Bluebirds of a crystal feather

Hello ladies,

One of my favorite things about being in Nature are the songbirds. I decided to create a bluebird manicure as an homage to all the little birds I see and hear throughout the day. One of my favorite pleasures is to listen to birdcalls as I am walking. I will pause and look up for the singing or chatty bird. Sometimes they sing a little more when they see me looking.

I began the tone on tone manicure with BB Couture Blue Bahama. From fauxnad plate H30, I stamped the bird image using Konad pastel blue special polish. I placed pale blue gems for the wings. I added a blue flower and pearl to the end of each branch. The bird design coupled with the embellishments creates a vintage feel.

Blue Bahama was opaque in two coats. I added a third coat before stamping. This polish is beautiful! On seeing my nails, both my nieces requested manicures with Blue Bahama for their first day of high school. The blue with a hint of green makes me think of the Atlantic Ocean.

I am very pleased with how this manicure came together. Of all the nail art I have done, this look feels particularly expressive of my style. It makes me happy to have bluebirds on my nails. I hope these little birds bring joy to your day too.

Image plate H30 was sent to me for consideration. Additional nail art stamping plates are available for purchase at chez-delaney.com.

BB Couture Blue Bahama was provided for review. This shade can be purchased at overallbeauty.com. For a chance to win your choice of five polishes from the Cantina Nights Collection, please stop by the Naturally Beautiful and Polished Giveaway.

The blue flowers are from the Art Club Technicolor Doll Nail Art Kit. This was sent to me for review. Please visit victoriasnailsupply.com to purchase. Would you like the opportunity to win two professional nail art kits? Check out the Art Club: Black, White and Bold Giveaway.

Happy painting, ladies.

Cooling

Hello ladies,

At the last moments of August, the temperature in Philadelphia asserts that summer is still in residence. I decided to create a cooling manicure to help offset the weather. I can imagine this look worn in January under wool mittens.

I began with the glittering grey from the Color Club Untamed Luxury Collection. The polish is De-luxe-cious. I am rather in love with this shade. The grey base is stirred with silver and holographic glitter. The bottle is as entertaining as a snow globe.

I chose the starry flowers image from fauxnad plate H30. I used white Konad special polish for stamping. My inability to resist the mirror gems from the Art Club Boudoir Collection continues. I alternated with the white buttons from the gem wheel.

The diffuse light photo below best displays the stamping design and gem placement. The brighter, sunlit pictures will show more of what De-luxe-cious can do.

De-luxe-cious needed three coats and a layer of topcoat to best showcase it's wonders. It looks decent at two coats, but I highly recommend adding a third. I don't think I own another grey based glitter polish. It looks like the month of February went to a disco. I love it!

This polish was sent to me for review. Color Club Untamed Luxury can be purchased at Victoria Nail Supply. The Art Club Boudoir Collection was provided for review. It is currently in stock at enailsupply.com. For a chance to win the Boudoir Collection and Technicolor Doll nail art kits, please visit the Art Club: Black, White and Bold Giveaway.

Image plate H30 was provided for my consideration. Please stop by chez-delaney.com for the full selection of stamping nail art design plates.

Happy painting, ladies!

Water bird and crystal sands

Hello ladies,

I absolutely adore water birds. They are so majestic, often evoking feelings of tranquility. There was a blue heron that lived on the the pond behind my parent's house. I remember hanging laundry and the blue heron coming up on the back lawn, watching me. I once dated a man in New York City. On each trip, I walked through Central Park to visit the resident egret.

This stamping image from fauxnad plate H30 could represent several varieties of water birds. Which do you see? Perhaps with the egret on my mind, I chose Konad special polish in white. I mixed blue and purple crushed shell at the tip for a funky french. I love this look for summer.

Magens Bay Blue is one of the three shades Diamond Cosmetics released for summer. This is probably my favorite of the grouping, though Pelican Peak Purple is noteworthy. If you like blue, I recommend adding this polish to your wish list. I believe this shade has the potential to be as popular as Oh Tiff! I needed two coats for opacity. The application was simple and quite pleasing.

Adding crushed shell to a manicure was so much easier than I expected. I applied fresh top coat to the tip of my nail and dipped it into the tiny pot containing the purple shell. I took a pair of fine point tweezers and tapped the shell up the nail to distribute it evenly.

I then dabbed topcoat in some of the negative space at the tip. I used the tweezers to sprinkle the blue shell into the remaining open area. The tweezers helped me to tap the blue shell into position. I added a thick coat of topcoat to the entire nail. The crushed shell is adhering well. It feels textural, but not at all sharp. I will definitely be using this again. It looks so much like a mosaic.

Magens Bay Blue was sent to me for review. US residents can purchase this color at diamondcosmetics.com. Please see this post for international shipping options. For the opportunity to win 12 polishes from Diamond Cosmetics plus a treatment product, stop by the Ladies' Choice of Diamonds Giveaway. The contest closes at the end of the day August 1st. Hurry on over to enter if you haven't had the chance yet.

Image plate H30 was provided for my consideration. The full line of stamping nail art plates is available at chez-delaney.com. Would you like a chance to win your choice of eight design plates? Stop by the Pick Your Plates Giveaway to enter.

The Art Club crushed shell is part of the new additions to the Sprinkles line. These will be available for a fall release date. They were sent to me for review.

Happy painting, ladies!