Sally Hansen Celeb City Swatches and Stamping With Mash 41

     Hello everyone!  Did you miss me?  I just worked an 80 hour week so I was unable to post to my blog, let alone paint my nails.  I did end up being able to try the Sally Hansen Nail Wraps though.  There will be a post on those later this week.

I have never been more excited to paint my nails!  My addiction has become clearer to me...

     Todays challenge in the Facebook group Adventures In Stamping was to stamp involving silver, gold, and bronze.  Celeb City has been in my stash since before my addiction began.  Meaning, it is a few years old, and it still applies like a dream!  I have always loved this color.  I think I bought it because I saw a soap operah star wearing a silver color and loved it.

Base coat: Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Hardener

Base color: Celeb City By Sally Hansen Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear

Top coat: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat

Stamping color: Let's Talk by Sinful Colors

Stamping plate: Mash 41

Taken in direct sunlight

Taken in indirect sunlight

Inside without flash

Sealed With A Kris from Nicole By OPI Swatches and Stamping With Mash Plate 28

  Todays Adventures In Stamping Challenge was for us to stamp with black and red.  When I picked up Khloe Had A Little Lam Lam from the Nicole by OPI collection a few weeks ago I also picked up this pretty red color titled Sealed With A Kris.  I figured what better time to try it out then for todays challenge.
  Sealed With A Kris is a beautiful deepish redish jellyish glossy color.  It is a thicker jelly which I liked because there was no visible nail line after two coats.  I love Nicole by OPI's formula and their brush.  It went on amazing, dried quickly and looks beautiful.
  I really need to invest in a stamping black.  Using Wet N' Wild's Black Creme is not cutting it for me.  It doesn't transfer well AT ALL.  That is going next on my wish list.

Base coat: Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Hardener

Base color: Sealed With A Kris from Nicole by OPI - 2 coats

Stamping color: Black Creme from Wet N' Wild

Stamping plate: Mash 28

Top coat: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat

Taken outside in natural light

Taken inside with flash

Outside in natural light

Taken outside in indirect light

Taken inside without flash

Taken inside with flash

Isn't this such a pretty color!  What do you think?  I hope that you all had a great weekend!  Please feel free to leave comments, I love to read them.

Olympic Nails: Stamping With Mash Plate 43 and British Flag

  Yesterdays challenge in the Facebook group, Purple Crumpet Fairy Challenge, was for us to do a mani pertaining to the Olympic Opening Ceremony and the flag.  My creative juices were not flowing to much because the day before was a terrible mani day!  I did three different manicures and couldn't wrap my brain around any of them.  They all looked like crap!  I hate bad nail days.   I didn't get a chance to post this on time yesterday because I went to my best friends daughter's  birthday party right afterwords.  
  Who set a new high score on the Pac Man machine yesterday?  That's right, me!  Granted it resets every day but I got afruit that I had never seen before!  I love Pac Man.  That is the one game that I could play for ever and ever.  Any other game, like Centipede, lasts for about five minutes.

  I did my "olympic rings" in red and blue over white to represent the USA.  And I did the British Flag to represent where the Olympics are being help this year, London!  I am so jealous!  I want to go to London so bad.  I'm sure the natives are hating all the traffic there right now though.  My two must watches in the Olympics are diving and gymnastics, but seeing as how we have no tv, other than Netflix, I doubt I will get to see any of it this go around.  :-(

Base color: French Tip White from NYC - 3 coats  Swatches are available here.  Please note that if you view this blog post, Rainbow Bright by Polish + Plus is no longer avaiable, as Polish + Plus no longer has her store open.

Stamping color and red in flag: Ruby Slipper from Avon

Stamping color in blue: Textured Teal from Avon

Blue in flag: Hot Spot from Sinful Colors

Stamping plate: Mash 43

Top coat: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat

Do you watch the Olympics?  What are your must sees?

Gradient Manicure

  Today's challenge in the Facebook group, The Purple Crumpet Fairy Challenge was to create a manicure with red, orange, and yellow.  I hadn't done a gradient in over a month so I figured today would be a great time to do another one.  I just love the way that gradients look.  As soon as I was done with this manicure i went to get some dinner.  I handed the employee my money and she stated that my nails were freaky.  :-|  Now, I'm not sure if she just didn't know what to say because she had never seen a gradient manicure before and was just set back at my awesome talent, ;-) or if she generally disliked them.  I am hoping she was just in shock and awe mode, but you never know.  I will let you guys be the deciding factor to that.

 One thing that I struggled with the last time I tried this was parts of the make up spounge staying on the nail.  A few other people I know had experienced this issue as well.  Someone mentioned that if you got your spounge wet before doing your gradient you would not have this issue, and guess what, they were right!

  If you haven't tried a gradient manicure before you can follow this tutorial from The Nailasaurus.

Base coat: Nail Envy from OPI and Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Hardener

Base color: Lightning from Sally Hansen - 1 coat  I still LOATH the Insta Dri formula.  If you don't know why you can read my blog post on it here.

Orange: Clementine from Sinful Colors

Red: Energetic Red from Sinful Colors

Top coat:  Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat

I wish I would have chose a darker red so that it showed up more.  It is pretty hard to see the three colors in this mani.

So, what do you think of my freaky nails?

If you would like to see some more red, orange, and yellow manicures from the other great ladies in my Purple Crumpet Fairy Challenge, you can see their blogs listed below!  Feel free to check them out.

List of girls taking part in Summer Challenge - maybe not every day, but definitely participating

 

Debbie @ The Crumpet - http://thecrumpet.blogspot.co.uk/

Neivys - http://maquiclubgirl.blogspot.com/

arlene @ http://euzefelus27-nailart.blogspot.com/

Helena - http://nailwish.blogspot.com.es/

Cuti-CLUE-les - http://cuti-clue-les.blogspot.com/

Katee - http://www.agirlandherpolish.com 

Alyssa at Fancy Phalanges - http://fancyphalanges.blogspot.com/

Misha - www.enigmatic-rambles.blogspot.com

Melissa - http://www.misadventuresofawannabemartha.com/

Laurie http://dressedupdigits.blogspot.com/

Lucie @ Lucy's Stash www.lucysstash.com

Jane- http://absolutevarnish.blogspot.com/

Amber www.nevernakednails.blogspot.com

Vic @ Glowstars http://glowstars.net

Jackie- http://memasmanis-jackie.blogspot.com/

Rychelle @ Colorsplash Nails- http://colorsplashnails.blogspot.com/

Stella - http://mywetnails.blogspot.com

Missy @ http://missysmanis.blogspot.co.uk/

Kim @ http://apolishedaddiction.blogspot.com/

Angie @ http://ourpaintedworld.wordpress.com

Bazzia @  http://polishmymind.blogspot.se/

Missy the Manicured Maniac @ http://melissahenderson95.blogspot.com/

Michelle @ http://lacquerorleaveher.blogspot.com/

Nikki @ http://www.lilgreenheart.blogspot.com/

Elizabeth @ http://nailpolishismycrack.blogspot.com/

Ana Cris @ http://www.estacerradaladrogueria.blogspot.com.es/

Shayleen @ http://simplyhandyallyear.blogspot.com/ 

Dina @ http://secretarysnailart.blogspot.no/

Nayade @ Toxic Vanity http://www.toxicvanity.com

Karen @ http://nailsbykaybel.blogspot.com

Kelly (aka Nail Obsessed) @ http://crazynaillady.blogspot.com

Noniq @ Noniq Diary http://noniq.blogspot.com

Marce7ina - http://marce7ina.blogspot.com

Courtney - http://cute-iclechronicles.com

Chrisie @ http://fingersandtoads.blogspot.com

Emily @ http://emily-nailtailes.blogspot.com

Candace @ http://lifeaskandistar.blogspot.ca/

Charis @ http://xarisc.blogspot.com/

OPI Black Cherry Chutney Swatches and Stamping With Mash Plate 42

  Today's challenge in the Adventures In Stamping group on Facebook was for us to stamp with our favorite stamp.

I only have about thirty stamping plates so I don't really have a "favorite."  I have stamped with the Mash 42 plate before and really liked the outcome of it, so I decided to use it again.  I think that I like this stamp on the mani that I have linked to rather than on top of Black Cherry Chutney.

 Earlier last week someone had mentioned that they had an OPI Elephantasic Pink up for swap so I decided to look up the swatches for it.  I stumbled across Scrangie's blog post for the 2008 India Collection and instantly fell in love with Black Cherry Chutney, Royal Rajah Ruby, and Yoga-ta Get This Blue!  These colors are so beautiful and I instantly put them on my wish list.  On Friday after work I went to check out my local beauty supplies OPI sale and what do you know, I found Black Cherry Chutney.  My husband didn't seem as excited as I was though.  :-(  I decided to wear it right away because I was catering a wedding yesterday and I love dark colors on my nails, so I figured this would be perfect, and I was right.

I loved this color so much that after it got all screwed up from catering, I painted it on again and that is when I realized that it was time for me to do my Sunday stamping challenge.

Base coat: Nail Envy by OPI and Hard as Nails Nail Hardener from Sally Hansen

Base color: Black Cherry Chutney from OPI - 2 coats

Stamping color: Stamp Me! White from Essence

Stamping plate: Mash 42

Top coat: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat

Finished product

In direct sunlight.  Look at this BEAUTIFUL color!

Another direct sunlight picture, it is just so pretty!

Outside in indirect light

Inside without flash

 

Inside with flash

Sorry for the copius amounts of pictures, but I am in love and I don't care who knows it!!  What do you think about Black Cherry Chutney?  Do you like dark, vampy colors as well, or do you prefer lighter ones?