March Challenges - Minimal and Fave Mani Technique

The last Challenges for March were Minimal for #ggfnachallenge and Fave Mani Technique for #firedazedchallenge.
For minimal I chose one of my favourite nudes, Leighton Denny In the Buff, a lovely soft very slightly pinky nude.
My fave mani techniques are still smooshing and stamping so I did both!
I smooshed with Leighton Denny Between Blue, Femme Fatale and Zero Gravity over my nude base.
Then I stamped with Sascha Gossen YS12 and Barry M Pitstop and then, finally, Sascha Gossen YS12 with Nails Inc Moonlight Shadow.
I loved the final look - I think the soft muted overlapping shades worked well together.

Leighton Denny In the Buff

 

#smooshattack with Leighton Denny Between Blue,
 Femme Fatale and Zero Gravity

Sascha Gossen YS12 and Barry M Pitstop

Sascha Gossen YS12 with Nails Inc Moonlight Shadow

May Challenges - Weather

Today's challenge for #clairestelle8may was weather. Now, I wouldn't want to wish more snow on us, the UK is pretty rubbish at dealing with snow and we didn't have much this year, thankfully, but I did feel a bit cheated at the lack of opportunity to stamp endless snowflakes on my nails. So, the weather prompt is clearly a sign to do snowflakes. My daughter was horrified that I was going to stamp snowflakes in May!!
I decided I'd go for a dark stormy sky so I started with a base of Leighton Denny Graycious, a beautiful dark grey creme.
Then I did a saran wrap mani, adding Leighton Denny Zero Gravity, a lighter grey creme. I love saran wrap, such a quick easy way to get a really cool effect.
Then I added the snowflakes using Pet'la Plate Flake No More and Essence Stampy 001.
Finally, to appease the outraged daughter, I stained the snowflakes red with alcohol ink, and then stamped over them with Hit the Bottle Absinthe Minded and a different image from the same Pet'la Plate. This looked cool I think until I top coated it and the alcohol ink went all funny - I probably should have top coated between the ink stage and the final stamp - that will teach me to cut corners. Never mind - it's colourful!!

Leighton Denny Graycious

Saran wrap mani with Leighton Denny Graycious
and Leighton Denny Zero Gravity

Pet'la Plate Flake No More and Essence Stampy 001

Pet'la Plate Flake No More and
Hit the Bottle Absinthe Minded

Emily de Molly Harmony

This is my other posting that is out of sequence, my very first ever nail varnish from Emily de Molly. It would have been my first indie but then 2 lovely UK companies went live with their collections, and this was still on order - probably still flying or sailing over from the Australia!
Harmony is a soft grey creme with large white hexes, purple and turquoise green hexes and then smaller silver hexes. This is only my 2nd polish where the glitters are set in a semi opaque base, and I was a bit unsure of it. I was not overly keen on more than one layer, not really liking the glitters being painted over, so I have gone for one coat over Leighton Denny Zero Gravity. I did a few experimental swatches layering this polish but one coat over pale grey was my fave. It still took me a while to be sure I liked it, but I had lots of compliments about it and by the time I took it off, I was sold!
You can't love everything first time, and some I will never love but this one is a keeper! Everyone said how great these were, think they thought I was crazy when I said I wasn't sure.
These pics were taken over a few days, the last couple were taken by the time I'd pretty much fallen in love and I really liked it with my grey patterned shirt, the sun was shining and it was about 10 degrees warmer - think the lovely polish was just waiting for better weather so it could creep into my heart :)

Emily de Molly Harmony

 

 

 

Leighton Denny Zero Gravity

I am a bit out of sequence with these posts, mainly because I did this mani and the next one, and then couldn't decide if I liked it so I decided to wait until I was sure before posting. I never want to write a negative blog, as you can see if you follow me, most are about how much I love a polish, and I thought it would be unfair to blog while I was still undecided.

Anyway, I do love this, there was no doubt about that, I have actually worn Leighton Denny Zero Gravity a few times before and loved it. It's the next one that I was a bit uncertain about.

Zero Gravity is a lovely pale grey creme, perfect in two coats, with a beautiful glossy finish. I can't actually remember but I think there is no top coat on these pics.

This is a real "me" polish, safe in my comfort zone, and look - plenty of woolies to match, the other clue that this is not my most current mani :)

Leighton Denny Zero Gravity