N is for ... Navy, Russian Navy

       Why hello there fellow nail art enthusiasts.  I have been MIA for a few weeks, but have no fear, I am here!  I didn't stop doing my nails, I just needed some time away from the blog-o-sphere.  I'm not going to lie, I was a little disappointed with the amount of feedback I received on my last blog post.  I worked so hard on that Minnie, and it didn't seem to spark much interest!  After sulking for a while, I decided it was time to jump back in to what I love to do and not care about the comments and such.  Of course that means that my "N" challenge for the Facebook group, Llama Nails is a little late, but what's that saying ... better late than never?!

     I have worn this color so many times and never been able to capture its beauty until today.  I was so excited when the sun was shining after work today that I ran into the house and started to do this mani, again, so that I could show you the beauty that is Russian Navy.  This was on my wish list for so long, and it does not disappoint, well, unless there is no sun! :-)

Base coat: Pro-Fx Fiberized Ridge Filler

Base color: Russian Navy from OPI - 2 coats

Accent nail: White on the Spot from Milani -2 coats

Top coat: Seche Vite

Stamping color: Sapphire from Kleancolor

Stamping image: Unmarked plate from Essence

All pictures were taken in direct sunlight

I wish it wasn't so hard to show the beauty of Russian Navy, but oh well, it's worh it.  How was your Christmas?  Did anyone get any polish in their stockings?

ABC's of Nail Art Challenge: L is for... Laughter - Sinful Colors Unicorn and Stamping With Mash 31

       Today's post is for the Facebook group, Llama Nails.  Each week we do a manicure that coincides with each letter of the alphabet.  A is for apple, B is for baby, C is for cat, and so on, and so on.  This week we are on the letter L.  I was going to do love, but the mani that I did, didn't turn out at all like I wanted to.  I was going to redo the mani, but we went to a comedy show on Thursday night and it dawned on me, L is for laughter.  I wasn't quite sure how I was going to use the Mash 31 plate, and this became the perfect opportunity.

     Unicorn is a really pretty light yellow that requires three coats.  It is a pretty streaky formula which required the third coat to be a little thicker.  The outdoor pictures show Unicorn a little lighter than it is, and the indoor picture shows it darker than it is.  The accurate color is in between these.

Base coat: Diamond Strength Hardener

Base color: Unicorn from Sinful Colors - 3 coats

Top coat: Seche Vite (I applied this over Unicorn to dry it quickly so I could stamp over it).

Stamping images: Mash plate 31

Stamping color: Stamp Me! Black from Essence

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

Outdoor without flash

Indoor without flash

What do you guys think?  I hope you like it.

You can check out these other L related mani's using the links below.

Sinful Colors Athens and Olympia and Stamping With Mash 45

       Happy Tuesday evening everyone.  Or if you are over on the East Coast I'm sure it is much later.  I won't rub in the fact that I am enjoying a nice cup of coffee at the moment.  Mmmmm.  Coffee.  I.  Love.  Coffee.  OK, now onto the more important things in life, my nails!  When I first saw this image on the Mash 45 plate, I was not to keen on it, but after seeing a few people use it, I wanted to try it out.  I will say that I really enjoy how this turned out.  It is a little splotchy in spots, but that is because I wasn't using "real" stamping polishes, but I think these turned out pretty good considering the fact.

Base coat: Sally Hansen Triple Strong Advanced Nail Gel Fortifier

Base colors: Accent nail: Athens from Sinful Colors - 2 coats.

                     Olympia from Sinful Colors - 2 coats

Stamping plate: Mash 45

Stamping colors: Same as the base colors

Top coat: Seche Vite

These were taken inside without the flash.

Have you guys tried this stamp before?  If so, did you like it?  If you haven't tried it yet, would you?  I look forward to hearing from you!  I'm off to enjoy the rest of my coffee and start a new mani!  Have a great night.

Stamping With Mash 42 Over Sinful Colors Gradient

       Happy Sunday everyone!  I am typing this with one hand because I have a baby on my lap!  But it is OK, because he is the cutest baby on the face of the earth, and my best friends baby.  Although, I'm sure mine will be cuter. ;-)  Today's post is for the Facebook group, Adventures In Stamping.  Each week we vote on a challenge, and this week the challenge is for us to stamp over a blue base.  I decided I wanted to do a blue gradient and it turned out beautifully.

     I also thought today would be a great way to use some of my whites that I haven't tried stamping with, to see how they worked.  We get a lot of questions referring to cheaper polishes to stamp within the group, and I figured my left hand would be a great way to kill two birds with one stone.  As you will see, my cleanup is terrible with my non dominant hand, and I'm also hiding a brutal hangnail.  It is so brutal, I couldn't even apply acetone to it to clean it up.  :-(  Winter is so harsh on my hands!

Base coat: Sally Hansen Triple Strong Advanced Gel Nail Fortifier

Base color: Cinderella from Sinful Colors - 2 coats

Gradient colors: Cinderella, Why Not, and Hot Spot from Sinful Colors

Topcoats: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat and Essence Gel Like Top Coat

Stamping colors: Stamp Me! White from Essence, White On The Spot from Milani, and Superstar! from Pure Ice

Stamping image: Mash 42

This picture was taken outside.  All stamping is done with Stamp Me! White from Essence

This picture was taken inside without flash.  All stamping was done with Stamp Me! White from Essence.

This picture was taken inside without flash.  Stamping was done with White On The Spot from Milani on the pointer and ring finger, and Superstar! from Pure Ice on the middle and pinky finger.

This picture was taken outside and stamping is done as described above the previous picture.

As you can see, the difference is pretty dramatic between the three whites I stamped with.  I will keep using the stamping polish from Essence, unless I can find something better.  I know the last two pictures look fuzzy, but it is actually the stamping that is making them look fuzzy. :-(  Crazy, huh.

ABC Nail Art Challenge: K is for...Keyboard

       Happy Friday everyone.  I hope that everyone that celebrates Thanksgiving had a great day.  My husband and I went over to my aunt's house, enjoyed some yummy food, and then went over to our friend's house to lie on their couch and relax.  :-)

     Today's blog post is another installment in the ABC nail art challenge that is being hosted by the Facebook group, Llama Nails.  I wasn't sure what I was going to do for the letter K, but I remembered seeing someone using a stamping plate that I owned that had a keyboard on it.  I'm so glad I saw someone use this image because ever since I received this set of plates, I have been wondering what the hell this image was.  I was pretty impatient when I did this mani, and you can see it in quality of this one.  Not one of my best ones.  :-(  Now I know for next time.

Base coat: Sally Hansen Triple Strong Advanced Gel Nail Fortifier

Base color's: Black Creme from Wet N' Wild - 1 coat, Superstar! from Pure Ice - 3 coats

Stamping plate: Mash 44

Stamping color's: Stamp Me! White and Stamp Me! Black from Essence

Top coat: Seche Vite

What do you guys think?

Stamping With Mash Plate 49 Over Avon Strawberry Polish, and Black Shatter from OPI

       Happy Monday everyone.  Let me just be honest and say that I am so glad it is a new week.  Last week sucked ass!  I had PMS all week and on top of that came down with Strep Throat!  I am sure that my PMS was on high from the Strep, too.  We spent all of our grocery money on the doctors visit, but oh well.  What can you do.  Looks like we will be on a steady diet of what ever is in our pantry, which isn't much!  Won't be the first time we've had to do this, and I'm sure it won't be the last.  

     Today was the first day I have had energy since Thursday.  I went to bed at 4 on Thurdsday and slep until I went to work at 5, worked a half day on Saturday, went home sick, noticed my throat was white, went to the doctor and then slept. I was so mad that I had to miss the Monster Truck show.  My parents pre bought my husband and me tickets since we couldn't afford them, and it was the first year in five years that I didn't have to work this particular event.  Imagine my anger.  Good thing I was too tired to do anything about it.

     Enough about my crap weekend.  On to the more important things in life, my nails!  I saw this mani that Valiantly Varnished did I was so excited to use it.  As I was looking through my polishes the other day I almost threw out my crackle because let's face it, no one uses them anymore.  But her mani did and i fell in love with it.  I am going to play around with this idea until I finish off my bottle of crackle, so weather or not you like this mani, be prepared to see some more like this. :-)  I hadn't used my crackle in so long that I actually had to use thinner in it!  And yes, it works just fine.

Base coat: Sally Hansen Triple Strong Advanced Gel Nail Fortifier

Base color: Strawberry from Avon - 1 coat

Crackle: Black Shatter from OPI

Stamping color: Stamp Me! White from Essence

Stamping plate: Mash 49

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

What do you guys think?  Still hate crackle or could you wear something like this?

Llama Nails Presents the ABC's of Nails : I (And Stamping With Mash 30 Plate)

     Happy Thursday everyone!  How has everyone's week been so far?  Mine has been a little all over the map, hence not posting since Sunday!  What the heck man!  Well I missed the post for last week, which was H, but don't worry, I did it.  I will most likely be posting it tomorrow.  "I" was a tricky letter for me, (aren't they all) but as I was in the shower saying igloo, irritated, irate, intimate, and then icicle I stumbled upon Ireland!  Now that was something I could do on my nails.

     I finally picked up some more Seche Vite Top Coat the other day and I can't believe the difference it makes in dry time on my manicures.  When I have wanted to stamp before I usually have to wait 30 minutes to an hour before I can stamp it. With one coat of Seche on I can stamp after ten minutes, tops.  I don't think I will ever go without.

Base coat: Sally Hansen Advanced Gel Nail Fortifier

Base colors: Pinky, thumb, and ring finger - Superstar from Pure Ice - 2 coats

                     Middle finger: Pretty Edgy from Essie - 2 coats

                     Forefinger: Clementine from Sinful Colors - 2 coats

Stamping colors: Pinky - Heat Flash from Sally Hansen Insta-Dri

                            Middle - Stamp Me White from Essence and Khloe Had a Little Lam-Lam from Nicole by OPI

                            Forefinger - Stamp Me White from Essence

Flage colors: Clementine from Sinful Colors and Pretty Edgy from Essie applied with a striping brust

Image plate: Mash 30

Top coat: Seche Vite

These were taken outside in indirect light

Here are some other "I" inspired manicures!

AIS: Stamping With Mash Plate 41

       Happy Sunday all.  I hope that you are all enjoying your extra hour of sleep.  I haven't participated in one of Sunday's Stamping Challenges in the Facebook group Adventures In Stamping in a few weeks now.  Today's challenge was for us to stamp over glitter.  When I was playing with some of my new polishes last night I came up with this color combination and was very excited to try it out.  It turned out a lot better in my head, but I still really like it.  I hope you do as well.

Base coat: PVA Glue - If you're not sure what I am referring to, you can check out my blog post about it here.

Base color: Skull and Glossbones from OPI - 2 coats

Accent color: Luxe Lavender from Avon - 2 coats

Glitter: Cheatin from Pure Ice - 1 coat

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

Stamping plate: Mash 41

Stamping color: Stamp Me! White and Stamp Me! Black from Essence

This photo was taken inside with the flash

This was taken outside without the flash

Skull and Glossbones is slowly becoming one of my favorite polishes!  I really like the white over the purple.  I think next time I will use all white instead of the black over the glitter and Skull and Glossbones.

AIS: Halloween - Stamping With Mash Plates 48 and 29 Over OPI Skull and Glossbones

       It is Sunday and that means it is time for another stamping challenge in Adventures In Stamping, a group that I am in on Facebook.  Today's voted on theme was Halloween.  I am getting a little Halloween'd out with all of these other challenges I am involved with and wasn't going to participate until I remembered that I had a skull stamp in my collection that would never be used otherwise.  You see, I am not a skull person.  I don't understand why they are on everything right now, like the mustache.  But, to each their own.  I wasn't even sure how to use the skull in a mani when my husband grabbed the three plates I playing around with and told me what I should do.  The accent nail was his idea, except for the multiple stamping of the flames, and the little squirly q's were my idea.

     I just picked up Skull and Glossbones at T.J. Maxx for $3.99 yesterday and thought it would be perfect for a mani with a skull on it.  Upon further google searches, I am not even close to the only one who thought this was a good idea.  :-)  As described by Scrangie, Skull and Glossbones is a "ghostly light grey cream."  I thought this was going to be a three coater but after the second coat it has reached full opacity.  OPI is my favorite brand of polish and I really liked this more than I thought I would.  The half price price tag helped a lot, too.

Base coat: Sally Hansen Triple Strong Advanced Gel Nail Fortifier

Base coat: Skull and Glossbone from OPI - 2 coats

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

Stamping plates: Mash 29 & 48

Stamping colors: Lightning and Heat Flash from Sally Hansen Insta-Dri and Stamp me! Black from Essence

Top coat: L.A. Colors Rapid Dry Top Coat

Taken inside without flash

This is how I came up with the little curls on the sides of each nail

I hope you guys enoy this!  Feel free to comment, I read each and every one of them.  They make me  happy!

AIS: Metallic Madness - Silver Sweep from Sally Hansen With Mash Plate 46

     Happy Sunday all.  I hope that you are all having a very relaxing weekend.  I am not. :-) On top of my normal 60 hour work week I added on an extra ten hours working at the fall festival yesterday and today.  Oh well.  Other than my feet hurting, I can't complain.  Made enough money to cover a bill so that is all that matters, right?!

     Today's stamping challenge in the Facebook group, Adventures In Stamping, is Metallic Madness.  Now, I don't have that many metallics so I knew that I would be stamping with Silver Sweep from the Sally Hansen Insta Dri line.  For my accent nail I also used this color.

Base coat: Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Hardener

Base color: Ibiza from Zoya - 1 coat

Accent nail and stamping color: Silver Sweep from Sally Hansen Insta Dri - 1 coat

Stamping plate: Mash 46

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

Taken inside with flash

Taken inside without flash

All right, well I need to get caught up on my laundry for tomorrow since I wasn't able to get it done today.  I hope you guys enjoy this mani.

AIS: Stamping With Mash Plate 29 Over The One That Got Away from O.P.I.

     Today's challenge in the Facebook group, Adventures In Stamping, was for us to use a french tip image.  I have a hard time using the french tip images because a, they are really hard to place straight, and b, my nails are so short that they take up half of my nail.  I decided to use the star image on the Mash 29 plate because I hadn't used it before and it was a smaller tip design in the fact that it wouldn't take up half of my nail.  I am pretty pleased with the turn out of this mani.  I only had to redo two of the images due to crooked placement.

     The base color for this mani is new to me.  I received it from one of my friends and fell in love with it a few days ago when I wore it by its self.  This color was released in the Katy Perry line from O.P.I. in January of 2011, before I became addicted to polish.  I am surprised to say though that I almost have this entire collection.  I just keep acquiring them through random journeys.  I do have to say that this is my favorite color from the line so far.  The One That Got Away is a BEAUTIFUL raspberry red with a glass fleck finish.  Due to this it can look different in different lights.  That is why I have so many pictures in this post today.  I really want you guys to see how wonderful this color is.

Base coat: Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Hardener

Base color: The One That Got Away from O.P.I. - 2 coats

Stamping plate: Mash 29

Stamping color: Silver Sweep from Sally Hansen Insta-Dri

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

This was taken inside under fluorescent lighting without the flash

Taken inside without flash

Taken inside without flash

Taken outside in indirect light

Taken outside in indirect light

Do you guys have problems when it comes to stamping on a tip image?  How have you overcome this battle?

Adventures In Stamping: Mash 28 Over Essence Choose Me!

     Today's Sunday Stamping Challenge for the Facebook group, Adventures In Stamping, was to have someone else pick our stamping plate.  Last night I handed my hubs my basket of plates and asked him to pick a design for me to use.  He surprised me by asking me what colors I was going to use, and was really into it.  Such a good hubs.  Don't worry, I return the favor by telling him how much I love his cool car.  ;-)  He chose two flower images and a nautical star.  I laughed and told him to pick just one, because how the hell am I supposed to mix a nautical star in with flowers?

     I used Choose Me! from Essence for the base color.  This is such a pretty duo-chrome.  I included indoor and outdoor pictures so you could see the beautiful shifts in this color.

Base coat: Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Hardener

Base color: Choose Me! from Essence -2 coats

Stamping color: Stamp Me White from Essence

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

Taken inside without flash

Taken outside without flash

So, did my husband do a good job picking out the plate?  I think so! 

ABC Nail Challenge: Anchor Stamping

     Today marks the start of a new challenge.  Our summer challenge has come to an end, (all though I was a TERRIBLE participant) and a new one is beggining.  It is called the ABC's Challenge.  I am excited to do this!  Each Wednesday we will be working on one letter of the alphabet and doing a mani that starts with that letter.  Example: A is for Avon, and using an Avon polish, or B is for Bee and stamping with a Bee, etc, etc.  Hopefully you get the picture because I am terrible at explaining stuff like this.

     I had my whole A mani planned out, even consulted with the hubs about it, and as I was searcing through my plates I found one from Essence with an anchor on it.  The light bulb went off.  A is for anchor!!  So off I went to do an anchor mani.  I REALLY need to work on my patience when it comes to stamping.  I also need to remember that my Sally Hansen top coat is not Seche Vite, and if it is applied in the same manner it WILL bubble!  Ugh.  Oh well.  As much as I want to be perfect, no one is.  Except Chalkboard Nails...

Base coat:Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Nail Hardener

Base colors: White - French White Tip from N.Y.C. - 3 coats

                     Blue - Smooth Sailing from Essie - 2 coats

                     Red - Ruby Slipper from Avon (also used for the half moons)

Stamping colors: Stamp Me! White from Essence

                            Blue - Why Not from Sinful Colors

Stamping plate: not numbered from Essence

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

Taken inside without the flash

Well, what do you think?  If you have some time you should check out these other A mani's...

Alphabet Challenge - A

1. Ana Cris	2. HookedonVarnish	3. Polish My Mind
4. Angie	5. Melina	6. Crazy Nail Lady
7. Enigmatic Rambles	8. Fab.Lush.Luxe	9. Liquid Jelly
10. Cute-icle Chronicles

(Submissions close in 175d 7h 45m)

URL:	(URL of your blog post)
Name:
Email:	(Not visible)
	Trouble linking up? Try here

Link tool by inlinkz.com

Adventures In Stamping: Stamping With Mash Plate 38

     Our Sunday stamping challenge for the Facebook group, Adventures In Stamping, was to stamp with the theme of something toxic or poisonous.  I was at a standstill with what to do.  I googled poisonous plants and learned that parts of cherries are poisonous.  So I thought that that would at least be a cute mani.  While I was digging through my plates searching for the plate with the cherries on it, I found a plate with a spider on it.  That brought back vivid memories of the four black widows we have killed in the last few years, and what I beleive to be a hobo spider that was on our porch just a few days ago.  My poor husband.  I just stood there freaking out.  I never had a fear of spiders up until we started killing those black widows.  So I figured today would be the best day to use this stamp because I will probablly never use it again.

Base coat:  Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Hardener

Base colors: Pinky and pointer finger - Black Cream from Wet N' Wild - 1 coat

                     Ring finger and thumb - French White Tip from N.Y.C. - 3 coats

                     Middle finger - Sealed With A Kris from Nicole by OPI - 3 coats

Stamping color: Black Cream from Wet N' Wild

Stamping plate: Mash 38

Red on back of spider: Red Red from Wet N' Wild

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

Taken outside in direct light

Taken inside without flash

Taken outside in indirect light

I know these pictures aren't the greatest but I couldn't handle looking at the spiders up close anymore.  Sorry.

Mermaid Nails: Gradient Plus Stamping With Mash Plate 39

     In the Facebook group, Crumpet's Nail Tarts, our Summer Challenge for today was to do a mermaid mani.  I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do since there was no way in hell I would be able to draw an actual mermaid on my nails.  I googled mermaid nails and quickly figured out that I needed to do a gradient with a scale like stamp to mimic a mermaid's tail.  I am so pleased with how this came out.  I wish I could have captured all of it's beauty in the photos, but there was not very good sunlight out.  :-(  It turned out exactly how I wanted it.  Beautiful, sparkly, and just a hint of  scales.

Base coat: Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Hardener

Base color: Fly from OPI - 2 coats

Gradient colors: Fly-closest to my cuticle

                           Khloe Had A Little Lam-Lam from Nicole by OPI - in the center

                           Grape...Set...Match from OPI- at the tip of the nail

Stamping color: Let's Talk from Sinful Colors

Stamping plate: Mash 39

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

I hope that you like these as much as I do!