Showing posts with label Lead Lighting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lead Lighting. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Day 2 of The Digit-al Dozen Does 'White', featuring Moyra 33 Rivalda plate!

(Press samples and affiliate links ahead!)

Hello!


Today is day two of The Digit-al Dozen's 'White' theme, so I'm back today with more manis that play with the color white...and today we're going to take a look at that with Moyra 33 Rivalda!


I did a video review of this plate a while back, but haven't blogged about it yet--in fact, I did that video before I switched things up, so it has some old-school swatches:




Here's an up-close look at the plate:


Moyra 33 Rivalda


And here are the test swatches I did:





As you can see, the quality on this is amazing. :)





For my first mani, I'm showing you a mani again that I showed you before, but that you might have missed--I figured it was worth showing again because it uses this plate, and has a white background, so it fits the Digit-al Dozen theme. This is leadlighted with the polishes from Zoya's Jelly Brites collection, plus Zoya Cam (diluted) and Frida for the lanterns, and stamped with Kaleidoscope Black:

Moyra 33 Rivalda over Sally Hansen Creme de la Creme, leadlighted with Zoya Jelly Brites

And here it is matted:

Moyra 33 Rivalda over Sally Hansen Creme de la Creme, leadlighted with Zoya Jelly Brites


For the next mani, I started with a white base (Zoya Snow White), and then sponged over that with Moonflower Polish Lemon and Zoya Clementine, then I stamped my images with Kaleidoscope White:


Moyra 33 Rivalda over  Zoya Snow White, stamped with Kaleidoscope White

Moyra 33 Rivalda over  Zoya Snow White, stamped with Kaleidoscope White


And here it is matted:

Moyra 33 Rivalda over  Zoya Snow White, stamped with Kaleidoscope White

Moyra 33 Rivalda over  Zoya Snow White, stamped with Kaleidoscope White


I love love LOVE how the sponged colors pop out beneath the stamping, and I have fallen in love with peach and yellow together.


You can find the Moyra 33 Rivalda plate on sale at Lantern & Wren, as well as the Kaleidoscope Black and White that I used to stamp these two manis.


I'll be back tomorrow with another 'White' mani--in the meantime, take a look at what the other ladies did below!


Big hugs,
M. xoxo

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Wednesday, May 16, 2018

The Digit-al Dozen Inspires Each Other: Day 3!

(Press samples and affiliate links ahead!)

Hello!




Today's day three of The Digit-al Dozen's inspire-each-other week, and this week I'm inspired by this mani from The Polished Koi:





What I love best about this mani is the interplay between the delicate blossoms and the opalescent glitter, and the way the texture of the glitter still shows through the leadlighting. So, I set out to recreate that.


I knew I wanted to use Zoya Saldana for my base coat right from the start, but was surprised to discover that I don't have any cherry blossom images like this--all of mine are smaller and solid, so not really leadlight-friendly. So instead, I chose a similar type of image from UberChic Beauty 14-02, and stamped with with Kaleidoscope St-01 Black. I did my leadlighting with LA Colors Nuclear Energy (at least, that's what my bottle says the name is, but I'm doubtful, because I got it at the dollar store, and when I google that name, a green shade comes up...), which I cut with a one-to-one ratio of topcoat:


UberChic Beauty 14-02 over Zoya Saldana

UberChic Beauty 14-02 over Zoya Saldana


The texture doesn't show quite the same way as Oksana's, but I do love the way the purple in the leadlighting plays with the purple shimmer in the polish, so I'm happy with how it turned out. :)


Tune back in tomorrow, same bat-time, same bat-channel, for another inspired mani! And in the meantime, check out the awesome work of the other ladies, linked below. :)


Big hugs,
M. xoxo

Follow me! 

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Moyra 44 Stained Glass!

(Press samples and affiliate links ahead!)

Hello!


I hope you had a happy Easter! I made my very first hummingbird cake and it came out soooo good, it's definitely going in my permanent rotation. :)


Today I have my very first Moyra plate to show you--Moyra 44 Stained Glass! I've been eyeballing Moyra plates for a while, especially this one. My very first (and very tragic) nail art tutorial back in 2012 was my attempt to get a stained glass look eons before clear stampers came on the market (it's still on the channel, but it's not worth the 8 minutes to watch it, even for a laugh, lol). Now, with a plate like this, stained glass looks are simple and fast, and I'm in love.


Of course I did a video review of the plate:



And here's a look at it:


Moyra 44 Stained Glass

Moyra's full-nail images are 2.0 x 2.5 centimeters, so they're generous. That also means if you have shorter nails, you can pull 2-3 different areas from an image and still get full coverage, so plan out which part of the image you want before you start.


I've only heard good things about Moyra, so I wasn't surprised to find the images were top-notch quality, even with my clear stamper:





This plate is designed for more advanced techniques, especially leadlighting and reversed stamping, but simpler techniques are gorgeous still, too. Here are four ideas I swatched for you:




From left to right, here are the techniques I used:

1) Just colored in directly with sharpies (so easy!!)
2) Reversed stamping (how beautiful over Zoya Brighton, a golden-beige scattered holo!)
3) One-pass stamping
4) Watercolor sharpie technique


For my first manicure, I wanted to show you a technique I call reversed leadlighting--because instead of using colors that show over white, you use interference toppers that show over black:

Moyra 44 Stained Glass over Julep Ledi, with reversed leadlighting

Moyra 44 Stained Glass over Julep Ledi, with reversed leadlighting

Here's what I used:

Base polish: Julep Ledi
Stamping polish: Moyra 08 Silver
Fill-in toppers: Zoya Leia, The Lady Varnishes Dragon

This technique gives stunning impact with a very minimal amount of effort! So pull out all of those toppers you have, and get to playin'.


For my second mani, I had to use the gorgeous shell image on the plate. I wanted to capture that gorgeous look that shells have, so I used this glitter dust powder from Beauty Big Bang:




I'm not sure if it has real shells in it, but it sure looks like it! For my manicure, I stamped once to give a general guide where I should place my shell dust, and then added in some shimmer with Zoya Leia and Zoya Leisel. I put on two layers of topcoat over the dust, to even out the surface. Then I stamped over again to define the image, and stamped stained glass lines on the other nails:


Moyra 44 Stained Glass over Zoya Snow White, Haruko, and Trudith

Moyra 44 Stained Glass over Zoya Snow White, Haruko, and Trudith


Here's what I used:

Base polishes: Zoya Snow White, Zoya Haruko, Zoya Trudith
Stamping polishes: Moyra 08 Silver, Kaleidoscope st-02 White, Zoya Trudith (yes, it stamps!)
Fillers: BeautyBigBang glitter dust, Zoya Leia, Zoya Leisel


How pretty is that shell powder?! An image that beautiful deserves a little extra bling, I think. ;-)


In the US and Canada, you can find Moyra 44 Stained Glass, Moyra stamping polish, and Kaleidoscope stamping polish all at Lantern & Wren; check Moyra's site for retailers that ship elsewhere. You can find the glitter dust powder at BeautyBigBang, and use my code, MISHKA824M, for 10% off your order.


And don't forget to follow Moyra and Lantern & Wren around the interwebs for awesome inspiration:

Lantern & Wren


Moyra



Big hugs,
M. xoxo

Follow me! 

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Lina Nail Art Supplies Born To Sail 02!

(Press samples and affiliate links ahead!)

Hello!


Today I have Lina Nail Art Supplies Born To Sail 02 plate to show you (for my review of Born To Sail 01, click here). Here is the review I did, with my ideas for how to use the images on the plate:




Here's a look at the plate:


Lina Nail Art Supplies Born To Sail 02
Lina Nail Art Supplies Born To Sail 02


What I love about this brand: Lina does a great job of creating a selection of images that mix and match in countless combinations. For whichever icon you choose (anchors, seashells, ropes), there are a ton of images you can put together without guessing if anything is going to be out of proportion. She also adds a textural image or two and plenty of isolated images to add to your design. All of this makes Lina the queen of effortless mani building.

What I love about this plate: I love the stripe/word combination image, and the octopus is awesome. I love the water image with the crest at the top, but which can also double as texture or an animal print depending on the colors you use. I love that she gives you a little underwater scene to work with, and OMG, pirates!! And I love how well this plate plays with Born To Sail 01.


The full-nail images on Lina plates are 1.7mm x 2.2mm, and here's a shot with a ruler so you can judge the size of the little 'uns:




How about quality? I've always found Lina's plates to be excellent quality, and this one is no exception:






These were stamped with Sally Hansen Plummet, and a clear stamper--and look at that detail!!


This plate came right as I was out the door for a romantic weekend at the beach with my husband, so you know I had to hurry on up and make a manicure for the trip. I started with a gradient of Girly Bits Cosmetics Robin Me Blind and Denim & Diamonds, then stamped the wave image and the seagulls image with Messy Mansion Sterling and Chalk. Here's how it came out:


Lina Nail Art Supplies Born To Sail 02 over Girly Bits Cosmetics Robin Me Blind and Denim And Diamonds
Lina Nail Art Supplies Born To Sail 02 over Girly Bits Cosmetics Robin Me Blind and Denim And Diamonds

Lina Nail Art Supplies Born To Sail 02 over Girly Bits Cosmetics Robin Me Blind and Denim And Diamonds
Lina Nail Art Supplies Born To Sail 02 over Girly Bits Cosmetics Robin Me Blind and Denim And Diamonds


I love how this captures the look of the beach in the late afternoon when the sun's going down and the remaining light captures the crests of the water with a silver glint.


For my second mani, I wanted to do a mix-and-match mani with some of the sweet seashells on the plate. I started with a skittle of Zoya Sawyer and Zoya Sonya. I did one smoosh nail with these two colors and Zoya Journey for a little shimmer, then stamped my image with Messy Mansion Carbon; then I did a double-stamp with leadlight technique using Messy Mansion Sterling and Carbon, and a blend of Zoya Journey and China Glaze Fairy Dust in between. I stamped starfish on my pinkie and thumb with Hit The Bottle Polish Let's Go To The Peach, and topped it all off with a stud on my index finger:


Lina Nail Art Supplies Born To Sail 02 over Zoya Sawyer and Sonja
Lina Nail Art Supplies Born To Sail 02 over Zoya Sawyer and Sonja

Lina Nail Art Supplies Born To Sail 02 over Zoya Sawyer and Sonja
Lina Nail Art Supplies Born To Sail 02 over Zoya Sawyer and Sonja


Lina Nail Art Supplies Born To Sail 02 over Zoya Sawyer and Sonja
Lina Nail Art Supplies Born To Sail 02 over Zoya Sawyer and Sonja


I made a video tutorial of this mani so that if you love it as much as I do, you can follow step-by-step:




I love how the colors in this mani play together with she shimmers to create a little softness for the seashells, but still with bold summer colors. :)


You can find this plate in Lina Nail Art Supplies store now, and check them out around the interwebs here:




Happy Stamping!
M. xoxo



Sunday, March 13, 2016

Review: Spellbound Nails Spring 2016 Collection!

(Press sample)

Hello!

Do you love spring colors? Do you love sheer, feminine looks? Do you love pond manis and lead-lighting? Do you like polish that glows in the dark? If you said yes to any of the above, you're gonna love the new spring 2016 collection from Spellbound Nails.




Four jellies, all meant to build, with complimentary shimmers to give them an extra dose of pretty, and bright glow-in-the-dark power...let's take a look...


Let's start with Birch, Please (love the name!) a soft-but-bright bubblegum pink jelly with pale blue shimmer:

Spellbound Nails Birch, Please
Spellbound Nails Birch, Please

Spellbound Nails Birch, Please
Spellbound Nails Birch, Please

Spellbound Nails Birch, Please
Spellbound Nails Birch, Please

Spellbound Nails Birch, Please


This is four coats; these polishes are meant to be sheer and build. The formula was excellent and application was perfect; the same is true of all the polishes.

I love the combination of colors here. I think the blue keeps the pink from being too sweet, while still allowing it to be feminine and flirty. This looks like pink cotton candy with little bits of blue cotton candy mixed in--love.


Next up is I Wet My Plants (another great name), a lime green jelly with gold shimmer:


Spellbound Nails I Wet My Plants
Spellbound Nails I Wet My Plants

Spellbound Nails I Wet My Plants
Spellbound Nails I Wet My Plants

Spellbound Nails I Wet My Plants
Spellbound Nails I Wet My Plants

Spellbound Nails I Wet My Plants
Spellbound Nails I Wet My Plants

Spellbound Nails I Wet My Plants
Spellbound Nails I Wet My Plants

The gold shimmer in this really pops up against the sour-apple green--I feel like I have Jolly Ranchers on my fingernails with this one. Wait...I just noticed I'm comparing these to food...I must be hungry...


Our next beauty is Late Bloomer, an orange jelly with gold shimmery bits:

Spellbound Nails Late Bloomer
Spellbound Nails Late Bloomer


Spellbound Nails Late Bloomer
Spellbound Nails Late Bloomer

Spellbound Nails Late Bloomer
Spellbound Nails Late Bloomer

For reasons I don't fully understand, this polish combines with my skin tone in a way that makes a perfect neutral for me, but also makes it look more like peach than orange--this is a bit brighter orange when it isn't right next to my skin.

I love this combination--the gold shimmer gives it a richness and an elegance. It's like having a rich cobbler on my fingernails...yum. :)



And finally, we have my favorite of the collection, Rain Check, a robin's egg blue with blue shimmery bits:

 
Spellbound Nails Rain Check
Spellbound Nails Rain Check

Spellbound Nails Rain Check
Spellbound Nails Rain Check

Spellbound Nails Rain Check
Spellbound Nails Rain Check

Spellbound Nails Rain Check

This feels like the sky on a bright summer day, or the ocean when it washes up on the shore and you can mostly see through it, but there are little bits of glisten where the light hits the ripples. So pretty, and so spring.


Of course, you can also wear these with undies for a different effect; here I have Rain Check over a white base (Barry M Cotton):


Spellbound Nails Rain Check over Barry M Cotton


Spellbound Nails Rain Check over Barry M cotton


This is two coats over the undies. Wearing it this way highlights the shimmer more, almost like a microglitter, and gives a textured look (it doesn't feel textured though. This is also a soft, pretty look for the bright spring days wending their way toward us.


Oh hey, did I mention that these all glow? They don't just glow, they each glow a different color:


Spellbound Nails Rain Check, I Wet My Plants, Late Bloomer, and Birch, Please


From left to right we have:

Rain Check, which glows blue in the dark
I Wet My Plants, which glows green in the dark
Late Bloomer, which glows orange in the dark
and Birch, Please, which glows pink in the dark


I was very impressed by how well these polishes glow in the dark; I normally have a difficult time photographing GITD polishes, but I had no issue with these at all because they GLOW. And I love that they all glow different colors instead of all just having the same look! So if you do a skittle mani or something like that, you're gonna get a cool effect at night, too.


So overall, what do I think? This is a good collection for soft looks and layered nail art, and of course for glow-in-the-dark effects. The colors are pure spring, and the shimmer brings femininity. The quality was excellent; application was a breeze.



FEELINGGOOD

The collection releases on March 19th; you can find the polishes in the Spellbound Nails shop, and don't forget to follow them on Facebook for updates and news. And guess what?! I have a coupon code for you! To thank customers with their patience with her recent oral surgery, she's giving 15% off your order with the code FEELINGGOOD. Now until March 19, 2016.  :)


Happy polishing!
M.