Wave of flowers

Hello ladies,

I wanted to create a cooling manicure as an antidote to the humid weather in Philadelphia. I am wearing Blue Fantasy from Diamond Cosmetics. There is a hint of gold duochrome blended with the pale blue. The combination makes me think of sun and sky.

I stamped the wave of flowers from Bundle Monster plate BM11. I chose Konad blue pearl special polish to create a tone on tone look. To adorn the flowers, I added two sizes of iridescent crystals and blue pearls.

You can see the gold duochrome easily in the photo above.

Lilies along the garden fence.

Hello, little friend.

Is it time to run?

No, it's time to eat greens. This little bunny ate lunch and watched me through the garden fence as I took pictures, first of him and then of my nails.

Blue Fantasy is difficult to classify. This polish seems to exist between a frost and a pearl finish. There are brushstrokes to contend with in application. The formula is also sheer. I painted three coats of Blue Fantasy over two coats of Brucci 2 in 1 Nail Perfection. I let my whitening base coat dry for a bit before adding color. While I love the look of the pearly blue, this polish does require extra care to achieve opacity.

I have been enjoying creating summer theme manicures with colors from the Diamond Cosmetics core line. I will also be showing more from the upcoming Fall Collection this week.

Blue Fantasy was sent to me for review. This shade is available for purchase from diamondcosmetics.com for $2.25. For a chance to win 12 bottles of polish from Diamond Cosmetics plus your choice of a treatment product, please stop by the Ladies' Choice of Diamonds Anniversary Giveaway.

Happy painting, ladies!

All aflutter

Hello ladies,

I created a manicure today with one purpose: to call forth a sense of joy in very hot weather. I started with a bright neon yellow: Almost Famous from Color Club's Poptastic Collection. I decided butterflies would be a happiness inducing accompaniment.

With pink Konad special polish, I stamped the butterflies from Bundle Monster plate BM09. Since many varieties of butterflies have dots on their wings, I used pink pearls and iridescent orange discs to create the pattern. Then I placed a hot pink marquis rhinestone to form the center body. I embellished a few of my tips with pink flowers that have a diaphanous sheen. Both the discs and the flowers came from Bundle Monster.

As with the majority of yellows, Almost Famous is a fussy diva polish. I started with two coats of Brucci 2 in 1 Nail Perfection and used OPI Drip Dry Drops to have my nails thoroughly dry before bedtime. This morning, I added four coats of Almost Famous for perfect opacity. Shorter nails can definitely get by with three coats. The polish was streaky going on and a little runny, but I am thrilled with the color and the perfect finish. The polish was easy to clean up and worth the extra effort.

I usually prefer using a whitening base coat in lieu of starting with white polish. I feel it looks cleaner at the edges. With Almost Famous, it might be worth layering over a white cream. I love the color and feel it warrants experimenting with application.

I hope my manicure brought a sense of happiness to your day no matter what the weather.

Color Club Almost Famous was sent to me for review. This shade along with the entire Poptastic Collection can be purchased at victoriasnailsupply.com.

Happy painting, ladies!

Carnival of flowers

Hello ladies,

Today I am wearing a bright yellow from Brucci called Emmi and Olli Go Bananas. My boyfriend and I were discussing carnivals Wednesday night. The next morning I walked to the park near his apartment and took pictures amongst the rose bushes. These two ideas blended in my consciousness. The inspiration for this manicure was born of cotton candy and flower outings.

I was really excited to discover the Bundle Monster full nail plates perfectly fit the width of my nails. These are definitely sized for narrow nail beds. I stamped the daisy image from plate BM16 using pink Konad special polish. I added pink flowers with a diaphanous sheen, pink rhinestones and pearls. Precision Red Velvet Cake was used for the funky french.

The sun was very indecisive as I took photos today. The photos are a melange of bright sun, partial sun and diffuse light.

While Emmi and Olli Go Bananas applies like a pastel creme, I really think there is some neon pigment in the formula. Even before all of my embellishments, my nails were quite vivid. This shade, like most yellows, is a fussy diva. I think ladies with more active length nails would have an easier time with this polish.

I began with two coats of Brucci 2 in 1 Nail Perfection as a whitening base and added two coats of Emmi and Olli Go Bananas. I sealed these layers with CND Air Dry, went to sleep about an hour later and awoke to tiny pinpoint bubbles near the cuticle area. These were easily obscured with another coat of yellow. I would not have even bothered were I not taking close up pictures of my nails.

Red Velvet Cake by Precision was used to create the funky french. I painted two coats across my tips. Despite the name, the color appears pink in most lights. If held next to red, it will take on a similar hue.

What do you ladies think of the full nail stamping with the glitter funky french? I had a great time putting this look together. If it's something you enjoy, I am game to experiment with some of the other Bundle Monster full nail designs.

Emmi and Olli Go Bananas is part of the Spring Beauty, Spring Cleaning Giveaway. Please visit the contest post for a chance to win a Spring beauty prize package valued just over $100.

Happy painting, ladies!

Gold dust

Hello ladies,

My nails smell very much like cupcake frosting! It is delightful! For a polish named Cotton Candy, what it lacks in accuracy it makes up for in sweet pleasure. I have enjoyed each of the fragrances I have tried so far from Revlon Scents of Summer. The novelty of going throughout my day with perfumed nails was wonderfully entertaining.

Color Club's Sultry Diva from the Glitter Vixen Collection creates the dusting of gold over the pale pink. Cotton Candy has a stirring of super fine gold sparkle. It would be a lovely, work appropriate sheer. I imagine the hint of gold would make Cotton Candy suitable for more skin tones than a basic pale pink.

My nails are posed next to a French perfume bottle with enamel flowers and crystal accents. I borrowed this little trinket from the store.

The application of Cotton Candy was questionable. I used two coats of Brucci 2 in 1 Nail Perfection followed by three coats of Cotton Candy. I experienced some light bubbling near the cuticle area. If I weren't putting this polish under magnification, a quick Konad stamp would have covered the issue successfully. Another option would have been to wait until the manicure had fully dried and use Orly Smudge Fixer to soften the bubbles. An additional layer of color could be painted to conceal the problem.

I opted to reverse the placement of the traditional gradient manicure. I really loved how this look turned out. For a tutorial about using Orly Smudge Fixer as a gradient liquid, please view this post.

The next time I wear a polish from Revlon Scents of Summer, it will be as a layering note. While I love the fragrances I have tried so far, I don't want to battle trying build these colors to perfect opacity.

This little friend supervised all of my photographic endeavors today. When I tried to take his picture, he attempted to look nonchalant and plunked his webbed feet into the canal. Have you ladies teamed up with any unlikely photographic assistants in the wild or at home?

Happy painting, ladies!

Grapes and white blossoms

Hello ladies,

Today I am wearing Grape Icy from the Revlon Scents of Summer Collection. The color is a lovely violet purple with fuschia shimmer. More importantly, it smells like grape candy! The scent is like having a palm full of jelly beans and inhaling the sweetness. I can still detect it easily even after two layers of topcoat.

I stamped the small blossom design from Konad plate M51. I used white special polish and affixed purple crystals in the center of each flower. In center city, the flowering trees and hung with white blooms. Gazing down the street, it looks like the trees are draped in bridal lace. I can't resist decorating my nails to reflect Nature.

I purchased Grape Icy for novelty and not quality, so I wasn't disappointed. After my experience with last summer's Revlon scented polishes, I knew to expect enjoyable scent and color combined with questionable application.

I started with a ridge filling base coat. The formula was thin and needed three coats over the tinted base to be perfectly opaque. There were also some minor visible brush stokes. The dry time was longer than I would have liked, but not unreasonable. I'm only sharing this in the interest of fair reporting. All I can truly focus on is that my nails are shimmering violet purple and smell like grape candy.

I will be showing more of the Revlon Scents of Summer line over the next couple of weeks. I really wish those of you who are interested could smell the grape scent through the screen. Today, I amused my boyfriend, my barista, a neighborhood dog and my cat with my scented nails.

Happy painting, ladies!

Windswept blossoms

Hello ladies,

We have had such rain here for the past few days! Lovely pastels from the Essie Art of Spring Collection have been readying me for the emergence of blooms. I've seen green shoots coming up that are harbingers of crocus flowers. In the community garden, neighbors have been clearing their plots for planting. It will be so nice to visit the garden again as the flowers are greeting the sun.

Today I am wearing Essie Neo-Whimsical. This shade is delicate and enchanting. I've seen much appreciation for Lilacism from the Art of Spring Collection. Neo-Whimsical certainly equals it's beauty. It has a lavender hue with a subtle touch of pink, giving it the possibility to flatter many skin tones. For ladies who have trouble with pastel purples that lean more towards blue or grey, Neo-Whimsical might be a favorable choice.

I stamped the floral image from Konad plate M77 in violet pearl princess polish. The pearls were applied asymmetrically to further the idea of the wind's movement.

Neo-Whimsical is a bit of a fussy diva. The colors I have tried from the Art of Spring Collection take a little more effort to apply than average. The tones are so pleasing, I don't mind. I am wearing three coats of Neo-Whimsical over two coats of a ridge filling base. I used Brucci 2 in 1 Nail Perfection, but any base with a milky tint will accomplish the task nicely. This is a fairly typical method for applying pastel shades from any brand.

Essie Neo-Whimsical was sent to me for review.

Konad plate M77 was provided for my consideration. Konad products can be purchased from ocnailart.com. For a chance to win all eight of the new design plates, please visit the contest post to enter.

Happy painting, ladies!