Dots Dots Dots Dots Dots

When I did this it was sunny, the weather was nice, and it was perfect for some super sparkling nails.  Now...not so much.

This is two coats of Layla 04 Ultra Violet on top of one coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat.  The accent nail is two coats of Zoya Caitlin with dots of Ultra Violet on top.  This is without top coat.  

Getting Back into the Swing of Things

Hello there :)

I'm trying to get back into the swing of things with maintaining my nails but they're in terrible shape due to a relapse of habits I thought long gone.  Until my nails are in better shape I have a few old manicures I meant to post but never did.  Here's one to get the ball rolling.

This is two coats of China Glaze Pelican Grey then stamped with China Glaze Platinum Silver on top using Bundle Monster plate BM-301.  On top to add in some color I used one coat of Dollish Polish Random Dancing.

Dotted Outlining

I've had the idea for a while now to do a single stamp on a nail and add dots all around it.  I know I've seen at least one other manicure using this type of design but I cannot find it (if you know who's design I'm talking about please let me know!).  This was meant to be just a simple stamping manicure with a little bit of a flair.

For my base I used one coat of Wet n Wild French White Crème then added a full coat of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow.  I do this for my more sheer polishes because then I can get away with just one coat of underwear and one coat of polish instead of many many layers of polish to get it opaque enough.  On top of Mellow Yellow I stamped a hibiscus flower from Bundle Monster plate BM-313 using one of the colors from my favorite collection of the year (China Glaze Summer Neons!): China Glaze Love's a Beach.  To outline the flower I used China Glaze Beach Cruise-r and a tiny dotting tool.

The only downside to this manicure was that I used two polishes for my base that don't hold up with time: within less than a day of wear I had several chips on the free edge of my nail.  Other than that it was a lovely bright manicure to wear!

Week 26: Neon Manicure

Welcome to the challenge for Week 26 of the 52 Week Challenge.  This challenge was to create a neon manicure.  I've mentioned a couple of times that I absolutely love the China Glaze Summer Neons collection (here, here, and here) so for me it was a no brainer to incorporate them into this manicure.

I randomly sponged China Glaze I'm With the Lifeguard and China Glaze Splish Splash all over my nails (word to the wise: Splish Splash stains).  To complete this design I added one coat of Cover Band Lacquers Sticks 'n Stones on top.  

I was inspired by this manicure from the Lacquerologist when I was creating this design.  I have a blue and green shirt that I was thinking of when I was coming up with polishes and I'm really pleased with my polish pick for this.  I'm with the Lifeguard and Splish Splash both have a bit of shimmer mixed in that I'm in love with.

Be sure to check out what others have done for this challenge by visiting their blogs:

LizMarie at I'm Simply Complex • Jenna at I'm Still Thinking... • Caitlin at Addicted 2 Nails • Sarah at PrncessSarah02 • Charlotte at Charlotte's Nails :) • Shally at Polished & Not Quite Put Together • Rachel-Karina at Polished Criminails • Liz at Nothing But Nail Polish • Fun With My Nail Polish • Operation: Nail It! • Lauriestrodes Fun With Nails • Square Polish • Only Always Soccermom  • Hurr Did, Nails Did • Olivia Writes • The Dragon Lady • Kaki at Glitter Obsession • Isa at IsaBella's World • Gypsy at Gypsy's Glitter • Jackie at MeMa's Mani's  • Lissa at Lissa's Nail Blog  •  Marie at Polish, Polish, Polish...  • ChiChi at... •  Esra at Oje Sihirbazi (Wizard of Polish) •  Nails, Actually • Treselaine at Tres Chic Nails • Carol at Nails by Carol

Blue and White Wares

After doing my black and white nails I thought blue and white nails would also be pretty.  I used two coats of Wet n Wild Wild Shine French White Creme as my base then stamped Bundle Monster plate BM-306 on top using Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Brisk Blue.

I thought this sort of looked like blue and white china.  I really like using the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri polishes for stamping.  They consistently deliver a nice opaque amount of polish when placed on the stamper.  I need to get more of them!

Week 25: Pride/Rainbow Manicure

Welcome to what is becoming a very behind 52 Week Challenge.  This manicure is for Week 25: Pride/Rainbow.  I went with a classic rainbow dots theme.  To give my manicure a little flair I reversed the direction I was dotting in for my ring finger.  

For my colors I used Zoya America, Zoya Jancyn, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Lickety-Split Lime, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Brisk Blue, and OPI A Grape Fit!.  I'm not normally a rainbow person but I enjoyed wearing this color combination for the day!

Be sure to check out what others have done for this challenge by visiting their blogs:

LizMarie at I'm Simply Complex • Jenna at I'm Still Thinking... • Caitlin at Addicted 2 Nails • Sarah at PrncessSarah02 • Charlotte at Charlotte's Nails :) • Shally at Polished & Not Quite Put Together • Rachel-Karina at Polished Criminails • Liz at Nothing But Nail Polish • Fun With My Nail Polish • Operation: Nail It! • Lauriestrodes Fun With Nails • Square Polish • Only Always Soccermom  • Hurr Did, Nails Did • Olivia Writes • The Dragon Lady • Kaki at Glitter Obsession • Isa at IsaBella's World • Gypsy at Gypsy's Glitter • Jackie at MeMa's Mani's  • Lissa at Lissa's Nail Blog  •  Marie at Polish, Polish, Polish...  • ChiChi at... •  Esra at Oje Sihirbazi (Wizard of Polish) •  Nails, Actually • Treselaine at Tres Chic Nails • Carol at Nails by Carol

Black and White

A positive aspect of having shorter nails is that stamping images fit much better on my nails when they're smaller.  Well, no traditional plate will ever fit my thumbs, they're just too wide.  But the rest of my nails are completely covered when they're short.

Recently I've been seeing a lot of black and white designs and I think it's a really elegant looking combination of colors.  This is my contribution to the monochromatic scene!

To create this design I used a base of Sally Hansen White On, then stamped Sally Hansen Black Out using Bundle Monster plate BM16.  This was my first time using plate BM16 and I did have some issues with getting the image to fully transfer to the stamper.  However, I'm not sure if that's the plate fault or if I'm just out of practice.

I love how this manicure turned out!  The day I wore this manicure my clothing outfit was pretty colorful and I felt more balanced because of the simplicity of my nails.