attraction, which has holo that unfortunately didn't translate in photos.
I stamped the buildings from Vivid Lacquer plate 004 with Konad Gold Black and the moon with Vivid Lacquer plate 017 and Konad Silver. I purposely didn't use my usual NOPI because it's actually more opaque than the Konad special polish and I wanted the moon to look a bit more ethereal.
The tiny building lights are OPI I Can't Cope-acabana, using a cut down brush and just barely dotting it onto the surface.

I took an iPhone photo with flash, and it made the moon look really cool!

The glare of the flash even gave me perfect stars in the sky!
Hope you like this look as much as I do!

-L

Whimsical Colour Combo, Nails of the Day

Hello!

This mani is super simple, but I think the colour combo is really effective.

On the index and pinky I started with bondi nyc Strawberry Fields (2 coats), on the middle, ring and thumb (not pictured) is bondi nyc Lady Liberty (2 coats). If you've read this blog before you know I really like my bondi cremes!

 

I added the stamping with Vivid Lacquer plate 006 and Konad Gold Black. The added shimmer on the index and pinky is NOPI Great Minds Pink Alike, a really sheer shade that worked perfectly with Strawberry Fields.
On my thumb (which I'm really kicking myself for not photographing), I had on Lady Liberty, so to match the shimmer on my index and pinky, I added Model's Own Indian Ocean. Ah! It was gorgeous, and it totally reminded me of a brighter version of Rescue Beauty Lounge Aqua Lily, a lemming of mine. I may do a post dedicated to this later!

-L

Ferry to the Island, Nails of the Day

Hello!

Today I am showing you another CANVAS lacquer creation from our summer collection.

FERRY TO THE ISLAND is a milky blue base with fine white and blue glitters, ocean green hexes, baby blue dots, fine green holographic sparks, and a subtle minty shimmer.

We're so lucky in Toronto to be living in an urban landscape that also has a gorgeous waterfront and a quick day escape to a number of small islands for picnics and play.

Ferry to the Island by CANVAS lacquer

Even though there are a few 'larger' glitters in this, they are subtle because they're not too far off the base colour - it really is like seeing things floating through the water. The minty shimmer adds another dimension to the water effect.

Rolling with the water theme, I added these wave images with Vivid Lacquer plate 23 and Konad white.

 

Direct light and a good top coat really bring the minty shimmer to life in this one. IRL I think this shade leans a hint more green.
 
This is available at our Etsy store now!

-L

Rebecca Minkoff Inspired, Nails of the Day

Hello!

My Cynthia Rowley mani was a big hit, so I decided to do another ‘inspired by fashion’ mani.

This is my beloved Rebecca Minkoff mini M.A.C. bag. I’ve been trying to think of ways of interpreting this into nail art for months. I tried last week to do a tape mani that failed miserably.

the muse

I went with stamping instead, and I think it turned out pretty well. It’s not an exact replica of the weaving on the bag, but it captured the same essence.

The base is Quo by Orly Femme Fatale. I stamped with Vivid Lacquer 009 using bondi nyc NYPD. The accent nail is OPI (Gwen Stefani Collection) Push and Shove, it represents the signature chain and hardware on all her bags.

Push and Shove accent

Push and Shove was painted on over top of Femme Fatale because I forgot my plan when I was painting my base. The chrome finish reacted kinda weird and almost had a shatter/crackle effect! I had to paint 3 layers to get it even.

These inspired by fashion manis are really working for me!

-L

Easter/Spring Mani featuring Emily de Molly 'Frail Promise', Nails of the Day

Yay! Spring has FINALLY sprung in Toronto. My spring inspired mani ended up looking a bit Easter-y, but since it's coming up anyway I'm quite satisfied with the result!

First I started with a base of Colors by Llarowe Precious Metal (shimmery grey). My thumb and ring finger are featuring Emily de Molly Frail Promise. I only needed 1 coat for the glitter payoff. I tested this on a nail wheel previous to using it in this mani and discovered that I def prefer it at one coat, at 2 coats I found it a bit too busy for my taste - but to each their own!
I love the colour combination of the glitters, which is what lead me to choosing the colours for the gradient. The green is piCture pOlish Jade (shimmery minty green) and the pink is Duri Showstopper (shimmery pink).
I then stamped over the gradient using Vivid Lacquer plate 019 and Konad White. I was having a hard time getting the images to transfer cleanly - but that was definitely due to my white polish getting a bit old, and  nothing to do with the plate.

I don't typically show my thumb, but since I didn't get as much of the aqua glitters on my ring finger as my thumb I decided to include it, better tying all the colours together.
However, that being said, I still didn't feel it was as harmonious as I'd like it to be, so I topped everything off with a coat of KBShimmer I Only Have Ice For You, a sparkly holo glitter.

The difference is subtle in pictures but more apparent IRL. I LOVE the added sparks of holo over Frail Promise.

Here's a closer look.

Hope you're all able to enjoy the beautiful spring weather!

-L

Stamped Vertical Gradient, Nails of the Day

I love gradients. For some reason I find doing them vertically more challenging than horizontally, but I love the effect! I usually use cremes, and I've tried holos once or twice, but I've never used all shimmers, and I'm quite pleased with the result.
Because it has a slightly metallic finish, at a glace it almost looks like I could be wearing foils (which I have yet to try even though I picked up a Ciate kit from Winners a couple months back).

vertical stamped gradient, notd

Unfortunately there's some tipwear since this is day 3 with this mani (my day of photos were a bit messy, the clean up on this was a real pain). In lower lighting this sometimes looks like it's a multichrome polish, shifting with the curve of the nail - love it!

I used a base of CoverGirl 'Silver Lining'. I like using it as a base for a lot of nail art, such as my Monet mani.  It's not too grey or too metallic, it's closer to a shimmery off-white if you ask me, which I prefer to a stark white.
For the gradient I used Misa 'Let's Go Green', China Glaze 'Frostbite' and Nyx 'Purple'.
I then stamped using VividLacquer plate 019 with Konad 'Gold Black'. In the bottle this appears quite shimmery, but it almost never translates onto the nail, so it's pretty much my go-to black stamping polish.

Anyone else find vertical gradients harder than horizontal, or is that just me?

-L