Sparkly Stamped Spirals

Hello, Fireflies!

There's no designated theme this week for the AIS stamping group, so I thought I'd bring you a spiral-y pattern I stamped with two different sparkly color schemes.

Glitter: Above and Below

 Hello, Fireflies!

Happy Independence Day to my USA readers! Happy Saturday to everyone else..  I actually don't have a patriotic mani for you today, but if you're missing the stars and stripes, check out my Wonder Woman mani I did last month!

Today's manis - yes, TWO - are showcasing two of the many ways I use glitter!

Sunday Stamping - I Like Big Buds And I Can Not Lie..

 Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Sunday Stamping challenge is 'Large Flowers'.  When you have small nail beds like I do, almost all flowers are large, but I do have two Born Pretty plates with really BIG BUDS on them, and ended up with two manis for today's challenge!

Revlon Transforming Effects Top Coats

Hello, Fireflies!

Isn't this blue gorgeous?  It's actually a little deeper in color and so beautifully shiny and jellied in person.  It's KB Shimmer Low And Be Bold, a cobalt blue-lovers dream.  Though absolutely gorgeous on its own, I decided to see how the color was transformed by using the new (and not LE!) Transforming Effects topcoats from Revlon.

Happy Feet #insoles

Product provided for review.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

I've never been a big fan of feet, I don't know why.  I don't touch others' feet, I don't like pictures of feet.  When my friends ask me to paint their nails, they know I'm not doing any toenail art.

I do love getting a pedicure or a foot massage, so having healthy, pain-free feet is something that is important to me, and why I wanted to try Syono Gel Insoles.

TRI Tuesday - Faux Feathers

Hello, Fireflies!

Have you ever wanted to do a type of nail art, but found yourself lacking in the materials to make it? I wanted to do a feather mani, but didn't have what I wanted.  So, in those ancient words of wisdom, I decided to fake it 'till I made it!

I started off with my nude color, Zoya Jacqueline.  Pretty almond color, lumpy, patchy formula.  Jackie is kind of a b!tch.

I may have found the perfect summer coral color in China Glaze Mimosa's Before Mani's. Thank goodness the color is amazing, because its punctuation is atrocious.

Completing the colorful faux-feather look is Takko Lacquer Nirvana, a turquoise creme with gold flakies.  These little takkitos are hard to get! She restocks once a month, and the polishes last about 3 seconds.

Doesn't this pattern remind you of feathers? From like a really weird bird? Maybe if you squint and walk away from your monitor a little.

A little more...

Keep going...

I knew you could see it.  You're so creative.  Mr. Rogers was so right about you.

Oh, that coral.  I'm in love.

Bottle shot:  Zoya Jacqueline, China Glaze Mimosa's Before Mani's, and Takko Lacquer Nirvana.

Do you fake it in your creative endeavors?  Cooking, crafting, performing?

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Sunday Stamping - Flowers Over Flakies

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Stamping Sunday challenge is to stamp over a green.  Well, I thought I was doing that, but in the photographs, it looks a little blue, doesn't it? This is Nails Inc. Queen Victoria Street, a lovely spring GREEN creme.

I love adding a little green flakie to a green party! Nails Inc. The Wyndham adds a touch of green sparkle.

Flowers seemed a natural theme for a green base, so I used Revlon Spirit and Dashika plate Big SdP-L to make this daisy pattern.

Sometimes, simple is best! Even with a simple stamp, I can't get it perfect.  Ah, well.  Only you guys are looking that closely.  Macro pictures show every mistake!

What's with this picture and the blue bottle? So weird.

 Bottle shot:  Nails Inc. Queen Victoria Street and The Wyndham, and Revlon Spirit.

Reminds me of a field of daisies! What would you stamp over green?

The Nail Files - Pinky Cherry Blossoms

http://www.jennieshaw.ca/

Hello, Fireflies!

What, a new nail linkup? I saw this cute pix on my friend Amber's blog, Daydreaming Beauty, and I threatened convinced  asked her to let me join.  I was all like, nails? Where?

Have you ever been to Washington, D.C. during the time the cherry blossoms are blooming?  It's utterly spectacular, and it smells amazing.  Inspired by that and many incarnations of cherry blossom nail art (including this one by the fabulous Kimiko7878 on Instagram) I came up with this.

I started with Cult Nails Angel Whispers, a textured pale, pale pink, and Darling Diva Polish Rose Opal, a pink jelly with flakies.

 I used a black striper for the branches and leaves.

I decided to do more abstract blossoms, with dots of polish.  I used Sheswai Lacquers in Babe and What, and also did some highlighting with Angel Whispers.

It almost looks like snow, instead of flowers!

One of the benefits of doing dots instead of something more precise - you can do both hands, and they look like you totally meant to do dots!

Bottle shot:   Cult Nails Angel Whispers, Darling Diva Polish Rose Opal. Sheswai Lacquers in Babe and What, and my black nail art striper.

I don't always do nail art on both hands, but if I do, I want everyone to see it! Look, Ma! Both hands!

Check out The Nail Files to see who all is linked up this week!

Guess who's GOT blue?

Hello, Fireflies!

Welcome to April's Golden Oldie Thursday challenges!  Today's challenge is pastel.  And, I guess I could have picked something a little more pastel-y, but it really is a gorgeous cornflower blue.  This is a polish I wasn't looking for, but when I saw it, I had to have it:  Sally Hansen Diamond Guess Blue?

I used a cosmetic sponge with this unnamed Cosmetic Arts mylar flakie polish and loaded it up and sponged it on.  In hindsight, maybe it was a little heavy on the flakies.  What am I saying? Can't have too many flakies!

I used two coats of Seche Vite, but I probably should have used one coat of Gelous or a glitter tamer and one coat of Seche instead.  Some of the flakies were pointies and scratchies!

Even over a light blue, these flakies ROCK.  Finger Paints who? (well, just the second collection.  The first is still awesome.)

Bottle shot:  Sally Hansen Diamond Guess Blue? and an unnamed Cosmetic Arts flakie.

What's your fave pastel?

An InLinkz Link-up

Coat of Kaleidoscope Flakies

Hello, Fireflies!

Y'all know how much I love flakies.  I wish I had gotten several sets of the original Finger Paints flakies collex instead of having to piece together the one set from blog sales and the like.  So, when the Kaleidoscope collection came out, I ran to Sally's and bought them all.

The employees thought I was crazy.  They also thought these were all the same polish! They weren't far off, though, as you'll see.  They're just not as spectacular as the original flakies.

In the bottles, from left to right - Psychedelic Hue (green and blue), Symmetrical Symphony (blue, green, purple, gold, copper, pink), Colorful Dream (pink, copper, green), Abstract Attraction (blue, green, purple, copper), and Vivid Reflection (pink, purple, copper, gold).

Word on the street was that these flakies were meant to pair with more pastel colors, so I first reached for a light greyed-out blue - Color Club Sheer Disguise.

From thumb to pinky, I applied the flakie topcoats: Vivid Reflection, Abstract Attraction, Colorful Dream, Symmetrical Symphony, and Psychedelic Hue.

Symmetrical Symphony (ring finger) has the most colors, and the blue from Abstract Attraction (index) has the most punch, but they all look pretty similar.  In daylight, they remind me of Illamasqua Raindrops on this color blue.

So, I thought to myself, "Self," I said, "surely there is more to this.  I need to try a different color."  So, I put on the sunflower yellow that is Butter London Cheeky Chops.

Again, the same flakie topcoats, in the same order:  from thumb to pinky, Vivid Reflection, Abstract Attraction, Colorful Dream, Symmetrical Symphony, and Psychedelic Hue.

Whomp, whomp.  There was much sadness.

Finally, I gave in and went with the Flakie Tried-n-True - Black.  In this case, Wet 'n Wild Black Creme.   Same topcoats, in the same order: from thumb to pinky, Vivid Reflection, Abstract Attraction, Colorful Dream, Symmetrical Symphony, and Psychedelic Hue.

Finally, SOMETHING.  Still, not the same impact as the original Finger Paints flakies.

The blue and green flakies are the easiest to see, but I do love the purple and pink ones.

My choices are Symmetrical Symphony and Vivid Reflection.  Which, if any, are yours?

Fakin' a stamp with Aly's Dream Polish

Hello, Fireflies!

So, the other day, I saw this Pinterest of a mani by Liloo that looked like it was stamped.  And, foolishly, I thought, "Hey, I don't need a stamp to do that! I got mad skillz."

And then I woke up!

But, I tried it anyway.... I started with the lovely, lovely Aly's Dream Polish Rumpleberry.

Like most Aly's, it's a scattered holo, great formula.  The Macaron collection is less holo than most, probably because they're pastels.  It's not a straight creme, though.

First, I took my trusty black striper and drew the lines.  I decided to refill my striper with Wet 'n Wild Black Creme.  Don't do this.  It's not as opaque as a striper polish, and you'll have to go over everything twice...

I made the dots with a dotting tool and Wet 'n Wild Black Creme.

I tried to add some flakies with Sally Hansen Glass Slipper, but it didn't really work.  I did use the sponge technique with Nubar Black Polka Dots to get enough density to fill the areas with black dots.  Worked like a charm...if a little hard to do on my right hand.

Bottle shot:  Aly's Dream Polish Rumpleberry, Wet 'n Wild Black Creme, black striper, Sally Hansen Glass Slipper, and Nubar Black Polka Dots.

If I ever find a stamp in my collection that looks like this, I'll have to do another mani! This one took a little longer, but I like how it came out.  Would you do this without a stamp?

Frosted Spice Cake #FallingForNailArt

Hi, Fireflies!

There's a chill in the air - even here in Florida today!  There's a nice cool breeze, dropping the temps into ... the 70s... still, you'll see people walking around in parkas and boots like it's 40-below!  Ah, wacky Floridians.

It's nice to take the chill off with a hot tea or cider and a warm piece of spice cake.  And that's what Liquid Sky Lacquer Spice Cake reminds me of.  It's not so brown to be chocolatey, not so light to be like tea.  It's just like spice cake.

What's cake without a little frosting?  These MatteFX flakies from Orly are different!  Matte, soft pink iridescent flakies are like a sweet glaze.

Such a subtle detail, but so cool.  I love flakies!

Matte flakies for you, or only the glossy ones?