Antique flowers

Hello ladies,

I had a really beautiful dream about my grandmother. I dreamt that I opened a door to a room filled with a mix of her belongings and toys from my childhood. It was really fascinating to revisit the memories of her bedroom, to open mahogany drawers filled with her linens, to see the flowers she embroidered on doilies and table runners. There was a shelf with my dolls and stuffed animals as fresh and new as the day they were given to me as a child.

Keeping the memory of the dream with me throughout the day, I wanted to create a look with an antique feel. I started with Nubar Chiffon. I stamped the flowers from plate M31 in Konad white special polish. I placed a pearl in the center of each flower, and a mirror rhinestone and white rainbow heart at the top of the design.

Water lilies at Longwood Gardens

Nubar Chiffon was perfectly opaque in two coats. The application was wonderful. Chiffon is an on trend taupe for fall. It has a purple undertone that would make it work with a variety of palettes. It's a classic, neutral shade worth owning.

I hope you enjoyed my dreamlike manicure.

Nubar Chiffon was sent to me for review. This polish, from the Finest Silks Collection, can be purchased at bynubar.com.

The white rainbow hearts from Art Club Sprinkles. The pearls are part of the Bewitching Halloween Gems. These were provided for review and can be purchased at victoriasnailsupply.com.

Konad plate M31 was provided for consideration. To see the full assortment of Konad nail art stamping products, please visit ocnailart.com. Would you like the chance to win your choice of eight Konad image plates? Stop by the Ladies' Choice of Eight Plates Giveaway to enter.

Happy painting, ladies!

To catch a new love

Hello ladies,

At Halloween time, spells are cast. I am sure that witches will be out this Sunday, eyes on suitable partners in their Halloween finery. A love spell might be just the thing to attract a man who could successfully fill out a pointy hat.

I began with Color Club Resort to Red. With Konad white pearl special polish, I stamped the spider web from image plate T13. I let the web catch pink and red hearts from Art Club Sprinkles. On each nail, there are four hearts: two large and two small.

Raw amethyst.

A rose quartz wand.

Even witches have laundry day. These witch hats are hanging in Mt. Holly, NJ.

Resort to Red has pink and violet in the base. This romantic shade has a pearl finish. There are visible brushstrokes when painting, but their appearance lessens after topcoat has been applied. I really love this color! It has more visual interest than a standard red, but still looks classic.

I hope you enjoy the Halloween love spell I cast.

Color Club Resort to Red was provided for review. This shade and others from the Untamed Luxury Collection are available for purchase at victoriasnailsupply.com. The hearts from Art Club Sprinkles were also sent for review purposes.

Image plate T13 was provided for my consideration. To view to the full line of nail art stamping plates, please stop by chez-delaney.com.

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!

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.

Red Queen, black heart

Hello ladies,

I was thinking a bit about this quote from the Red Queen from Through the Looking Glass, And What Alice Found There:

It takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!

There is no running in the garden, unless you are a rabbit. The Queen will have to find some other form of amusement. This she did, as you will see.

I began the Red Queen manicure with Color Club's Red Velvet from the Untamed Luxury Collection. Using Art of Seduction, I created a red glitter gradient. I placed a hollow black heart from the Boudoir Collection on each tip. I really loved how the black polish with red glitter enhanced the look of the gradient.

Let us give the sun a queenly farewell...

We will need to wait for about a half hour for this cloud mass to move across the sun. I hope you brought a book to pass the time.

The sun has returned! Let's toss the Queen a rose. There is your whimsy for the day.

I painted three coats of Red Velvet for opacity. This black jelly polish with red glitter is a good standard. When working with thin coats, it applies easily and dries quickly.

Color Club Art of Seduction is from the Glitter Vixen Collection. All of the polishes in this line are fantastic for gradient manicures. You can read a tutorial about doing glitter gradients using Orly Smudge Fixer in an earlier post. If you decide to apply a gem or heart to the tip, I would recommend going over the upper edge with glitter after doing the gradation. This will create a more opaque backdrop.

I hope you enjoyed the visit with The Red Queen.

Color Club Red Velvet was sent to me for review. The Untamed Luxury Collection can be purchased at victoriasnailsupply.com. The Boudoir Collection was provided for my consideration. It is available for purchase at enailsupply.com. Would you like a chance to win both the Boudoir Collection and Technicolor Doll nail art kits? Stop by the Art Club: Black, White and Bold Giveaway to enter.

Happy painting, ladies!