River of gumdrops: Diamond Cosmetics Orange Blush

Hello ladies,

The corner grocery store a few blocks from my apartment ordered too many gumdrops. I wonder if there was some type of mishap on the request form, a shipping error or an incredible warehouse sale that led to the pile up of tiny, clear tubs of gumdrops at the counter. The squishy, sugar coated rainbow has invaded the aisle of nuts and snacks. The gumdrops have taken over my nail art. I am certain the gumdrops are occupying the collective unconscious of my neighbors and perhaps their dreams as well. Gumdrops!

With white Konad special polish, I stamped the dot pattern from Bundle Monster plate BM209. I angled the design to create a subtle zig zag. Gumdrops are bouncy and wouldn't move in a straight line. With the Art Club sealer topcoat, I adhered a rainbow of gems across each nail. 

My right hand shown with my new friend, a baby grasshopper.

Nature's pom poms!

Orange Blush is a sheer jelly polish. Not a pure orange, it has a lovely pinkish hue that would make it skin flattering to almost everyone. The first day, I wore two coats over Super Base, which offers subtle whitening. I added two more coats on the second day, followed by the nail art. Orange Blush can be worn as a sheer or can be built up to a stronger tint. A whitening base or slipcover nude would be needed to make this color fully opaque. It's super pretty and glossy. I would recommend Orange Blush to cool tone ladies who want a juicy summer color.

I hope you like the manicure. May your dreams be filled with gumdrops, as mine are!

Orange Blush was sent to me for review. US residents can purchase this polish from diamondcosmetics.com. International shipping is available from boozyshop.nl.

Happy painting, ladies!

Garter toss: BB Couture Selene

Hello ladies,

June is a bridal month and weekends seem to be ornamented with bridesmaids and wedding bouquets in Rittenhouse Square. I created a garter toss manicure to go with all the satin, flowers and ribbons being paraded about.  

With Konad white special polish, I stamped the lace ribbon from Bundle Monster plate BM210. I accented the center line with pearls from Born Pretty Store and pastel pink and hot pink jewels. The design made gem placement simple; I counted the circles in the weave of the lace to find the exact center for the large pearl. When using gems to embellish a design, I love experimenting with size and color. 

Since I have been enjoying thin line French lately, I painted a sparkling stripe with Art Club crystal glitter. If you decide to work with this technique, I recommend painting the French after you add topcoat. I find that sealing the edge can subtly distort the line. I haven't had any issues with the Art Club glitter striper lines chipping or flaking, even without topcoat.    

I befriended a tiny pollinator.

Yarrow blooms like a patch of sunlight.

A coordinating petunia.

BB Couture Selene is a new favorite pink! Its glossy, jelly formula is stirred with silver and diaphanous green glitter. So lovely! I am wearing four coats here, but three would suffice for most ladies with active length nails. If you are looking for a pretty pink for summer, put Selene on your wish list. It is worth adding to your collection.

I hope you enjoyed my garter toss manicure! It would be a fun look to wear to a bridal shower or wedding.

Selene was sent to me for review. This polish is part of the A Touch of Greece/Ladies Collection, available for purchase at overallbeauty.com.

Happy painting, ladies!

Astrological Portrait: Diamond Cosmetics Deep Blue Sea

Hello ladies,

In love with stargazing, I have longed to create an astrological portrait manicure. You will find all twelve signs of the zodiac represented in a sparkling blue heaven of color.

From image plate H32, I stamped the zodiac signs using a franken of Konad silver polish and China Glaze Millennium. If my right thumb were lined up with my left pinky, you would find the symbols have been aligned in the proper order. My thumb nails each show two astrological signs.

To create the starry tips, I alternated silver hologram stars from the Art Club Holiday gem wheel and rainbow jewels. The thin line French was formed using an Art Club striper in Crystal Glitter. 

There are various accents. I highlighted the clothing of the Twins, the skirt of the Virgin, and the stream from the Water Bearer with the Crystal Glitter striper. The Crab has silver moon legs and silver beads at the base of the main body. The Virgin wears a triangular gem on her dress. A Moon makes The Scorpion's tail. The Sea Goat has a pearl in his tail fin. The Water Bearer is beneath a silver crescent. Silver beads embellish the spiral of The Fish.  

The base color, Diamond Cosmetics Deep Blue Sea, is indeed blue despite any trickery from your monitor. I took pictures today amidst sun showers. The flowers are glistening with raindrops. 

A pink rose after the rain

Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo. 

Virgo, Leo, Cancer, Gemini, Taurus & Aries (on thumb).

Right hand: (Thumb) Libra & Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces. 

The purple iris petals look like fabric for a ball gown.

My right hand. 

A flower ring as bright as the sun.

A gorgeous jelly polish flecked with turquoise glitter, Deep Blue Sea is the must have from the Diamond Cosmetics Caribbean Collection. Opaque in two coats, the color was easy to apply. I decided to wear this over a whitening base coat to make the blue really pop. The color is so lovely, I have worn it a couple times in the past two weeks. As with any jelly formula, I recommend wrapping the tips.

I hope you enjoyed the astrological portrait manicure. Let me know your Sun sign or any bit of your chart you choose to share in the comments. I am always curious. I am a Virgo with a Scorpio Moon and Leo Rising.

Deep Blue Sea was sent to me for review. US residents can purchase this shade at diamondcosmetics.com. International residents, look to boozyshop.nl for availability.

Image plate H32 was provided for my consideration. To view the full line of nail art stamping supplies, stop by chez-delaney.com.

Happy painting, ladies!

$5.10 Manicure: Diamond Cosmetics Classic Pink

For the curious, I decorated my right hand as always. 

My right hand holding a selenite egg. 

A peony and an iris

Hello ladies,

After reading Nails Magazine's report of the $51,000 manicure created with 10 carats of faceted diamonds, I considered what I would pay for a luxurious manicure. I decided to move the decimal point over to a more agreeable number and let the spirit of whimsy possess me for a bit.

I began with a base of Diamond Cosmetics Classic Pink and painted a funky french using Moonsand. The dark silver foil polish seemed the perfect setting to place jewels. I used a mix of clear and rainbow gems from various rhinestone wheels from Bundle Monster, Cina and Nubar. I chose clear flatbacks from Art Club that are smooth, without facets. I placed silver beads at random between the jewels.

If I had been trying to duplicate the $51,000 manicure exactly, I would have chosen small crystals to match the size of the diamonds. I wanted my tips to be as luxuriously brilliant as a jeweled egg. This look contains over 250 gems and beads. I am sure the ladies with the $51,000 manicure longed for bigger diamonds on their nails. Perhaps that was all they could afford.

Diamond Cosmetics Classic Pink was the perfect choice for the $5.10 manicure. At $2.50 a bottle, it is within the budget. At three coats, this shade is semi-opaque. The sweet pink color and the jelly formula make Classic Pink a notable choice for French manicures. Despite being sheer, I didn't find the formula streaky even on my long nails. There is just enough opacity with the formula to hide staining and give the nails a fresh look. A good basic, I will be revisiting this shade for future nail art.  

I hope you enjoyed my luxury on a budget manicure.

Classic Pink and Moonsand were sent to me for review. US residents can purchase these shades at diamondcosmetics.com. For international purchasing, visit boozyshop.nl.

Happy painting, ladies!

Blue Geometry: Cheeky Monkey Get Wet

Hello ladies,

Even with the cool temperatures in Philadelphia, the skies have been showing the blues of Spring. I come in contact with students of various disciplines at the local cafe. I recently sat near a young man being tutored in Geometry. While the content of his lesson didn't remain in my mind, I was haunted by thoughts of squares and right angles. Today's manicure is about blue skies and mathematics.

From image plate T30, I stamped the squares in Konad blue special polish. I adhered clear crystals from Nubar, along with blue squares and hexagons from Bundle Monster. Very close in color to the base, the hexagons added subtle texture. I love creating tonal manicures!

A sheer jelly polish, Get Wet can also be layered for opacity. I started with two coats of a whitening base and sealed it with CND Air Dry. Next, I applied three coats of Get Wet. The polish has a high sheen. The dry time on this shade is on the slow side, but worth a little extra patience.

Despite being sheer, I found the formula easy to navigate. The polish smoothed over my nails with little need for clean up. If you have shorter nails, you may be able to go without the whitening base coat. I suggest experimenting!

The color is a pale blue with a greenish tint. Fans of China Glaze For Audrey would likely enjoy Get Wet. It's pretty, glossy and aptly named.

I hope you enjoyed the geometric shapes and the hints of Spring to come.

Get Wet was sent to me for review. You can purchase this shade at cheekymonkeycosmetics.com.

Image plate T30 was provided for my consideration. To shop the full line of stamping nail art supplies, visit chez-delaney.com.

Happy painting, ladies!

Cosmic daisies: Lippmann Collection Good Girl Gone Bad

Hello ladies,

Happy to be blogging again, I spent the past week on bed rest with a stomach flu. I wanted to emerge with sparkle. I chose an older polish from Lippmann Collection that exemplifies my love of purple and glitter.

From Born Pretty plate M08, I stamped the daisies with a franken made from Konad silver and China Glaze Millennium. I accented the daisy centers with grey pearls and silver beads. I flipped the stamping design every other nail and varied the placement of the the tiny beads. It's subtle, but I adore the movement created by these slight variations.

Good Girl Gone Bad is a gem among my older polishes. It's part of a discontinued mini trio from Deborah Lippmann called Party Like a Rockstar. The formula is a purple jelly stirred with hot pink and silver glitter. I am wearing three coats for opacity. While the square lid seemed a little cumbersome, the polish applied easily for a mini. It also dries quickly.

I hope you ladies enjoyed my glitter from the past.

Design plate M08 was sent to me for review. Part of nail art stamping set #518, this item can be purchased at bornprettystore.com.

Happy painting, ladies!