Trying to make the XL stamper work for me

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I was trying to be creative-ish when I swatched Kunimitsu Flame Point Siamese a few weeks back. It's a white crelly with blue and orange glitter so I trawled the stash for the two closest coloured polishes (OPI A Roll In The Hague & Barry M Cyan Blue). 

I'd just received my XL Stamper and the 2013 Bundle Monster Plates so I tried the two together.

Not so successful was I? Believe it or not this was the result after 4 attempts!

The stamper was just so soft that I couldn't get the pattern to transfer without stretching or squashing it. Plus I couldn't get the whole stamp to transfer either. I chalked it all up to needing practice but before I could, guess what Buster did?!!!! He ate it! Now there are teeth shaped cuts in it, so I'm thinking that it'll only get harder to use.

Oh well, I just ordered a MoYou stamper. We'll see how that one goes. It would've been a cute mani if the stamping wasn't cracked :(

xxx

NPA

All You Need Is Love

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I got the new Bundle Monster stamping plates and the first design I tried was the Love tattoo! Whoever designed that one, thank you!!!!

It stamps AMAZINGLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I used Essie Brooch The Subject as a base and Konad Special Polish in Black to stamp with.

The 2013 BM Create Your Own collection is available here for US$16.50. You can also buy individual plates from the collection for $1.99 a piece - good move by BM, cos I really want some of those holiday plates. Just not ALL of them.

xxx

NPA

From the Vault... SPAM

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These photos have been sitting in my edited file for a few months now, so I decided I had to post them now or say bye-bye...

Enjoy!

 Pahlish Twelve Drummers Drumming

 Twelve Drummers Drumming - I can't remember if this was 2 or 3 coats... Probably 3 since it's sheer. It's got a creamy nude base with gold/orange micro-flakes, iridescent and copper glitter. Beautiful!

L'Oreal 811 

 811 - do these mini sized L'Oreals actually have names or is the boring number all we get? Gorgeous blue with green shimmer though! This was 2 coats.

Sation Delete Your Junk Male

 Delete Your Junk Male was part of the Miss Antoinette Collection, but I couldn't get it to photograph true to life so I never posted it. In person, this is a dark pink jelly with subtle white sparks, just like Love Is In The Heir! Sadly it just looks super coral/orange/red in photos... Maybe it's got some neon to it? Anyway, this was at least 3 coats because she's pretty sheer.

 OPI Every Month Is Oktoberfest

Every Month Is Oktoberfest is a deep aubergine loaded with rich rusty shimmer. Two thin, easy to apply coats and you're good to go. Faboush!

Red Carpet Lacquer Glades over BYS Black & Gold

 Glades is a glitter colour-shifting top coat. The glitter is translucent and when layered you see a shift from green-yellow-orange. I applied two coats over a back base with gold shimmer flakes.

Elevation Polish Grotte et Cascade

 Grotte et Cascade is a rich, deep brown with blue, purple, pink and red micro-flake shimmer. It's opaque in 2 coats and sooooooooooooooo gorgeous! I've been rocking it a little this winter already.

Lilacquer Leeloo Multipass

 Leeloo Multipass - who didn't love The Fifth Element?! It's quite possibly the only Mila Jovovich film I've ever seen :) And Brucey is AWESOME as per usual. LM is another shade that would not cooperate with the camera. It's a warmer orange with pink shimmer, but it looks terribly yellow toned in these shots :( This one was a streaky sucker; I might have ended up with 4 coats because I was trying to even it all out! I think 2-3 coats was opaque.

Daring Digits Love Dragon over Pahlish Eight Maids A Milking

 Love Dragon is a pink to purple shimmery micro-flake top coat. I added two coats to a pink and purple Pahlish glitter and it looked so sparkly! The name is fantastic too!!!!!

Dollish Polish Mermaid Scales v2.0 with stamping and gems

I tried my hand at a mermaid tail themed manicure and all was swell until I put top coat over the rhinestones. It went all bubbly and nasty :( I learnt not to top coat these gems though... I used BM 209 and China Glaze Millennium for the stamping.

China Glaze Full Spectrum

 Full Spectrum is a pink/silver duo-chrome choc-a-block full of rainbow hexes. I've since sold this because I'm not that in to the rainbow glitter, but the base is pretty. This was two thin coats.

Femme Fatale Quivering Heart over Hits Unconventional

 I've posted Quivering Heart before, but this is it layered over a darker base. I love how the moody red-purple duo-chrome sets off the gold sparks in QH.

Candeo Colors Sweet Sierra over Essie Madison Ave-Hue

Sweet Sierra is a lavender and rose pink holo glitter top coat. It's squarey-hex and sparkles like mad! I'm wearing 1 coat over a pink from Essie.


Yes, that got rid of so much backlog! Now I need to go study and edit some newer snaps!!!!!


xxx
NPA

The BATTLE #7: Geometric vs Flora

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Ok, I've enjoyed an almost  3 month hiatus on The BATTLE Nail Art Challenge, but here I am with Challenge 7. I chose to go Geometric with this one, I hope this stamping counts!

Geometric Nail Art

I started with a base of Maybelline My Varnish in 357 (I think, the labelling was confusing) and stamped on this neat pattern of BM 319 using Jade Vermelho Surreal. I was trying to get the complimentary red to show up in the holo stamp, but it's not really noticeable. I topped this mani off with a layer of Seche Vite.

I love subtle stamping, especially with vampy reds!!

I'm going to try to knock out a couple more of the BATTLE challenges over the next month, maybe catch up to everyone else?!

Do stop by the other participant's blogs to see their nail art interpretations:
Two Matejas Creating
An Indie Girl's Passion
Lacquered Tips
My Wondrous Marvellous Obsession
Cats n Nails
Jibber Jabber
Life in Color!

Annie Suzie 

Polished Polygot  


xxx
NPA 

What I've been wearing lately

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Hey guys,

My nails had been short an uneven over the last couple of weeks thanks to some annoying breaks and splitting. I don't like to swatch when my nails look all fugly so instead I used the time to wear my untrieds as full manicures.

In the end I snapped some very average photos of a couple of them, so here's some mini-spam:

Orly Pure Porcelain stamped with OPI Roadhouse Blues & BM 204

I wore this for my cousin's wedding. Just before we left for the ceremony I snapped a few shots in my light box, but I accidentally deleted all but one!!! I was wearing a navy dress with a lace upper section so I was trying to go for a matching thing. Not sure I pulled it off.

 Sea Lore Attina over China Glaze Peachy Keen

 Attina is such a gorgeous light coral sheer flakie. I paired it with Peachy Keen because they were pretty close colour wise. In the sun it glistens like crazy!

Pahlish Lonesome Ocean

 Lonesome Ocean is a dusty teal blue jelly with purple, blue and gold? glitter. I thought it was going to be a really dark navy based on the listing and the bottle, but after 2-3 coats it's still quite teal. I used 2 coats of Seche Vite to smooth it out. Not sure if I really like it. I think once you have so many glitter polishes they can start to look a bit blah.

Pahlish Sullen Girl

Sullen Girl needs to be RAVED about!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's incredibly gorgeous, a charcoal jelly packed with gunmetal holo and glowing blue iridescent hexes! You get a real 'oil stain' rainbow from each piece of glitter, especially in the shade, it's unbelievable. The formula is also quite pigmented for a jelly too. Two coats was enough to eliminate VNL. I did need a few layers of Seche Vite to smooth SG out though and don't mind the bubbles, it was just my top coat. This has to be one of Pahlish's BEST LACQUERS EVER!

Now you know what I've been wearing lately, how about you?

My nails are short again, but they are all level and shaped, so I'm back to swatching some of the pretty polishes I got during January!!!
Should have some more nail art coming your way soon too. I really have to catch up on the BATTLE challenges, yikes! None since December!!!! I want to get lots of that stuff out of the way before I start back at school Monday week. I'm soooooooooooooo nervous!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope I can wear polish in class, doubt I'll be allowed to on placement :( But all the animals will make it worth naked nails :)


xxx
NPA

The Battle #6: Stripes vs Dots

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I thought candy cane nails would be a great way to incorporate Christmas in to this challenge, so I'm Team Stripes! (Though in reality I'm more drawn to polka dots!!!)

BM207 stripes over BB Couture Santa's Sak

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I'm wearing BB Couture for Men in Santa's Sak (from one of their Christmas Collections) and I stamped it using Konad Special White Polish and plate BM 207.
I prefer the orientation of the design on my index and middle nails, the other way round looks a bit munted on my short nails, the stripes are too close together.

The stamping looks pretty terrible, it was a hot day and I just couldn't get a clean transfer!!! I hate that about the Konad Special Polishes!!! Maybe it happens with other brands too, must see if chromes behave the same way when stamping in the heat?

So even though this Battle wasn't a high point, I still enjoyed having candy cane nails. I got my only candy canes this year from my Polish Elf too, so this design feels incredibly apropos!!

Not sure if I'll attempt the polka dots too... we'll see.

Don't forget to see what the other BATTLE participants are up to:
Two Matejas Creating
An Indie Girl's Passion
Lacquered Tips
My Wondrous Marvellous Obsession
Cats n Nails
Jibber Jabber
Life in Color!

Annie Suzie 

Polished Polygot


It's closing in on New Year's Eve now, what are your plans... for your nails, that is?


xxx
NPA

The BATTLE #5: Pretty vs Punk - PUNK

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Seeing as I'm not a 'punky' girl at all, I really didn't know what qualified as a punky nail look. At first I considered using silver studs, but I couldn't find them, so I settled for some pink and black stamping.

BYS Pink Panic and OPI Black Onyx

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Herringbone just seems to remind me of punky/skatey girls clothe;s so using the design on plate BM 322 I stamped it on with Konad Special Polish in Pink and Black.

I tried to add a funky bow stamp to my ring finger but after several attempts it just didn't show up, so I abandoned the plan and just redid that nail.

Tip: wait for the stamping to completely dry before you finish it off with top coat. I was in a bit of a rush so there was some slight smearing...

Pink Panic is an almost neon pink creme but the combination of night time and lamp and crappy camera really faded it :( I tried tweaking the colour of the last photo, but it doesn't even come close to it's awesomeness.

Was my attempt punk enough or do you have some better punk looks I should check out?

Stop by the other nail blogs doing BATTLE:

Two Matejas Creating
An Indie Girl's Passion
Lacquered Tips
My Wondrous Marvellous Obsession
Cats n Nails
Jibber Jabber
Life in Color!

Annie Suzie 

Polished Polygot


xxx
NPA