Waiting for Nail Mail...

This is one plate I bought, just waiting for it to get to me.
Isn't it amazing!

I've been pretty quiet this month, but I haven't forgotten all of you. I've just been caught up on discovering a new nail stamping plate brand. MoYou is fairly new to nail stamping, but they have some of the most fascinating plates I have ever seen. Above is Suki 01, the one that caught my eye and the one I am waiting (impatiently) to show up in my mailbox. Isn't it just fantastic! So many images in just one plate. Because they are a fairly new brand they are drumming up interest by running giveaways on various blogs. Sadly I am not one (yet. Someday though I hope to run giveaways and contests) but I am participating in as many as I can get into. Here are a few if any of you want to join up as well :

Spellbinding Nails

Crazy Nails (Over)

My Pretty Nailz (Over)

Lover for Lacquer (Butter London Giveaway) (Over now, sorry)

Lacquer or Leaver Her ($25 dollar Gift Card) (I think this will be over by the time this post comes up, but if not check it out)

Well that's what I've been doing these last few weeks. Oh and joining some facebook contests, giveaways, and challenges. Some of them I can't post publically till the contest is over though.

Now if you'll excuse me I need to get back to sitting by my mail box. *sigh*

Green Water Marble

Wow, I didn't even notice it but yesterday's "What Makes You Happy?" post was my 100th post. Doesn't seem like a whole lot, but it's my first real milestone. That makes me happy o.~ ! Anyway, I did the water marble on the index and loved it so much that I did it on all my fingers on my right hand. China Glaze marbled so nicely. This is "Starboard" "Treehugger" "Running in Circles" and "Ice Cap" marbled over Wet n Wild "White Creme" base. I was so thrilled when the glitter in "Running in Circles" and "Ice Cap" didn't sink to the bottom of the water like some glitters do in a water marble. So far of all my polishes, China Glaze behaves the best for water marbles.

What Makes You Happy?

A facebook group I'm in was running a "What Makes You Happy" contest and this is the mani I submitted. Seriously, my favorite thing is learning new techniques. This here is nearly all the different nail art techniques I've explored so far. The index is a water marble, the middle is a gradient with stamping, the ring is my first attempt at an alcohol water spotted, the pinky is striped and dotted, and the thumb is a plastic wrap marble. I also love the color green and the China Glaze brand. The colors used are China Glaze "Starboard", "Tree Hugger",and "Running in Circles". Also used Wet n Wild "Black Creme" and "White Creme". The stamp is BundleMonster BM221.

Fun story about the middle finger, I painted the index and middle then got called in to work to cover a sick co-worker. At work I broke that nail. All the way to the quick. Before I took photos. Hanging on by the tiniest threads I coated the nail in the only thing I had, super glue. When I got home I topcoated it and took the picture. You can't even see the break now. I'm curious how long the glue will hold. Hopefully long enough for it to grow out again.

Black and White Glitter

Swatching up a pair of new glitter polishes by Sally Hansen, I got impatient and slapped "Strobe Flash" on my own nails. I didn't prepare properly and it was a pain to get off (glitter always is) but I liked it. Sometimes a simple mani is what you need. Odd thing tho, remember when I said the water decals left bubbles? Well this mani has tons of tiny bubbles as well. Maybe it wasn't the decal but the new topcoat I'm trying out. I'll keep an eye out for bubbles in the future.

...And All Night

After my Sunrise mani on my left hand, I decided a moon manicure on the other hand. Moonrise wouldn't look as cool as sunrise, but how about the phases of the moon? I put down a base of Orly "Liquid Vinyl" and using the hole from a piece of notebook paper I painted in Milani "White On The Spot" the moons. Full Moon on the middle with gibbous waxing/waning on ring and index and crescents on thumb and pinky. A holo glittery coat of Out The Door fast dry top coat in "Northern Lights" adds stars and matches with the glitter of the left hand.

Polishing All Day...

Yeah, real life sucks and keeps getting in the way of polishing. I mean, I've been going weeks with naked nails. Can you believe that? NAKED! Anyway, in hopes of breaking this downward spiral I had to get something on my nails. Flipping thru my stamping plate binder I caught on BM 301. Rays of sunshine. Hmm, I wonder if I could do a rising and setting sun. Maybe even try a double stamp, yellow and orange rays. So starting with a base of New York Color "Skyline Blue" with a gradient half way up on the thumb and pinky in Orly "Blue Collar" and barely at the base on the index and ring. I left the middle with no gradient because that one should be the noon nail. I also stamped on the middle finger half way up the nail, then switched the stamp over and stamped on the bottom half to get the rays going up and down from the sun. I used a small mystery bottle orange to stamp with first then Sally Hansen "Lightening" just over that. Some stamped better than others, but otherwise I'm rather proud of my double stamping. "Lightening" was used again for the sun. A couple coats of China Glaze "Ice Cap" adds a golden shimmer over the whole nail.

Mosaic Inspiriation

During my last trip into Chicago I took alot of photos. Mostly of colors and effects I wanted to duplicate with nail polish. This image is a bit dark but its from the Chicago Cultural Center. The whole building was full of mosaics, mostly in tones of green, blue and gold. This is my first attempt to mimic the colors.

I started off with China Glaze "Blue Sparrow" and layered Sinful Colors "Love Nails" on top to give it a pearly look. Then I painted a triangle of white on the tip so China Glaze "Tree Hugger" would stand out better over the blue. Then to give it a streaky semi-precious stone look I painted one of my franken polish green jellies over it. I'm not thrilled with the out come yet and will keep tweaking it to get a stone look. I accented the triangle with some gold striping tape I just got the other day. It was also super humid and rainy that day so the cheap topcoat I use on my practice nails rippled and dried weird and wrinkly. Still a work in progress.