Modern French with a Twist

Happy Friday Dolls!!!! I have really had a surge of inspiration for nail art lately, I feel like I am finally getting back into my groove :) So for today's mani I did a modern twist on the classic french mani:) I did a creme gradient with full coverage pink and white, stamped on a square pattern in white and then matted the whole thing!!! 

I used China Glaze Pink or Swim and White on White for the gradient, stamped Konad White using Bundle monster plate BM-320! I finished this mani with China Glaze Matte Magic:) This is a super easy mani to wear, just like a classic french it goes with everything!!! Hope you all have a great weekend:)

♥ Melissa

Mood Boosting Mani:)

Happy Wednesday Dolls:) I have a random mani for you today!!! It is cold and rainy here today, so I needed something to brighten my mood!!! I used CG Shocking Pink as my base, added a scroll work stamp (BM -314) with Konad Black and then sponged a black gradient tip with Sinful Colors Black on Black!!! I really like the way this mani turned out!!!

 What do you think of this mani??? and what is on your nails today???? 

♥ Melissa

All products in this post were purchased by me

Black and Gold Geometric:)

Happy Monday Dolls:) I have a real quick post for you tonight, a simple fun mani:)  For this mani I used Zoya Kerry as my base:) I just can't even tell you how much I Love this polish!!! It really is the perfect yellow gold:) I've never been much of a fan of gold or yellow but Zoya has really changed my mind with the last couple of collections:) I stamped BM 319 with Konad Black. This mani is bold and sassy, just how I like them:)

 

Hope you have a great week:)  and just a quick FYI Zoya is giving away the Mini Instagram Trio (including Tinsley, Rocky, and Hazel) Free with a $10 + S&H purchase, just enter the code: 3SUM!!! This is limited, only 2,000 are available:)

 

♥ Melissa

Eurso Euro...Holo Fun:)

So let me begin by saying... I know that I have been MIA, I have had a ton going on IRL:( But I have a bunch of new posts coming up in the next few weeks:) and a really big surprise coming next month:) For tonight's post I wanna show you lovelies a gorgeous mani!!!  Eurso Euro! is a fabulous dark blue crème from the OPI Euro Centrale collection:)  I used 2 easy coats followed by a coat of SV:) I then stamped on Color Club Harp On It using Bundle Monster plate BM-319.  Oh my goodness how gorgeous is this:)

 

 

 

 

This is one of my favorite mani's of all time!!!! The blue was dark but not tooo dark and the stamping just added that little something extra:) So what do you guys think of this mani:)  And for some really great news.... Tomorrow's FRIDAY, tgif!!!!

 

♥ ~ Melissa

Shift Happens

So a few months ago I saw this awesome mani by Nicole over at Nail Polish Wars. I fell in LOVE with it as soon as I saw it:) I just knew I would have to try and recreate it, at some point:) But first I would need to get my hands on Girly Bits Shift Happens:) Well this past week I did:)  So I sat down yesterday and tried my hand at The Shifty Giraffe or Turtle as my son called it:)

 So for my base I use my trusted China Glaze For Audrey, a perfect creamy tiffany blue:) I then stamped Black Giraffe print (regular and inverted) using Bundle Monster plate BM 313. After a coat of Girly Bits Shift Happens, a gorgeous top coat that shifts from purple to red, this mani transformed in to EPICness:) A quick coat of SV and done!!!

This has got to be one of my favorite manis of all time:) it is an unusual combination but it just pops off the nail!!!! I hope you are all having a fabulous Sunday:) And I have a giant surprise for you coming really soon:)

 

♥ ~ Melissa

Holy Holo Stamping

I have a fabulous new mani to show you tonight:) I wore this mani for 4 days and that is un-heard of for me. I am just loving all of the new holo colors that have come out recently, and I can't wait to see the new China Glaze Collection scheduled to come out in the next couple of months.  For tonight's mani I used Color Club Halo-Graphic, a gorgeous pink Holo ,and Sinful Colors Black on Black.  

 

 Over the base color black I stamped with Halo-Graphic using the Bundle Monster plate BM-314. I was super surprised how well this polish stamped, most holos are too thin to stamp well with but this worked like a dream:) For my accent nail I just inverted the colors and stamp pattern:)

 

What do you think of Holos, I LOVE them. I'm also thinking about a giveaway soon... Maybe St. Patty's Day.  Green is one of my favorite colors after all.  What would you like to see as prizes???  Let me know and I hope you all are having a great week:)

 

♥ ~ Melissa

Classy Simplicity

Since I have been wearing the lovely Vivid Lacquer for the last few days I figured I would show you a fabulous mani I did several weeks ago.  I started with a base of Chirality Katydid, a light green holographic polish. This is a loose linear holo, with a fabulous shimmer:)

 I did a black accent nail using Sinful Colors Black on Black.  I then added a black stamp using the BM 214 plate.  I only did half of the square scroll work design on the tip, and TADA!!!!    

I ♥ the classy simplicity of this mani:) It stands out because of the colors, but remains classy because of the design.  Now if you don't have any Chirality polishes you NEED them!!!! and for $7 they are a steal!!!!  And go show Amanda some ♥ on Facebook!!!!

 

♥ ~ Melissa

No H8 Day

Bullying is not funny. It is not cool. It is not right. And more importantly, it is not okay. Most of us are, thankfully, residents of countries that support tolerance and many of our families have settled in these places simply for that reason. Generations later, it is our responsibility to perpetuate that message of tolerance across our new social platforms, including the Internet.

As members of the nail polish blogging community, we all share a love of beauty, color, and lacquer. Other than that, we are remarkably different: from our race to our religion to our hair color...even to our polish application techniques. To marginalize anyone because of those differences is completely unacceptable and today I take a stand against that. I refuse to allow other people's view of "normal" dictate how I behave, believe, and blog.

In solidarity with a multitude of bloggers linked below, my purple manicure represents my proud commitment to the No H8 movement. Today, November 8, I dedicate my post to ending bullying of any kind and to encouraging diversity and imperfection among our colorful community.

Hi, Dolls:) for my NO H8 Mani I used Aurora from the Zoya Ornate Collection (which I ♥♥♥). I stamped Black over Aurora using a curly Q design on Cheeky plate CH52 from their Summer Collection.  Enjoy:)

Remember Ladies Bullying is not fun when you are 15 or when you are 35, treat other how you would like to be treated!!!!

 

♥ ~ Melissa

Please note that Llarowe will be donating $2.00 of every purple polish sold on her site from 12am Thursday, November 8 through 12am Friday, November 9 to Pacer.org, an organization devoted to anti-bullying education.

If you or someone you know suffers from bullying, there is help. Please visit the following sites for support and encouragement:

StopBullying.gov
Report Cyber Bullying
National Suicide Prevention Hotline - 800.273.TALK (8255)
Eradicate H8

Rich Red Nails:)

Wow what a week it has been:)   I celebrated my 30th birthday on Monday:) and the election yesterday, that was a close race.  Don't worry I am not gonna go into a political rant for either side, but I did vote:) For today's Mani I used OPI Danka-Shiny Red from the Germany collection. I wanted to go for a brocade/damask type of look:) I broke out BM plate 208 with this cute little leaf design and stamped it with Essie Good as Gold.   

I was a little unsure about this polish as I have seem to have a boat load of red polish similar, but I don't have an exact dupe. I was also super happy this polish didn't stain my cuticles:) FYI all the Essie Metallics are GREAT for stamping:)

I ♥ the rich look of this mani:) and I also ♥ the way this red pops against my fair skin:)  Oh and make sure you check back tomorrow and Friday, I have a little something up my sleeve:) 

♥ ~ Melissa

Halloween Stampfest 2012

So yesterday I finally went and got Nein! Nein! Nein! OK Fine! from the OPI Germany Collection (about time I know)  I have been wanting this polish since it came out and well I can only say I am sorry I didn't get it sooner. I thought this will be the perfect backdrop to a Halloween stamp fest.

 Nein! is the perfect dark creamy grey that leans ever so slightly green, and perfect formula that OPI nails every time (Pun intended) :) After 2 coats of Nein! I broke out Essie No Place like Chrome for the stampfest (I ♥ this Collection for stamping, perfect)

 I grabbed my BM Set and used BM-213, BM-211, BM-209, BM-223, BM-222 and how cute is this. I am still not happy with the photos, It looks so much better in person. But I am super happy with the way the mani turned out:)

So what do you think???  What are you doing for your Halloween Mani??? and What is your favorite Polish from the Germany collection:)

 

♥ ~ Melissa

Cheeky!!!!

 

I have been given the wonderful opportunity to review the Cheeky Summer Collection Stamping Plates, so buckle up:) Now right away I noticed the Cute packaging of this set!!!

 

A cute little box to keep them all together, no more plastic baggy... YAY!!!! Not only that but it is magnetic and will stay closed. This set comes with 26 plates with everything from geometric designs, to aliens, to flowers, to flipflops, and everything in between!!!! 

 This set also came with this "Nail Artist License" or aka Emergency scraper:) Now I tried this out as a scraper and I like it way better than my Konad metal one:) It doesn't take off too much polish, but doesn't leave too much either:)

I used the Leaves on CH33 for my mani and WOW!!!! No worries at all about not enough coverage,  these plates are approx 25% larger than the others in my stash and the design is larger too:) it also has plenty of space between designs so no more accidental pick up!!!

 I used Zoya Katherine, a berry colored jelly polish,  and Sally Hansen Silver Chrome Pen for this mani, and it turned out GORGEOUS!!!

 Look how much larger the plate is compared to my hand and look at those great designs!!!!  Now the only thing I did not like about this set is some of the engraving is not even so some designs pick up polish more in some places and less in others. But then again that could just be me, or the polish I was stamping with:)

Now if you have never tried your hand at stamping now is the time!!! You can purchase this set here for $24.99 and you can visit Cheeky on Facebook.  So do you stamp??? Do you have this set, and if so what is your favorite design????

 

♥ ~ Melissa

 

 

Some of the products in this post were sent to me for review. I was not paid for my review of this product and all opinions are my own

Nothing Else Metals.... but Splish Splash

A couple of weeks ago I won a Giveaway:) I got Essie Nothing Else Metals from the Lovely Melissa @ Nails And Paint:) If you haven't check her out you should. She does some fabulous simple nail art and has a great Essie Collection!!!! Nothing else Metals is a beautiful Lavender Chrome:) and a 1 coat polish dream:)

Now I had my suspicions that Nothing Else Metals would be a great Stamping polish and it is!!!! Just Look at her over China Glaze Splish Splash!!!!  I used Bundle Monster Plate BM-215 for this fabulous fan design.

...And did I mention Splish Splash, part of China Glaze Summer Neons Collection, is on Clearance right now at Sally's Beauty!!!!

♥ ~ Melissa

My First Ever Pin It Thursday!!!

Everyone ♥ LOVES ♥ Pinterest:) You know you do:) and if you are asking yourself what is "pinterest", it is time to climb out from under that rock. 

So what is "Pin It Thursday", you find nail art on Pinterest.com and try to replicate it (with your own twist of course)!!! Oh and you can find all my inspiration HERE:)  

 So for my first Pin It Thursday I decided to go with something simple:) Here is the original PIN 

and here is my replication.

The original pin used a ivory jelly as a base and Ivory looks AWFUL with my skin tone:( so I did a basic taped french mani using Sally Hansen "Hard to Get", and stamped my accent nail with Konad Special White polish and Cheeky Plate CH6. All followed with a quick coat of SV.  If you wanna Join me for Pin It Thursday tell me HERE:) or post your pics to my Facebook Wall HERE:)

Oh What Fun!!!!

So I saw this mani on Pinterest (amazed at how many times I have uttered those words) and thought I would try it out... MASSIVE FAIL!!!!! Well I think so anyway, my hubby says it looks great!!! My stamping was spot on, but I figured out I need a new detail brush ASAP.  Any way for this mani I used Maybelline Color Show "Porcelain Party" as my base, and stamped over it with Konad Black using Bundle Monster Plate BM-210.  I then added in details using Julep "Robin" a light teal and Julep "Daisy" a bright yellow. This mani looks fantastic from afar but up close it is a disaster!!!! Another reason I don't do a lot of free hand Nail Art!!! Anyway tell me what you think:) And don't forget to enter my Julep Giveaway

Happy 4th of July!!!!

Outside Sunny

So I am gonna be super brief as I wanna get back to the festivities:)  Here is my 4th mani!!! I used Maybelline Color Show "Porcelian Party" for the base and Julep "Molly" for the stripes:) On My accent nail I used KleanColor "Metallic Sapphire" and stamped Cheeky plate CH5 with Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear "Celeb City". I ♥♥♥ how this mani turned out:) Hope yall have a Happy 4th and stay safe:)

Inside Flash

Stars

I had a cookout for the 4th today and wore this little number in honor of Independence Day:)Just something simple to mark the day:) I have somthing big planned for the actual 4th:)  For this I used Maybelline Color Show "Porcelain Party" a white creme, Julep "Molly" a cream red, and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear "Blue it". I used Stamp CH5 from  Cheeky. All followed with a quick coat of SV!!! I hope everyone has a safe and cool week, I know I could use some cooler weather. It's been 102 here for the past 2 days!!!!

I'm all Ears!!!

So last week I went and got a couple of the new OPI Minnie Mouse collection  and today I'm wearing "I'm All Ears".  This is such a beautiful Hot Pink/Red with lots of shimmer:) Only complaint I have with this polish is it is sheer almost like a jelly but not quite. I really like this color and it reminds me of Zoya "Kimber" which I love.  The main difference between them is "Kimber" shimmer is more of a gold, and "I'm all Ears" shimmer is more purple. I used Cheeky plate CH15 for my accent nail, stamping with Konad "White".  I'm thinking a giveaway is in the near future, so let me know what kind of prizes you guys want. I'm thinking maybe a theme;) After looking at these pics I realize that this polish also photographs really red instead of the pink it is:)

Not what I expected...

This mani is so not what I expected... It's better:) I had my hubby pic the colors for tonight's mani and he picked two gems from Klean Colors Metallic Line:) I used Klean Color "Metallic Magenta" and "Metallic Green".  I used the Cheeky stamping plate CH8 which had a houndstooth design:) but the real magic happened when I put the top coat on!!!! The green turned to a beautiful burnt red and It looks fabulous!!! My hubby said "It's like ghost flames".  Just a quick FYI all of Klean Colors Metallic line are great for stamping!!! Let me know what you ladies think!!!!