Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge: Gotta Love Chick Flicks

Tons of movies come to mind when the term "Chick Flick" comes up. I had a really hard time deciding what to choose. I finally settled on The Devil Wears Prada. One reason, I just so happened to have watched it this week. Second, it screams FASHION!!! I must admit, the results of my manicure were not exactly what I had pictured. I wanted to do so much more, but I ran out of time. I am a renowned procrastinator that likes to paint her nails late at night, the night before she needs to wake up at 5 am. I do this to myself every week. It's like an addiction. I can't seem to help myself. Well, I kind of gave up on my original idea, and modified it for times sake. I used three coats of Essie Bone Chilling for the white bases. Two coats of Zoya Sookie was used for the red nail and the shoe stamping. Finally, Orly Liquid Vinyl was used for my black pointer finger. I also used Konad polishes in Black Pearl for the Zebra print, and White for the Coco Chanel logo. Everything was stamped except for the Chanel logo. I used Konad plate m57 for the zebra print and Bundle Monster BM 213 for the pumps. I definitely think I could have done better but it is what it is. Oh well. Moving on.

 I think the black background gave the picture more of an edgy feel.

Forgive the poor clean up job. I was a little sleepy.

Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge: Inspired by the Runway

This weeks challenge calls for us to be inspired by the runway. So, I hit the internet searching the latest fashion for the "IT" things for the season. I fell in love with the color oxblood. It is a deep red/burgundy that can look almost black. The other trend that caught my eye was all of the uses of leather and reptile prints/embossing. It looks so chic and edgy. Combined, I think I have found the coolest manicure to date. I feel like one bad mam'a jamm'a. I used the beautiful Prey Tell from China Glaze as my base color. I feel dark and mysterious with it on. Next, I used my ManGlaze Matte Is Murder for the matte black, reptile stamping detail. I think this looks too cool. I had two little problems doing this manicure. First, clean up of Prey Tell left evidence. By "evidence," I mean bloody looking cuticles. No matter what I did, they looked red and irritated. The other problem I had was stamping the matte polish quick enough before it dried on the stamper. Matte polishes dry quickly in general. Having such a thin layer for stamping meant I had to move like the Flash. I think the effect I captured was worth the effort.

Ignore my poor index finger. The nail was involved in a small lawnmower starting accident. It will be missed.

Try not to notice the bloody looking cuticle. :(

Looks so dramatic.

One more for the road.

Prey Tell : This was a little tricky to apply. It was fully opaque in two coats, but it was a little "gloopy" in consistency. Even with it being thicker than I prefer, I will definitely wear this color again. Look at that shine!

 

Color Inspiration: Oxblood            Designer: Peter Som 

Picture obtained at Harpers Bazaar

Texture/Stamp Inspiration : Reptile/Leather        Designer: DKNY 

Picture obtained at Harpers Bazaar

Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge: Delicate and Elegant

Week three of the Girly Girl Challenge asks for delicate and elegant nails. I went with delicate lace. Now, not to toot my own horn, I think this turned out pretty damn sexy! It screams "I'm hot, but not easy." Yes, I know I have problems. Jessica Rabbit and Betty Boop come to mind when looking at these. On to business, I used two coats of butter LONDON Knees Up as my base color. I am telling you, butter LONDON seems to do no wrong. Its sexy and easy to apply. The first coat seems to go on a little sheer, but the second takes it all the way to opaque. For the stamping, I used Konad Black Pearl and the Konad plate m57. This was an easy and dressed up manicure I will definitely be using for a date night with the Hubby in the future.

Grrrrrrrr!

Its alluring without the stamping.

My Favorite Things Nail Art Challenge Day 9: Flowers

So the challenge is coming towards the end, and I have my flower manicure to show and tell. I miss show and tell. Remember in kindergarten, when it was finally your turn to bring in your most prized possessions, and you just knew you were the coolest ever? I miss those days of play, nap time, and snacks.  I never thought I would reminisce over my elementary school days. Well, lets get back on topic. I thought about hand painting flowers or doing one accent flower on one nail, but I have been wanting to use one of my stamping plates for a while and settled on this one from my Bundle Monster set, plate # BM 221. Once I had it on my nails, it seemed rather reminiscent of a Hawaiian print shirt. All I need is a Mai Tai, a hula skirt, and my husband throwing flaming torches to set the scene. Aloha `oe, aloha `oe,E ke onaona noho i ka lipo,One fond embrace, Until we meet again (do you hear the ukulele playing in the background?) How did I go from kindergarten to a luau? Really need to focus here. So, for the base color, I used butter LONDON Slapper. I just got this during Ulta's buy one get one free sale on Monday, and I am in love. This beauty went on in two breezy coats! I also used Konad White for stamping. I did notice something a little weird after putting Sech Vite top coat on after stamping. The flowers turned a yellowish color and the beautiful teal of Slapper had a yellow/green tinge to it. Hmmmm ... it still looks pretty to me! So, what do you think of my Luau manicure? Are you in Maui with me yet or are you still in the hotel with jet lag? (I think I need a vacation!)

Hello Kitty Stamping

My daughter just turned one the other day and the theme for her birthday was ... Hello Kitty! Of course, since the theme of her party was Hello Kitty my nails had to match. I decided to go with a red bowed version of the cute feline accompanied by polka dots. I am really happy with how it turned out. The only thing frustrating me is the smearing. I have tried different topcoats, waiting longer periods of time, and different stamping polishes all-together, but I can't get the stamp to quit smearing. So, if any of you have found the magical trick please share, because I am at my wits end. Anyways, I used Zoya Sooki (2 coats), Wet n' Wild  French White Creme (2 coats), Konad White, Konad Black Pearl, Seche Vite top coat, and HOT stamping plate QA12. If you get this brand of plate, please be very careful. The edges are very sharp. It is cut into an octagon so it even has sharpened corners!  I used the medium sized Hello Kitty image and the polka dots from this plate for my manicure. I had a lot of fun coming up with this and will hopefully be doing many more!

I think this is my favorite manicure yet!

I think the overall effect is very cute and fun. What do you think?

Hello Kitty! Ahhh, fond memories of my childhood. I used to spend hours in the Sanrio Store. Too bad it isn't still open.

Konad Black Pearl, Zoya Sooki, Konad White, HOT plate QA12

Look at those edges. You will definitely have to keep this somewhere safe away from little kids. Shoot, I have to be careful not to drop it on my own foot!