Black Swan: Cheeky Monkey Filthy Madame

Hello ladies,

Ever since I watched the movie Black Swan, I have wanted to create a manicure inspired by the haunting visuals. I chose reoccurring themes from the movie to decorate my nails: ballerinas, feathers, a swan, and lilies. I attempted different ways of embellishing the tips with red and bone white crushed shell.

I chose white Konad special polish for stamping. On my pointer finger, the cascading feathers are from plate M77. I added a mirror gem and a white pearl. The ballerinas positioned on my middle finger and thumb are from S08. My pinky has lilies from M36. I adhered a white pearl and a small rhinestone to highlight the flowers. The plates mentioned above are from Konad.

From chez-delaney P19, I stamped the swan on my ring finger. I placed a clear crystal on the wing. I used a striper brush with China Glaze Millennium to highlight the feathers, water beneath the swan and the lily stems. It is tricky to create clean lines with a chrome polish. I would recommend experimenting with a fine silver glitter instead.

Feathers, a ballerina, a swan, a lily.

I chose red crushed shell to embellish the tips on my thumb and ring finger.

A howlite crystal skull.

On my rather elusive and seldom seen right hand, I blended red and bone white crushed shell on each tip.

My right pointer finger.

Cheeky Monkey Filthy Madam reminds me of a black pearl. In bright sun, the color appears deep charcoal grey. There is a wealth of micro shimmer adding luster to Filthy Madam. Silver and rainbow particles are stirred throughout. Holding the bottle, I can easily distinguish green and pink micro shimmer.

The formula has a pearl finish. There are subtle brushstrokes during application that dissipate once topcoat is added. I am wearing three coats, but I think ladies with shorter nails could get away with two. The polish dries quickly with a lovely sheen.

When examining the different typefaces printed around the bottle, my friend Emily said: Filthy Madam? What about Filthy Mademoiselle?. I think that's a wonderful name to add to the Cheeky Monkey catalog!

I hope you enjoyed my cinematic nail art. For another manicure exploring the movie Black Swan, check out Deniz's version. She really captures the dark and violent feel. Are there any other Black Swan manicures I should see?

How many of you ladies have seen Black Swan? What were your impressions? While I enjoyed the acting and found some of the images arresting, I felt the director could have been more restrained in letting the plot move more naturally and allowing the viewer to develop his or her own impressions. I knew how the movie was going to end within the first 10 minutes.

I also would have loved to have seen more original themes explored. The idea of ballerinas dealing with aggressive and predatory directors, overbearing mothers, competition among dancers, and anorexia has been examined. This isn't to say the movie wasn't worthwhile, but I think with fine tuning it could have been great.

Filthy Madam was offered to me for review. This shade can be purchased at cheekymonkeycosmetics.com.

Konad image plates M36, M77 and S08 were sent to me for review. You can shop the complete line of nail art stamping products at ocnailart.com.

Design plate P19 was provided for my consideration. Stop by chez-delaney.com to view the full assortment of nail art stamping plates.

Happy painting, ladies!

Pirate Cove

Hello ladies,

Today we will venture to an old pirate's cove, where shipwrecked treasure is hidden beneath the jetties and low lying rocks. Beware! The pirates may still be guarding their wealth of pearls, gems and gold.

Using Konad white special polish, I stamped the skull and crossbones from design plate T29. I was really delighted that my pearls fit the eye sockets perfectly. I couldn't resist! I created a funky french using two kinds of crushed shell. Laura from Sawan had sent me some beautiful grey shell that composes the majority of the tip. Lavender shell from Art Club is used as a highlight.

A lepidolite skull and BB Couture Michael.

Michael is a gorgeous purple shimmer. There is a hint of inky blue to this shade. I continue to be amazed by the artful complexity of BB Couture for Men polishes.

I am wearing three coats of Michael, more out of habit than need. Most BB Couture polishes require three coats for my long nails. Michael seemed opaque at two, but I kept on painting. Unless you are mesmerized by the subtle shimmer, you will likely be pleased with a two coat application.

I hope you enjoyed my pirate Halloween manicure. Those are some of the most joyful skulls I have ever encountered.

The lavender crushed shell is from the Art Club sprinkles line. These are available at Sally's retail locations and on-line at sallybeauty.com. A review sample was sent to me.

Image plate T29 was provided for my consideration. To view the entire line of nail art stamping plates, please visit chez-delaney.com.

BB Couture Michael was sent to me for review. The Infamous Lovers Men's Collection is available for purchase at overallbeauty.com. Would you like the opportunity to win your choice of five polishes from Infamous Lovers Men's or Ladies' Collections? Stop by Trick-or-Polish?: A Halloween Giveaway! to enter. The last day to enter is October 18th.

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!