Treasure & Konad M64

OPI DS Treasure over OPI Brights Power & M64

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...

Here is a picture with my Yankee Candle "Boney Bunch" Coffin Guy:
And another:

Close-up Shot:

Shootout at the O.K. Coral

OPI Shootout At The O.K. Coral

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!

Here is another outdoor (cloudy) picture:

Konad Topcoat

This is why you need a topcoat:

The stamped polish has a rough texture. A topcoat will smooth that out completely.

Here is an example with and without a topcoat. Do you see the difference?

Again, the 2 nails on the left are without. The 2 on the right are with a topcoat.

Same photo but I think this one shows the difference better:
By the way, you can click on the image to see it enlarged.

Konad Practice (M62 & M71)

OPI Eiffel For This Color & OPI Bogota Blackberry

My quest for vampire nails continues... This attempt is "better" but not really convincing. I decided to darken it up... I used OPI's Eiffel For This Color, which is nearly black, and Bogota Blackberry (the dark red on the 2nd finger from the left). I chose to try lace variations because that's what comes to mind when I think of vampire attire... black lace. I don't know why though. Anyways, I really love the 3rd nail! It is a tip design from plate 62. I just rotated it... And my placement is practically perfect! I surprise myself sometimes! You should have seen the first time I ever stamped that same design! Haha! The rest of the laces are all from plate M71. I used the special polish in silver...

While I was busy stamping away my afternoon, Pete snuck into my bedroom and took a nap (image that!) on my bed. I usually make him move because I don't like cat hair all over my white bedding, but today I chose to just take a photo. He looked too cute to bother.

Konad Practice (M36, M45, & M65)

OPI Moon Over Mumbai

So, originally I was going for a vampire look in the spirit of Halloween, which is next weekend. I choose Moon Over Mumbai to make my nails look dead-like... I stamped red tips with plate M45. Thought "This might work...?". Then I stamped a black rose with M36 & a rose pattern with M65. This is what I got:

Well, this isn't Halloweeny AT ALL! I don't even have a description for it! It's not ugly... but it's not something pretty either. Bummer! I was just sure that "black roses, grayish corpse-y nails, and blood red tips" would work for a vampire! I was so, so wrong.

Since it didn't work, I went ahead and painted a silver stripe in the void on the red tips. I was curious to see how it'd look. I like it.

Konad Must-Haves

Supplies you'll need for Konading:

(In the order you will need them)

1) Paper Towels

2) Disk Holder

3) Image Disk

4) Konad Special Polish

5) Scraper

6) Stamper

7) Cotton Balls or Q-tips

8) Polish Remover

9) Konad Topcoat

What you'll do: Put down a sheet of 1) Paper Towels to help keep polish off of your working surface. In your 2) disk holder, place the 3) Image disk of your choice. Then take the 4) Konad Special Polish and paint a layer on the design you will be using. Take your 5) Scraper and (at a 45 degree angle) lightly scrape off the excess polish overtop of the design. This will leave polish only in the etched design on your image plate. Lightly wipe off the polish from your scraper and set it aside. Take your 6) Stamper and roll it firmly (from one side to the other) across the design to pick up the polish on the disk. Now stamp the design on your nail with the same rolling technique. You may need to clean the disk every couple of applications in order to get a crisp, clean design. Just take a 7) Cotton Ball... or I like to use Q-tips... and clean the disk with 8) Polish Remover. After you are done stamping, put on 9) Konad's Topcoat to seal the design. Trust me, use Konad's Topcoat. I've seen other topcoats smear the stamped design.

My Konad Storage

I'm a very organized person. I like all my Konad stuff to be kept together. This is a little box that actually came with 3 books (Graphic Design reference books, uck) in it. It's just perfect for my Konading supplies. All of my bottles can stand upright and the case is hard so everything is well protected. I also like that it's see-through so I can easily find what I'm looking for.

Photo wallet for disk storage

I got this idea from the Konaddict... I think she got it from another blogger. Either way, it's perfect for keeping your disks organized and protected from scratches! (Click here to see Konaddict's blog: http://konaddict.blogspot.com/ )

A look inside:

Nfu Oh #70

Nfu Oh #70- Chartreuse foil

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 ;)

Here's another funky picture. I guess pale hands are better than blue hands!

It came!

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?

Manicure Must-Haves

Stuff I don't think I could live without:

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.

Kinky In Helsinki & Konad M57

Uck... bare nails

I don't know why my nails get these translucent spaces in them. Rather unattractive so I've always got them painted... I finally figured out how to make them grow without breaking: file the sides like crazy! Especially on my thumbnails. I would have never dreamed that they'd ever be as long as they are now. They used to break about every 2 weeks. The nail would start to split on the sides where the nail detaches from the skin. Then it would snag on something and rip halfway across the nail! Ouch! On many occasions, the nail would be split from both sides!

Kinky In Helsinki

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!

Nfu Oh #124 & #125

Nfu Oh #125 - Olive Green with golden shimmers

Nfu Oh #124 - Emerald Green shimmer

Nfu Oh #124 & Konad M60

Oh, how I love to wear green. I think it compliments my skin tone... I wish OPI had more greens [tear]. Nfu Oh has plenty to choose from though! Olive green, emerald green, lime greens, pastel greens, and the list keeps going... This is #124 (FYI if you layer the polish too thick, you will get bubbles! You've been warned!) with Konad's image plate M60. I think it looks like a design you'd see on a bandana! I stamped in silver first and like I said in an earlier post, full nail stamping is difficult for me. That's why I added the white flowers! I stamped them in the areas where my design was smudged or didn't show up at all! That's what is nice about Konad, if you mess up... fix it by stamping over it! No one will ever notice! I go to my grandparents' house almost everyday on my lunch break, where my grandpa is always eager (or sure puts on a show) to see my newly painted nails. He seemed to enjoy this one! Yay!

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.

Beads & Bows

OPI DS Elegance & Konad M59 and M62

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.

French Manicure with Nfu Oh #38

OPI Alpine Snow & Nfu Oh #38

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...

Louvre Me Louvre Me Not & M71

OPI Louvre Me Louvre Me Not & Konad M71

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!

Done Out In Deco & Silver Tips

OPI Done Out In Deco & Silver Glitter Stripe Rite

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 ;)

Nfu Oh #52

Nfu Oh #52

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!

Today's choice of color : Purple-opolis!

OPI Purple-opolis

You never really know what you're going to get when you upload images onto the internet... This picture turned out SO much darker than what I was viewing on my Mac. I guess that's okay though. It's a pretty close representation of this color... Purple-opolis, in my opinion, looks more magenta than it does purple. Maybe because it has tiny pink shimmers... This is (3) coats. I could have stopped at (2) but I chipped my tips after the first coat while I was decorating for a party. I added a third coat just to be safe. I didn't do a topcoat because I'm hoping to practice my Konad skills later. (Last night's attempt was just awful! I had to laugh at myself... next time I'll take a picture so you can laugh too!) - S

Patience is a virtue.

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

OPI : DS Treasure, DS Reflection, DS Royal, DS Glamour

Nfu Oh : #45, #116, #52, #172