September Challenges - Summer Colour and Colour of Your Shirt

Yesterday's prompt was Summer Colour for #30daysofcolourchallenge. I decided to use Glam Polish Tickled Pink - a store exclusive from Rainbow Connection. Tickled Pink is a gorgeous, amazingly glittery pink. It is quite a warm pink so probably not my first choice for a pink except that it is mega sparkly, so it is allowed! Coverage was good with 2 coats although it did seem to take a while to dry hard, maybe because it was so cold today. This is my first Glam Polish and I like it a lot but I did find it a challenge to photograph.
The next  prompt for #30daysofcolourchallenge was Colour of Your Shirt.  I always wanted a pink and white Oxford shirt and just a couple of weeks ago a flyer came through the door with a great offer, so I treated myself. I used Moyou London Pro XL 01 and Essence Stampy 001 over Glam Polish Tickled Pink in honour of my lovely new shirt. This actually photographed rather well I think and the glitteryness of the Glam really shows.
Then I added some more stamping with Loja BBF 46 and Colour Alike Kind of Black - a new stamping polish which I received today. I had to test it and I am very impressed. Super quick delivery from Poland and a great price, as well as a great polish. The Loja BBF plate stamped well too, I am loving these little plates that I got in a group buy recently!
Finally I added Barry M Matte Top Coat and I really like the finished matter version. I love this Barry M top coat, it gives the most delicious velvety finish, and certainly helps with taking better pictures of stamping!

Glam Polish Tickled Pink

 

 

 

Moyou London Pro XL 01 and Essence Stampy 001

 

 

 

 

Loja BBF 46 and Colour Alike Kind of Black

Loja BBF 46 and Colour Alike Kind of Black - matte

 

An InLinkz Link-up

An InLinkz Link-up

September Challenges - Winter Colour and some snowflakes

Today's prompt was Winter Colour for #30daysofcolourchallenge.
I chose Glisten & Glow Blue on Blue as it was another of my newest polishes. When I think of winter shades,  I think of three different types - deep dark shades, soft warm nudes and then lighter frosty shades. Having just tried Rum & Coke, I wanted to try another Glisten & Glow as soon as possible so it seemed like a good enough reason to try this gorgeous blue holo!
Despite it being sunny all morning, the sun had ignored the weather forecast and gone in by the time I was ready to take pictures!
As with Rum & Coke, Blue on Blue applied beautifully - quite sheer on the first coat but perfect on the second. Photos are taken with a layer of top coat. This is a beautiful icy blue, almost silvery grey in some lights and of course the holo is awesome!
Since the prompt was Winter I couldn't resist adding some snowflakes. I didn't really have any snowflakes plates last winter so why not start early this year! I used the gorgeous DRK Designer 3 which is a buffet style plate, packed with snowflakes - I think I will use this plate a lot over the winter season and I stamped with Essence Stampy 001.

Glisten & Glow Blue on Blue 

 

 

DRK Designer 3 and Essence Stampy 001

 

 

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September Challenges - Shimmer and Mix N Match

I combined two challenges, Shimmer for #30daysofcolourchallenge and Mix N Match - Jewel Tones for #wnac2015.
I chose 5 shimmery polishes in jewel tones and did one nail in each colour. I used Leighton Denny Rebel, Jacava Midnight's Secret, Nails Inc Emerald Street, A England Holy Grail and A England Perceval. Then in order to bring it all together, as I can't stand non-matching nails, I stamped a really nice paisley type pattern from Loja BBF 18 over each one with Essence Stampy 001. I did try black stamping but I couldn't get enough contrast.
Although I am very uncomfortable with non-matching nails, I was quite pleased with the finished mani.

Shimmer!

Loja BBF 18 with Essence Stampy 001 

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Wiki'd Nails Challenge - Deinocheirus

This week's Wiki'd Nails Challenge was Deinocheirus - a large dinosaur. Lucky for me I have Messy Mansion MM47 which I really bought for the ammonites and ferns, although the little dinosaurs are cute. I have to say I thought the likelihood of me using the large dino stamp in the near future was slim. Especially as the image I needed was one that would have to span more than one nail. I am not good with placement of single images, and spanning 3 nails seemed rather daunting, but you've got to try these things.
I decided a short while back that Deinocheirus was going to be stamped over the red pond mani. I added a final coat of the red Nelly Polish to 3 nails and then stamped the dino in 3 parts across them, leaving the little finger - too small for anything useful really!
I then spent a silly amount of time working out how I could actually hold my hand so that the 3 images vaguely lined up, maybe a bit of imagination is required.
To be honest this worked a lot better than I thought it would and I think Deinocheirus looks quite cool in his red fiery background - maybe he lived in the shadow of a volcano.

Deinocheirus - Messy Mansion MM47

 

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June Challenges - A Glitter Crelly, Silhouettes, and some butterflies

I have a bit of a combined post today - 2 challenges and a final step just because I felt like it!
The challenge for #clairestelle8june was a glitter crelly. I don't have  a lot of these to choose from apart from my precious Cadillacquers and a few UK Indies but I did buy a Dollish last year that I hadn't tried so I thought I'd give that a go.
In the bottle and on swatches I'd seen, Murky Dismal looks very pretty, black and white square glitter in a minty base. On my nail, black and white square glitter in a virtually clear base...mmm not good - 2 coats, not much better so I used undies. Nails Inc Holland Park Gardens was the closest match so I did one coat of that and one coat of Murky Dismal. I am not quite sure where it got its name from because it's anything but murky or dismal, I think it's really pretty once I got it to look how it does in the bottle.
Anyway, I decided it would be a nice base for the #30daysofcolourchallenge, except that I forgot the full challenge - honestly I did! The challenge was Shimmer / Silhouettes - I am not too keen on shimmery polishes which may be why I completely forgot that when I did this mani (doh!) so I am afraid you've just got Silhouettes. I went for butterflies using A England Camelot and Fab Ur Nails FUN 14.
Finally, I was looking at the butterflies thinking it needed something more, and I decided to add large white butterflies, using UberChic Beauty UC 1-02 stamped with Essence Stampy 001.
I really like stamping with black and white and I am so pleased with how this turned out despite the fact that the stamping isn't perfect and nearly every butterfly has a bit missing. Typically the butterflies on the other hand do look better! I am loving the macro lens but it is not at all forgiving!!

Dollish Murky Dismal

A England Camelot and
Fab Ur Nails FUN14

UberChic Beauty UC 1-02 with Essence Stampy 001

 

An InLinkz Link-up

June Challenges - Squares

The challenge for #clairestelle8june for tomorrow was Squares. I had 2 other challenges for the same day so I decided to sneak this one in early.
It's one of those many part mani's - I like to take pictures along the way in case the next step is a disaster but then it seems a shame not to share them all!
I started with a base of Nails Inc Power Pink and then added a coat of Hare Polish Why So Igneous? the most gorgeous combination of green and purple square glitter, along with smaller green and purple glitters in a sheer purple base - square glitter!!! I love it so much!
I then stamped using the overlapping squares on Moyou London Artist 04 and Essence Stampy 001, not the neatest stamping ever but I am blaming Essence for running low again! - I need a bucket load of white stamping polish!!
Then I added a coat of Kandy Colors Grape Much? I love the way this softens the look and did I mention I am turning this into a pond mani :)
Then I stamped with Lealac LLC-A and Essence Stampy 001. I really love this Lealac plate with its huge images, I am amazed at how many times I have used it. The image I chose is actually diamonds but turned 45 degrees they are almost square!
And finally, another coat of Kandy Colors Grape Much?
I love the build up of colours here, and I can just see the odd glitter peeping through!

Lealac LLC-A and Essence Stampy 001
with Kandy.Colors Grape Much?

Hare Polish Why So Igneous?

Moyou London Artist 04 and Essence Stampy 001

Moyou London Artist 04 and Essence Stampy 001
 with Kandy.Colors Grape Much?

Lealac LLC-A and Essence Stampy 001

Lealac LLC-A and Essence Stampy 001
with Kandy.Colors Grape Much?

June Challenges - Tribal Nails

Yesterday I did tribal nails for a weekly challnge in one of the facebook groups. I started with an orange gradient of Kandy Colours Look at Me, Virtuous Polish Ruth and China Glaze Red-y to Rave (picture at the end)
Then I added Emily de Molly EDM11 and A England Camelot and finally, QA88 and Essence Stampy 001.
I am quite pleased with these, although not a great orange wearer, hidden under some black and white stamping I like it.

Emily de Molly EDM11 and A England Camelot

 

QA88 and Essence Stampy 001 over
Emily de Molly EDM11 and A England Camelot

 

 

Orange gradient - Kandy Colours Look at Me,
Virtuous Polish Ruth and
China Glaze Red-y to Rave

Wiki'd Nails Challenge - Nikola Tesla

This week's Wiki'd Nails Challenge was a tricky one. From Wikipedia : "Nikola Tesla 10 July 1856 – 7 January 1943 was a Serbian American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, physicist, and futurist best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system".
In the end I decided to stamp the nearest pattern I could find that looked like alternating current. I was surprised how few plates I had with wavy patterns on but I found a couple which I have used over my red mani from yesterday.
I used Sugarbubbles SB 028 with Essence Stampy 001 and then Emily de Molly EDM12 with A England Camelot.
After the first stage they were quite bright and I think the 2nd layer of stamping calmed them down a bit - not sure Mr Tesla would have approved but I think they look quite cool.

Sugarbubbles SB 028 and Emily de Molly EDM12

 

Sugar Bubbles SB 028

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