So this is it. This is what I'm wearing for Halloween. No blood, no pumpkins, no ghosts, and no candy. Just good ol' purple (Violet Special Polish)and orange! I did contemplate stamping a lollipop from plate M14 but I decided to stop while it still looked good. I'm glad it is completed and all dry! Last night was truly a test of my patience. I put on a base coat, layered with Brights Power, then put on DS Treasure. I guess I didn't let it dry long enough (or there was just too much moisture in the air from all the rain we've been getting) because I smudged TWO fingers and had to redo them! I rarely smudge my polish so I was SO MAD. Then I went about my stamping business, sealed it with a topcoat, and started to pack up my Konad supplies. When I was all done, I looked down and to my disbelief, I had messed up another nail! I about lost it! I really wanted to cry but I regained my composure, got out all my stuff (AGAIN!) and completely redid my nail from the beginning. I'm happy to say they are all still intact this morning...

Shootout at the O.K. Coral is part of OPI's Colorcopia Collection. It is a very BRIGHT coral color despite what you see from the pictures. Today is cloudy... maybe that has something to do with the lack of intensity shown in my photos [sad face]. Trust me, it really does pop on your nails. Definitely a good choice for summer! I know, it's nearly November but I haven't worn it yet and it was calling my name!

Sorry, it's another green... but isn't it pretty? This is 3 coats of Nfu Oh #70. Unlike most of the other Nfu Ohs, the foils don't seem to get gummy! I am really liking this color. I just may leave it on more than a couple days... I wish my hands were tanner though ;)

I just thought I'd share with you the arrival of my Konad order! This puts me up to 15 disks! When am I going to have time to use them all?? Again, I get all my Konad supplies from www.ocnailart.com ! They've got so much to choose from and the customer service is great! Not to mention, the order usually arrives in 3 days! This order contains a topcoat, special polishes (chic blue, apple green, violet), and disks: M14, M45, M56, M61, and M64. Isn't the packaging cute?

1) OPI Nail Envy
2) OPI Expert Touch Remover
3) Seche Vite Topcoat
4) Seche Vite Restore
5) OPI Expert Touch Wipes
6) Burt's Bees Cuticle Cream
7) Cuticle Pusher
8) Nailtek Crystal File
9) Half-jaw Nippers

These products make my life easier and my nails so much prettier... 1) Nail Envy is a nail strengthener. I use it as a base coat to help prevent staining. I've also noticed that my nails peel a lot less. 2) Expert Touch Remover is AMAZING! It's kind of pricey though... To conserve my bottle, I remove the majority of my nail polish with a cheap brand and then use Expert Touch Remover to clean-up the tough spots. It also works great for removing red/dark colors and cleaning up stains on your skin! Love it, love it, LOVE IT! 3) Seche Vite Topcoat is a definite must-have. Ever wonder how salons got your nails so shiny?... well, this is it. It's like a miracle in a bottle. Put a nice thick coat of this stuff on and away goes the bumps and bubbles. It leaves your nails super smooth and super glossy! Also, it dries quite fast so your nails are smudge-proof within minutes. However, since it dries so fast your bottle will start to thicken up! That's where 4) Seche Vite Restore comes in! Add a couple drops of Restore to your bottle and you are as good as new! It also works well for regular nail polish. The box said it will work with any brand. I used it in my OPI Royal Rajah Ruby and it is back to perfect consistency. 5) Expert Touch Wipes are great because they are lint free... not like those cotton pads you see for sale. I usually use these after I use cotton balls... just to clean up the strings of cotton sometimes left behind. I listed 6) Burt's Bees Cuticle Cream because it smells amazing, is extra moisturizing, and is in a convenient little tin. I don't have to worry about it spilling all over (unlike a cuticle oil) if I throw it in my purse. I do, as a matter of fact, always keep one in my purse because I have dry hands from washing them so much... I prefer a 7) Cuticle Pusher in metal. This one has a nice flat edge, unlike plastic ones. 8) Crystal Files are the best when it comes to files. They last forever, are washable (!), and are smooth to the touch. Mine is a Nailtek and came in that pretty little pink case. It's also embellished, so it cost a bit more ($20 or 30... can't remember). 9) Half-Jaw Nippers are used for trimming dead skin around your nails. They are tricky to use at first because they're awkward to hold. Practice makes perfect! I like the half-jaw versus the full-jaw... easier to maneuver.

And there you have it.

I looked everywhere for this color and it was always sold out! Finally, I decided to just order from a local salon. Ta-da! I love it!

I like to mess with the settings on my camera... Keeps posts interesting.

Kinky In Helsinki & Konad M57

I re-did my nails last night (even though I'd just done them the night before). I stamped the fishnet pattern from Konad Image Plate M57 (with the special polish in silver) and then the lace tip from the same disk (used black pearl special polish... should have rotated the pattern 180 degrees, oh well). This idea had been going through my head for a while now and I just wanted to get it done before my new plates arrive! I should be getting my order in a couple days! I also ordered some more special polishes: apple green, chic blue, and violet!

Here's a different shot of my nails.
Ignore that little hair. I think it's from Pete...
Speaking of Pete, here is the little baby taking a nap! We don't know how he can actually be comfortable laying like this. He is so cute.

Well, I'm not sure if those little dots are actually supposed to be beads but that's what I think of when I see them. "They" say that stamping the tips of your nails is harder than stamping the whole nail (because you have to get it lined up straight) but I didn't think it was too bad. I actually like stamping just the tips better. Sometimes when you are stamping a design on your whole nail, the natural curve of the nail makes it impossible to push the stamper all the way down. Or maybe that is just a trick I haven't learned yet... Another bummer to a full nail stamp is that the excess design can stamp all over your cuticles. It's not a big deal when working with white polish... but black? Black is a PAIN to get off! Here I used the Konad Special Polish in white and OPI Designer Series Elegance. The beads are from Konad image plate M62 and the bow is from M59. I wanted it to be fun and girly. I think I achieved that... But now I want to start doing more difficult designs... with lots of different stamped layers! This was a good beginners project. Next please.

Don't mind the chips. I'd worn this a few days before I decided to photograph it! At the time, this was one of my best ideas ever. I wanted a normal french manicure but I needed to add some pizazz! That's why I turned to Nfu Oh... I used #38 as my base color and free-handed the tips with OPI's Alpine Snow. #38 is basically a clear polish with HUGE opal flakes! It's really great because at first glance, you don't really notice it... but then take a second look, or put it under the sunlight, and WOW! The flakes really shine! Yellow! Orange! Green! The first picture is blurry but shows just how many flakes there are (after 3 coats of course)... The photo below shows the color range and sparkle of the manicure! Gorgeous! Word of advice: the Nfu Oh flakes are really difficult to remove. I suggest having some pure acetone on hand (no pun intended) unless you just feel like scrubbing for a while...

Sorry for the dry fingertips! I wash my hands a lot. I wasn't planning on posting this manicure but then decided "why not?"... I had just received my order from OC Nail Art (www.ocnailart.com) and wanted to try out my new Konad plates! This is plate M71. It is definitely one of my favorites. Very girly... lots of lace! I used OPI's Louvre Me Louvre Me Not for the base color and then stamped over it with M71 in Konad's Special Polish in Black Pearl, which looks navy in the bottle. I see a lot of bloggers using regular nail polish to stamp with, but I wouldn't recommend it. Not unless you do a lot of experimentation first... Some polishes don't stamp thick enough which will make the image barely noticeable. I'll just buy the special polishes, that way I know I will get a good image everytime. My dad always said, "Do it right the first time and you won't have to do it again"... That's for sure! Oh, by the way, you will also need Konad's Top Coat to seal the image onto your nails. Other topcoats may smear your design!

I painted these nails a while ago. I really wanted to try my new silver glitter Stripe Rite ($3.99 at Sally's Beauty Supply) but I didn't quite know what to do with it besides make stripes... obviously. Then I thought "Hey, I'll paint a fun french manicure!"... This picture was taken outside in the sunlight. I think it turned out pretty well. I love purple and silver together. It was really easy to do as well! The brush for the Stripe Rite is really long and thin so you don't have to worry about globs of polish getting all over the place. Perfect for stripes ;)

Here is my choice of polish for this weekend. It is Nfu Oh #52. This polish is blue with green flakes. It is very thin... this swatch took 4 coats. Although the top layer seems to dry almost instantly, the bottom layers get gummy after adding new coats. It took a while to completely dry. (I've also found that Nfu Ohs do the same thing when layered over OPI... only worse. Much more squishy!) Under tungsten lighting this polish can look purple but under fluorescent and natural light it is blue. This nail polish is gorgeous! Very sparkly even though my photo doesn't show it. I bought this polish from an online retailer (www.fabuloustreet.com). They have great customer service and extremely fast shipping!

Here is a sneak-peek of our collection... Don't worry. Swatches are coming soon.