Dragon's Pearl: Diamond Cosmetics 18K Gold

Hello ladies,

I wanted to create a tattoo style manicure. I imagined a dragon returning to his cave with a new pearl. Dragons, much like the keeper of this blog, adore treasure. In the dragon's world, even the Moon has been formed from a jewel. A bit of whimsy for you...when I met my friend Drew for dinner, I noticed he was wearing a Chinese dragon tee shirt that coordinated with my manicure. Magic is afoot. 

From image plate D25, I stamped the dragons in black Konad special polish. I accented the dragon's tail with miniature pearls from Born Pretty Store. I placed a ruby Moon in the sky. The tips were defined with an Art Club striper in Black Hologram. Preferring the thin line French to remain matte, I decided not to add a second layer of topcoat.

Diamond Cosmetics 18K Gold is a rich metallic. This warm toned gold is perfect for summer leading into fall. The formula is easily opaque in two thin coats. A careful application is required to avoid brushstrokes, but these lessen in appearance as the polish dries. The color glows on the nails like jewelry.  

I hope you enjoyed this treasure of a polish. Have you had any dragon sightings lately?

The polish was sent to me for review. US residents can purchase 18K Gold at diamondcosmetics.com. For international shipping, visit boozyshop.nl. 

I purchased image plate D25 from chez-delaney.com. The D series is a site exclusive.

Happy painting, ladies!

White Raven: Color Club Snakeskin

Hello ladies,

The story of Branwen in the Welsh Mabinogion has always captivated me. Enslaved in an unsuitable, arranged marriage and mistreated as a foreign queen, Branwen trained a starling to speak. She sent it across the water to give word to her brother Bran to come to her aid. Branwen has been called white raven because of her fair complexion and association with birds.

I admire her tenacity in adverse conditions and her union with animals. The story is an allegory of the tragedy that can befall a people who do not respect female sovereignty and maintain the balance between men and women. It amazes me how themes we associate as being modern are often woven through old tales.

I stamped the bird from image plate T10 using white special polish. I added a silver teardrop to the wing to correspond with Branwen's longing for her homeland. The duochrome in Snakeskin creates additional reflection in sunlit photos. In life, the bird stamping is very crisp, as in the close up. I appreciate the subtlety of the tattoo stamping designs. The image could just as easily be seen as a jeweled paisley.

I am wearing two coats of Color Club Snakeskin. This is an absolutely gorgeous metallic. In some lights, it resembles steel. In others, a greenish duochrome is reflected. The presence of fine gold glitter makes the color appear like jewelry. I imagine this shade would flatter a variety of complexions, with both gold and silver to bring out warm and cool tones. Snakeskin is a polish well worth owning.

I hope you enjoyed the tale of Branwen and her affinity with white birds.

Snakeskin was sent to me for review. This shade is part of the Untamed Luxury Collection, available at victoriasnailsupply.com.

Image plate T10 was provided for my consideration. To view the full line of nail art stamping plates, please visit chez-delaney.com.

Happy painting, ladies!

Winter necklace: BB Couture Silver Balls

Hello ladies,

With snow in the immediate forecast, I chose a soft metallic shade for today's manicure. I wanted to create jewelry for my nails, a winter necklace for each fingertip.

From Born Pretty plate M05, I stamped the double swirls in black Konad special polish. I added a rainbow gem between the two swirls to create a necklace. I placed peridot rhinestones and pale green pearls along the chain.

It was my first initiative with a design plate from Born Pretty. I found the image transferred cleanly and easily. I'll be taking pictures of the plates I received in an upcoming post. This image is a little tricky to position on the nail. My advice for proper centering is to judge the position by the widest point in the design.

Despite the name, Silver Balls is pale sage green. The composition of this shade is similar to the shimmer polishes from Milani Welcome Back Color, except with the trademark quality BB Couture formula. The color sets with a pearl finish, but applies like a frost. The visible brushstrokes dramatically soften with topcoat.

The bar glitter and silver glitter pieces are partially hidden by the metallic finish. I think it makes an interesting textural look that would likely be fascinating with matte topcoat.

I realize Silver Balls was intended for the holidays, but it looks like a Spring shade to me. It makes me wish for bulb flowers to appear. Tiny crocuses, don't be shy.

BB Couture Silver Balls was provided for review. This shade along with the entire Christmas Collection can be purchased from overallbeauty.com.

Design plate M05 was provided for consideration. It is part of the nail art stamping plate set #518. For purchase, please visit bornprettystore.com.

Happy painting, ladies!

Fall stilettos

Hello ladies,

Today I created an autumnal look to mirror the changing leaves and the pots of golden chrysanthemums. Who says you can't wear stilettos in the woods?

Starting with Nubar Taffeta as the base, I positioned a copper flower from Bundle Monster close to the nail line. A yellow rhinestone brightens the center. While the metallic flowers are pretty, they are not wholly colorfast with Diamont topcoat.

I formed the stiletto by creating a curve of Nubar Oro from the side of the nail towards the tip and overlapping with Arencia. This look can still be accomplished with less nail length. You will just need to begin painting the arch at the cuticle line. If you can paint a basic French with confidence, the stiletto will be fairly easy to replicate.

A citrine wand.







Arencia, Oro, Taffeta.

Taffeta is a lovely dark beige. It makes me think of a chocolate creme dessert with a touch of cinnamon. I needed three coats for opacity, but I think most ladies with active length nails would be satisfied with two. The formula is wonderful, so easy to apply.

I am really pleased with the assortment of neutrals in Nubar Finest Silks. I'm delighted how well these colors pair with the glass flecked shimmer polishes from the Venetian Glass Collection. I will definitely be showing more looks blending the two collections.

While true stilettos would involve sculpted tips that angle to a point, I think it's fun to reference the shape on natural nails with polish.

Taffeta is from the Finest Silks Collection. Arencia and Oro are part of the Venetian Glass Collection. These polishes were sent to me for review. They can be purchased at bynubar.com.

Happy painting, ladies!

Watermelon Tourmaline

Hello ladies,

My inspiration for this manicure came from a natural crystal called Watermelon Tourmaline. It is fuchsia accented with green. I was thinking of the stone set in silver as I put this look together.

I am wearing Nubar Twilight Matte as the base. The gradient was accomplished with both Petunia and Meadow Sparkle. There is a layer of 2010 between the two glitter polishes. The sun was coy today, so the pictures show a variety of natural lighting. You may want to click on the photos to enlarge. The glitter and flakies are mesmerizing!

Petunia Sparkle, 2010, Meadow Sparkle.

Twilight Matte felt very much like applying a standard shimmer formula rather than working with a matte finish. This polish was very easy to apply. If you have had trouble in the past working with matte polishes from other brands, I feel confident the Night Sky Collection will alter your opinion about applying mattes. The formula is superb. To complete the gradient, I needed to add Diamont topcoat, giving shine to the manicure. Twilight Matte is versatile enough to also be worn as high gloss.

Here is how I created this look. If you have never attempted a gradient manicure, please check out the tutorial in this post. I painted two coats of Twilight Matte and added Nubar Diamont. I worked nail by nail with all three glitters. Each nail gradation was finished before moving on to the next nail. I began by using Orly Smudge Fixer to create the gradation with Petunia Sparkle.

I painted one coat of 2010 over the entire nail. Then I took the brush from Meadow Sparkle and wiped the excess polish against the inner rim of the bottle neck. With the sparse amount left on the brush, I tapped the brush over the fuchsia glitter on my nail in random spots. It added a little green shimmer. I tried this combination in different ways. I found that placing 2010 in the middle of the fuchsia and green glitter gave more depth.

The Nubar polishes mentioned in this post were sent to me for review. Twilight Matte is part of the Night Sky Collection. Petunia Sparkle and Meadow Sparkle are from the Sparkles Collection. All of these shades, including 2010, are available for purchase at bynubar.com.

Happy painting, ladies!

Fern fronds and wildflowers

Hello ladies,

I am excited to share my manicure with Award Metal, a gorgeous metallic from the BB Couture For Men Formal Collection. This is such an interesting shade! Aged gold shimmer saturates a grey and lavender base. This combination of elements forms a unique polish with an incredible glow.

I stamped fern leaves from Bundle Monster plate BM03 in Konad green special polish. I applied a golden flower to the base of the stems.

The owl rings returns!

Bee in camouflage.

Tiger lily.

This polish needed three coats for opacity on my nails. There were minimal brushstrokes with the metallic formula. Overall, I feel Award Medal was easy to apply. This is a must have shade for lovers of gold and bronze tones.

Award Metal was sent to me for review. This shade along with the entire BB Couture For Men Formal Collection is available at overallbeauty.com. For a chance to win all 6 polishes in the Formal Collection, please visit the His & Hers Giveaway to enter. The contest runs through the end of day June 10th.

Ursa Major, Ursa Minor

Hello ladies!

Today my friend David and I went on a flower journey to Longwood Gardens. With no particular reference to my companion, I am wearing a manicure with both Hard Candy's Mr. Right and Mr. Wrong. I think they combine nicely.

The deep blue shimmer of Mr. Right conjured visions of the night sky. Mr Wrong has a cosmos of fine gold and silver glitter blended in the purple base. The colors together made me think of constellations aglow in the heavens. I added the Art Club striper in You're Golden to define the funky french. I placed a silver star along the stripe as an accent.

Fauxnad plate B114 was sent to me as a gift from the beautiful and talented Thriszha. Many thanks! She chose it for me since the plate features a cat design. What she didn't realize was that I also adore bears! I was excited to have an image of a bear in the wild. The positioning immediately made me think of the constellation Ursa Major. I realize the bear would be facing the opposite direction if it were to truly replicate the constellation. Whimsy! I stamped the bear in Konad gold special polish.

I have a special power to position stamping images on my pinky nails.

The constellation Ursa Minor. The pearls represent the star formation. Polaris, the North Star, is shown in silver.

The wisteria arbor at Longwood Gardens.

Mr. Right lived up to the name and applied beautifully. Two coats brought opacity to this navy shimmer. It's a good basic to have in your collection. Mr. Wrong was easy to work with in creating a funky french. I applied two coats for the look. Also living up to the name, Mr. Wrong is a great color to experiment with.

The polishes were sent to me for review. For more information about Hard Candy products, please visit hardcandy.com. You can find the entire line of Hard Candy cosmetics and nail polishes at Walmart retail locations and online at walmart.com. There is still time to enter the giveaway for all 16 Hard Candy Just Nails polishes. The giveaway ends in the last available timezone for May 3rd, which roughly correlates to 7 am May 4th for Eastern standard time.

Happy painting, ladies!