Speckled

Hello ladies,

I am wearing Concrete Jungle today. This grey creme is one of the two new polishes Diamond Cosmetics released as a January promotion. The second of the duo, Starry Night, is black with silver sparkle. I will be showing it later this week as my vampy manicure.

Concrete Jungle led my eyes on a detour from the bottle to the nail. In the bottle, it reminds me of plastic coated computer wires. After two coats, the color darkens slightly and the grey takes on a lavender cast. I prefer the color on the nail. Grey cremes have become a fashion staple in every polish collection. The touch of lavender adds interest to Concrete Jungle.

Since pink and grey together delight me, I created a gradient using Wet n' Wild Sparked. This manicure reminds me of a speckled egg in a songbird's nest.

Concrete Jungle's formula is on the thicker side. It was almost completely opaque in one coat, but I did two for assurance. The application is workable as long as coats are applied thinly. I am pleased with the finished result. At the affordable price point of $2.25, there is little to complain about!

Diamond Cosmetics recently added three new topcoats to their treatment line: Matte Topcoat, Extended Wear, and Nail Shine. Extended Wear is meant to keep polish from fading and ensure a week's worth of wear. Nail Shine is intended to add a high gloss and amplify the sparkle in metallic and shimmer polishes. None of the three are quick dry formulas.

I will be trying these topcoats with the new six shade Diamond Cosmetics Spring Collection. When I receive a release date for the Spring line, I will certainly share the information with you. Concrete Jungle and the three topcoats are currently available at diamondcosmetics.com. These products were sent to me for purpose of review.

Happy painting, ladies!

Slush Queen

Hello ladies,

Given the weather in Philadelphia, it would be inaccurate to purport this manicure had been inspired by snowfall. Based on the forecast, I created a new faery tale character: the Slush Queen. She is the estranged sister of the Snow Queen. The Slush Queen is far less menacing than her sister. Uninterested in kidnapping children, she sips from a magical mug of tea that turns snowfall into slush. As the tea warms her, it shifts the temperature outside as well. Her dark power is that she causes people to leave home without umbrellas. 

This manicure shows another option to create the look of a gradient. From the Sweet Time of Year collection, I used Essie Rock Candy as the base. I followed with the Art Club striper in You're Golden. This gold and silver glitter striper is from the Pretty Shiny Things Nail Art Kit. This striper a teaser of the full review to come. The melting icicles at the tips were created with a Migi Nail Art Pen. I used the white pen with the creme formula. The holographic glitter overlay was painted with Wet 'n' Wild in Gilded. This polish is from their Holiday Flirt display.

I was really surprised by how much I love Essie Rock Candy. I've seen many nail art creations that start with a nude base. While I have admired the designs, I never found the right shade to complement my skin tone and apply without streaking. Having long nails also makes sheer polishes undesirable in most cases. I applied two coats of Rock Candy over one coat of Brucci 2 in 1 Nail Perfection. It has a slightly milky quality that helps Rock Candy appear opaque enough to cover, but without changing the jelly finish. Rock Candy has a glassy shine. When I think of crystallized candy, I can see how the color fits it's name. 

For readers who enjoy classic French manicures, Rock Candy would be such a pretty component. I was on the phone with my friend Lisa while painting my nails. I remarked to her that I could imagine myself with a French manicure embellished with Konad stamping or a hand painted decoration. I plan on wearing Rock Candy again as a base for such looks. I am really happy Essie sent this polish to me for review. I may not have tried it otherwise and I certainly would have missed out on a quality basic.

To form the golden layer, I painted longer stripes at the sides on the nail and made them progressively shorter as I worked towards the center. I alternated sides while painting and ended at the middle of the nail. The Art Club Striper in You're Golden was easy to work with. The only recommendation I have is to keep watch on the brush wand because extra polish can accumulate and snowball. I had to remember to only dip the brush in and not the entire wand as I needed to refresh.

For the white layer, I used the creme formula Migi Nail Art pen. I liked how the edges were softer than the striper. The two styles worked together nicely. Because the pen will create thinner lines, I had to let the tip hover above the nail in spots and fill in any areas empty of color. The result before glitter looked a bit like white out, but it evened beautifully. 

I painted one coat of Wet 'N' Wild Gilded over the white portion only. This polish is a must have for glitter lovers. It has holographic glitter hexagons, silver round pieces and gold micro glitter in a clear base. Gilded is proof of the amazing things to be found in the drugstore.

Essie Rock Candy, Art Club You're Golden and the Migi Nail Art pen in white were sent to me for review. You're Golden is part of the Pretty Shiny Things Nail Art kit, which can be purchased at victorianailsupply.com. 

I hope you enjoyed the Slush Queen manicure and the whimsy inspiring it. Happy painting, ladies! 

Sparkling steel

Hello ladies,

Today I have a layered look with NYC New York Color in Steele and Fantasy Makers Magical. I intended this to be a Halloween theme manicure, but the result bespeaks of steampunk to me. It has the quality of industrial metals sparked with the fantastical.  I imagine those Victorian inspired gowns made with parachute material and accented with clock pieces. 

Evil Angel had requested a picture of my ring. Here you go, lady!

It amazes me how within one step from the bright pink blooms was another bush finished flowering and producing rose hips. Roses have such an extended growing season.

The base of the look is NYC New York Color in Steele. This polish is from a recent holiday display with a red and silver theme. They are still in stock in my local CVS and Rite Aid. While I love the color, the frost formula is undesirable to me when worn alone. Brushstrokes are visible on the nail even with careful application. I would only use this polish for layering or as a base for an all over Konad design. I was able to achieve opacity in two coats.

Fantasy Makers by Wet and Wild is currently available in the Halloween aisle. Magical is a notable glitter top coat. It has a combination of coppery orange glitter, gold glitter as well as gold micro glitter in a clear base. I applied two coats over NYC Steele.  I experimented with this as a funky french but I didn't think it had the concentration of glitter to produce enough flash. It's perfect as a topcoat. Magical would be more befitting of the Halloween season over a black creme polish, but I do love to try new styles.

Happy painting, ladies!   

Inspired whimsy: Paz the polish meets Paz the cat

Hello ladies,

I have more inspired whimsy for you! I was so thrilled when Zoya released Paz since the color shares a name with my friend David's cat. I decided to do a manicure interpreting the essence of the feline Paz utilizing his namesake in polish. My friend Lisa accompanied me on this sweltering day to the physic garden next to the Mutter Museum to capture Paz with yellow flowers. Her assessment that they resemble giant buttercups seems thoroughly appropriate to me!  

I trailed Paz around David's house yesterday with the camera. Paz spends much of his existence in a state of floofy confusion. I typically greet him by picking him up and leaving a lipstick print on one of his white cheeks. He will roam about with evidence of the kiss emblazoned on his face for hours. The first picture shows Paz in contemplation before a Buddhist thangka or painted scroll. His compassion did not last much beyond the kitchen door. The second picture illuminates Paz in the backyard chomping on bamboo leaves. That was his zen moment for the day. Evidence appears in the shape of a shredded leaf protruding from the corner of his mouth. Per usual, you can enlarge my pictures, this time however, to detect Paz's habit. 

I ordered a bottle of Konad princess polish in light gray in anticipation of the homage. The color arrived appearing more like a dusty lavender. Very pretty, but not auspicious to embody Paz. I decided to stamp Konad special polish in white and do a silver funky french to add a grey tone. The tips were painted with Wet n Wild Kaleidoscope. If you are nervous about attempting a french, try using a glitter top coat. It's a more forgiving method of practicing freehand. The only caveat being the clear polish in the base is less viscous than white. It can be runnier. Angling your tips down slightly as you paint will prevent straying polish. The cat design was from Coraline plate C02 from set II. While I really enjoyed the movie in the theatre, my fascination with these two Konad sets is central to the designs. 

Zoya Paz had a decent application. I did three coats over Get Even ridge filling base coat. As with most neons, the dry time is speedy. The polish is sheer and amazingly bright! You'll have to amp the color that appears in front of you to match the fluorescent vests worn by construction workers at night. I find the Zoya La Di Da Collection to be incredibly wearable despite the bright shades. They appear cheerful and fashion forward on the nail, not at all garish. 

Tonight is the last night to enter the NYC Molten Metal contest. It's open to followers and subscribers worldwide! I am currently working on the next contest, which will celebrate the first fifty followers arriving. We are almost there. I will be making an announcement soon!  

Thanks ladies. I hope you enjoyed Paz! Happy painting.