Stampicure of the Day: Contemporary Design

I felt like stamping last night but I wanted a subtle background and a high contrast element in it. 

I finally decided on China Glaze Exotic Encounters as a base with Pure Ice Magic as a background using Cheeky XL C. There were two similar designs, one with a swirl and one without so I used the swirl design on my ring finger. 

I added a black tree/branch design on over it using Konad Black.

I really like how it turned out.

Exotic Encounters is like a cross between a pthalo green and teal with some grey. 

It's a very adult contemporary design ;) I like it, not too busy or crazy this time :D

Stampicure of the Day: Nude Sky

I think I have a bit of an obsession with layering metallic stamping over nudes :O

You be the judge!

Sorry for the blur, I didn't have my glasses on when checking the photos!

For my base, I used Essence Nude Glam in Cookies and Cream. I love this nude. It has bronzey metallic flakes in it that you can't really see in the photos. I stamped over it using Maybelline Bold Gold and Pure Ice Silver Mercedes using the Nailz Craze plate NC02. I have NC01 as well but I want them all O_O Darn low income :P

As you can see, I made a boo-boo on my ring finger here. The stamped image dried on the bottom before I could get it down, then it was put down in the wrong place! I was in too much of a rush I guess.

I also think that the lamp I have been using is too hot. It might be drying the images before I can get them down which is why there are so many missing parts to the stamping. I am thinking of buying a lamp that has a fluorescent bulb and a magnifying lens. It will help with beading, too :D

My other hand, which turned out better ><

I love the Nailz Craze plates. I just need to get the hang of stamping again, I have been too consumed by beading to bother. 

Stampicure of the Week: Blizzard

I had a hankering to try Zoya Kristen this week because (as you may know) the Midwest was pummelled by a blizzard the day after Christmas. I thought that Kristen would be the perfect wintery weather blue and I was so right. I knew there was a reason I bought this a long time ago!

I had to add some snowflake stamps to it! I used the Bundlemonster 2012 set's full nail snowflake design and HB23, a cheapie plate I got from a Chinese company awhile back. 

I stamped all but the ring finger in Konad White and then did the ring with Pure Ice Silver Mercedes. I used the HB plate to add little snowflakes in the opposite stamping color over the full nail design. 

I am pretty darn proud of this one. My nails have been really suffering from my job and the holiday season (even before Thanksgiving) has been suuuuuuper busy and totally crazy. I hope to have more time to devote to my nails and blogging again!

Stamping Sunday: Leaves

Yeah....it is not Sunday...But here is my mani for last week's Stamping Sunday theme of Leaves!

Revlon Fig Jam base! The smell is kinda...well, not strong and unoffensive. I like this polish, very pretty.

Well, I kinda went nuts with the leaves here. >_>

This is my right hand. Less cluttered! Wish I had an oak leaf stamp...

Stamping Sunday: Pink Cameo

Sunday's stamping challenge was Pulsating Pink or Purple 

Well, I think I took it down another road, haha! I had to use my new cesarsshop.fl plate which has a large cameo on it. I had been searching for a beautiful cameo plate! This is kinda big (it takes up almost the entire width of my nail) but I LOVE IT. I actually squealed and jumped up and down when I managed to stamp the white cameo lady over the gold to make this effect.

Everything else is kind of an afterthought in this mani, haha! I used Mash, BundleMonster, and RedAngel plates to do everything else. The pink base is a franken I made called Cameo Pink. It is much brighter than a normal cameo and not so jelly/translucent but I will end up changing it down the line anyhow :)

I am pretty much in love...

Random recent manis!

I have been trying to use up my untrieds lately, including some frankens I have made and never worn :)

For this one I used Orly Green Apple as a base and stamped with some of my FabUrNails stamping polishes ( I found them!)

I made a big mistake on my ring finger and got tired of re-doing it so I did a weird spiral design O_O

This is my golden shimmer seafoam franken!!

The seafoam franken is the base here. I added stamping to add some more interest. The pointer and ring also have a franken I made (based off Happy Hands Springs but with no holo!)

The thumb shows the glitter franken off; it has green to orange color shifting glitter instead of holo and smaller green hexes

This one is Essence Midnight Date set with Rainbow Honey Mare of the Moon. The flakies don't show well with the flash :(( I put the flakies over Mare of the Moon. It made a GORGEOUS pink shimmer and green flakie dual glow. Looking at it straight on, one side would be glowing green where the flakies were (with some sparse holo glitters) and one side would glow a magenta-pink...absolutely gorgeous. And the CUTE moons!! I love this polish.

The magenta shimmer is VERY subtle on camera!

Are you seeing flakies?!

Flakies plus shimmer?!

The blue underneath Mare of the Moon makes it an indigo color...it is gorgeous <3 <3

I probably ruined it by stamping, but I wanted to try something cute!

This is Mavela Pistachio and Essence No More Drama with the Dollish Polish glitter top coats based off of the Legend of Zelda (Hero of Time and Hylian Princess)

I tried to make it interesting with the scallops, but maybe it is a little too busy, haha

Stamping Sunday: Delicate Metallics

My inspiration for this mani is based on pieces of clothing that are made like lace with metallic thread; very sheer and delicate looking but also shimmery and rich. 

I used an untried!

Base: Catrice Cotton Candy at Eiffel Tower (3 coats)

I got this polish from my German swap pal

Stamping polishes: FabUrNails gold w/ Konad m51

Revlon Copper Penny with BM-314

Kleancolor Coffee Addict with Fauxnad m76

I think this photo shows how lovely it is to layer a delicate foil shimmer over a sheer nude polish. I used 3 coats of the nude to give it a jelly-ish depth.

It looks cute with my vintage Cutex manicure set!

Fun Swimming Pool Nail Art

Just a quick nail art I did for a contest..

the water refraction thing is a stamp!

The pinky is noodles, haha

I am sad the boy's bottom isn't in the middle but I was distracted by Netflix O_O

Fun in the Sun Stamping!

Hello all, sorry for the lapse in blogging lately. I waste so much time on the computer but when I think about blogging, "I could be working!" Then my cat lays down to sleep on all my papers and I get lazy again!

I decided to get a little artsy this week, though, and created a scenic stamping mani for a contest where the theme is Fun in the Sun. I am excited to blog about this actually. I actually drew this up on paper and stamped where everything should go before I stamped it out. 

I started with a base of Sally Hansen Barracuda 

And sponged on Sally Hansen Brisk Blue for the top of the sky and in areas with ocean, the ocean background. Then I went over the sky again once it dried with SH Barracuda to tone down the brightness of the blue.

Cleanup! I usually just rub a qtip around the skin until I do detailed cleanup. Especially with blues, don't want to have smurf hands!

I painted down a little OPI Skull and Glossbones where I wanted sand/dirt. Then I sponged on Sally Hansen Quick Sand, which is sparkly and sand-like. 

Then.....I stamped. A lot.

I used my new MASH plates and Konad/Fauxnads for this.

I don't know any dolphin songs soooo I was singing Baby Beluga the whole time in my head >_>

I know, lots of photos! I love this though! Even if the butterfly stamps were jerks! 

Baby beluga in the deep blue sea...sigh, it is there again. haha!