Finally St. Patrick's Day Nails

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Green is my favorite color and I have Irish ancsestry on both my mother and father's side heralding from County Cork and County Armagh! Needless to say, I never need an excuse to wear green!



 I hemmed and hawed over what to wear for St. Patrick's Day. I had so many great and festive stamps I could have put to good use, but after the weekend I had (I was stranded overnight in Santa Cruz Saturday night and had very little sleep) I decided to keep it pretty simple for the most part.

The sparkle wow portion of the manicure (the index, middle and pinky finger) is KBShimmer Get Clover It. This is a mix of shades of green and gold circle glitter suspended in a green jelly polish. The shades of deep green and gold make this the perfect St. Patrick's Day nail polish!

Because I am getting into stamping, I couldn't simply just wear glitter, so for an accent I used a base of Zoya Holly, which is a really beautiful bright green shimmer polish. I stamped two different size clovers from Winstonia plate W105 with Essie Penny Talk. To add a bit more gold glitter to the whole accent, I did one coat of Essie Gold as it Gets.

Application: KBShimmer Get Clover It is a tricky devil because you want to make sure you get even dispersal of those great circle glitter. There was some dabbing involved to perfect glitter placement, so I'd say this is about three coats. Zoya Holly applies like a dream and could almost be a one coater, I used two just to be safe. Essie Penny Talk is the greatest stamping polish, WOW. I haven't tried it to stamp before, and it made the whole process so much easier than it has been! Maybe the fact that I was just doing a single image at a time, but Penny Talk transferred so well! Essie as Gold as it Gets was just a last minute add, and I'm not sure I'm super thrilled with it in this manicure, but I guess it adds something special.

Where to purchase: KBShimmer sells Get Clover It for $8.75. I purchased Zoya Holly from their website and their polishes retail for $9. Essie polishes, including Penny Talk and As Gold As It Gets are available as many retail locations such as Walgreens, Kohl's, Ulta and all over the internet. They retail for $8-9.

Looking ahead: With no holiday hanging over my head, I have a slew of ideas for upcoming posts including comparison swatches, new stamping plates, going to finally try an ombré with a makeup sponge, spring colors and so much more. Anything you want to see? Connect with me via email, Facebook or anyone of my various social media connections!

What are you sporting on your nails today?

Stamping Success

If at first you don't succeed, try try again. And so that is what I did, last night with different stamping polish and it worked much better!



Using Bundle Monster plate 406, celtic heart knots, and some Wet n' Wild Fast Dry Ebony Hates Chris I was able to successfully stamp. Well it isn't exactly perfect, but it still looks pretty good to me.

On a personal note, I've had a sorta off last 24-hour hours. Taking criticism too seriously, being too sensitive and I just need to get over it. And also, those who shoot the messenger are weak and can't see their own short comings. And in the words of Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."

Looking ahead: No more promises, my next manicure WILL be a St. Patrick's Day manicure. Haven't decided if I'll try stamping or just go with colors or sparkles or what. But I will have green and gold on my nails come Monday, don't you fret!

Swatches and Review of Colors By Llarowe Lucy, I'm Home

I think the search for the perfect coral holo can finally come to an end for me. Every time I thought I had found something, it was a little too red, or a little too light pink. With the release of Colors By Llarowe's Lucy, I'm Home, I have finally found it.



A stunner in the sun, I can't believe how vibrant this linear holo finish is. It's so bright and perfect for the warmer weather we've been having this week.



Inside it looks like a bright pink. This color is a little more on the pink holo side (I really like it when there is a bit more orange) but it is so bright and flashy, that I definitely can't complain.





Overall, I am extremely pleased with this polish. I put it on last night after attempting to nail stamp again (a somewhat St. Patty's Day theme) and failed miserably after trying many many times. My fail is below. I think it may have been the old old Konad stamping polish I was using, might retry this soon over my current mani, using a different black to stamp with.



And one final shot of Lucy, I'm Home in all it's gorgeous beauty!



Application: The formula on this was a dream and was almost a one-coater. A lot came out on the brush, so making sure you control that is important to make sure your cuticles don't get flooded. All these shots are two coats with Essie On the Go top coat.

Where to purchase: Llarowe is an amazing indie polish retail and supplies all sorts of amazing polish from around the world. Colors by Llarowe are from her personal brand and while I think Lucy, I'm Home is currently out of stock, she restocks her line pretty regularly. I purchased Lucy I'm Home for $12. She has some other vibrant linear holos in her collection that are just as beautiful, so check them out!

Looking ahead: I know I promised St. Patrick's Day nails, but my stamping nail fail has me a bit discouraged I can get something cute done. If not, I have a back up in a beautiful KBShimmer polish which I will definitely wear, so I'll definitely have something festive. For now though, I'm loving the color I have on!

Swatches and Review of ILNP Cygnus Loop Holo

I had a quick 20 minutes to do my nails before leaving for the San Jose Sharks game yesterday, so I slapped on two quick coats of ILNP Cygnus Loop Holo I recently got with my first ILNP (I Love Nail Polish Brand) purchase. The results were stunning.



Cygnus Loop Holo is a multichrome polish with linear holo shimmer throughout. It looks different in any light. Sometimes the holo shines, other times it's the multichrome shift!



Above in direct sunlight, below in my car in the shade.



And indoors:



And outdoors again, in indirect sunlight:





Application: I did two thin coats, but a third would probably make the multichrome/holo effects shine more, I just did not have time during its application. The polish itself was similar to their other multichrome I've tried Siréne, patchy on the first coat but hits full opacity in the second. Normally I would just add a third for good measure. I can't stop looking at these nails, from the duochrome to the holo effects, they are beautiful in any setting. The most dominant color is the darker purple, with the pink and gold shifts more visible in shadier settings.

Where to purchase: You can purchase ILNP polishes at their website. I purchased Cygnus Loop Holo for $12.50. I have been wowed by all the ILNP I have purchased so far, I have one more to try!

Looking ahead: I know I promised St. Patrick's Day nails, but I haven't had a moment yet. Will hopefully be getting to that tomorrow after work!

Life gets in the way = naked nails

So I've just spent four days out of town in the Seattle area celebrating the lives of my grandparents. I showed you those nails in my last post. While at my aunt's, after the memorial service Saturday, I did my nails in a green sparkle jelly – KBShimmer Green Hex and Glam.



Application: This polish is on the thick side, with a jelly consistency. I had no trouble getting glitter of all sizes on the brush, but you might have to dab a little if you want placement in a particular part of your nail. This photo is two coats over a cheap Big Lots base coat. Strangely enough, that cheap base coat worked pretty similarly to my Nail Pattern Boldness Glitter A Peel base coat – because this polish peeled off yesterday while I was killing time at the airport.

Where to purchase: This is not my only KBShimmer and if you like jelly glitter bomb polishes, they are a great go-to (I absolutely love every polish I have gotten from them). They are an indie polish maker and are on the more affordable side, with polishes that average at about $8.75 a bottle. Their spring collection, which I mentioned in my last post, launches on Friday. If you a planning a good haul, that will be a spectacular day for it. I'm on a low-buy, so I'm trying to resist. You can find their polishes at www.kbshimmer.com.

So due to travel and a busy life, I now have naked nails. I've been wearing them for almost 24 hours now and I can't work on my nails tonight because I am off to a San Jose Sharks game. This is the first time in more than two years I think that I have sported naked nails for more than a day.



I had all these grand plans to be doing St. Patrick's Day nails for the next several days. I think I'll be lucky if I get two manis in before next Monday. One will definitely feature another KBShimmer, as it was designed specifically for St. Patty's Day!

Nail Mail: While I was out of town I got a slew of nail mail! I received a sampling of Bundle Monster plates to build out my nail stamping options (I promise you'll see more of that soon) and I received a Llarowe order of Colors By Llarowe Lucy, I'm Home (hopefully this will end my search for the perfect coral holo), AEngland Princess Sabra (a gentle gold scattered holo) and Colors by Llarowe Leather and Lace (a holo top coat).

Thank you for bearing with me and I'm sorry for my absence for a few days. I was honoring my grandparents and visiting with family. It was an emotional couple of days, but it was so amazing to see my grandparents changed so many people's lives – I had no idea the impact of their work.

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In memory of nails

This weekend I am headed to Seattle to celebrate my grandparents lives at a joint memorial service. I'm quite looking forward to seeing my mom's side of the family and learning even more about the wonderful people my grandparents were.

I wanted to pay tribute in some way via my nails. So here is what I did:



I painted a coat of Butter London All Hail the Queen and stamped Zoya Belinda with a rose image from Winstonia 104 plate (the Earth Day plate).

The purple rose is in honor of my Grammy, as she loved purple and I always remember her liking African Violets. My Granddad and Grammy were really big in Navigators, a Christian ministry group, and I can't wait to hear about all the lives they touched this weekend.

Here is the mani in the sunlight this morning.



Application: Butter London All Hail the Queen is a great nude holo that is understated and appropriate for many occasions, but also has that tiny rainbow bling that I love. This is two coats. Zoya Belinda is a little watery, but for stamping the color is so vibrant it ended up working rather well. I started out trying to stamp with AEngland Lady of the Lake, but it just wasn't popping enough. I think the final result works well.

Where to purchase: Butter London's are available on their website and retail for $15, but you can also find their polishes at various other retailers and beauty outlets such as Ulta and they are often on sale. Zoya's retail for $9 and are available on their website as well.

Looking ahead: It's time for St. Patty's Day manicures, from here until the 17th, that is what I will be working on. This weekend while I'm away in Seattle that might be a little difficult, but I'll bring something green and blingy and work on my nails if I have a moment.

I'm really going to try and quit buying new colors and just try to shop my own collection and play with stamps in the upcoming month or two. I have so many untrieds and new plates coming my way I can't wait to play and just appreciate the colors I have.

I also want to do a couple of comparison posts - I have quite the coral and teal collection, I thought it might be helpful to see some of those colors side by side in some quick and dirty comparison posts, because those are my favorite type of posts to read on other blogs.

KBShimmer, an indie retailer I love, announced their spring collection yesterday, read all about it on one of my favorite blogs The Mercurial Magpie. She's also had some killer nail art lately, you should check her out! I like some of the spring collection, particularly Belle of the Mall (coral sparkle) and Make my Gray (coral and aqua combo) but have convinced myself I don't need them now. Those new polishes go on sale March 14 at KBShimmer's website. You'll be hearing more of my KBShimmers coming in the next few days, as they are perfect for St. Patrick's Day.

That's all for now, thanks for reading. Let me know what you are interested in seeing and I'll see what I can do!

My misadventures in stamping my birthday mani

Oh my goodness you guys, stamping is really rough. I know the more I do it the better I will be for it, but man is it trying in the meantime. First I show you the final result:



But man was it a chore getting there. First I set up my station, all clean and organized. Not realizing how long and just how messy this project would be.



I had plans for a teal skittle manicure featuring (from thumb to pinkie) OPI AmazON AmazOFF, China Glaze Atlantis, AEngland St. George, jelly sandwich stamp featuring Zoya Frida and finally Zoya Giovanna.

First I messed up twice on my jelly stamp on my ring finger – TWICE. It wasn't necessarily the stamping that messed up, but working with wet nails and stamping and all these different colors.



Unfortunately I was wearing OPI AmazON AmazOFF as undies for the jelly sandwich and I found out, boy does this puppy stain. Ugh. So to mess this nail up twice, it was stain city! I don't think it is too bad though. Maybe some time in the scrubby tub would remove it completely.



And the sad time I messed up the nail for a second time. :(



In addition to messing up, I could not for the life of me get the Happy Birthday stamp on my thumb to work. It would not transfer to save my life. That was what made such a mess and probably attributed to my mess ups.

After an hour (I know the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results) I realized the problem was the terrible scrapers I was using – they were the ones that came with my Winstonia stamper (the stamper is amazing by the way!). Word of advice, if you buy this stamper throw away the scrapers immediately and just use an old credit card. I will save you so much time and stress.



The culprits above, and the mess below.

One more tip also, cleaning the Winstonia scraper is also easily done with a piece of painters tape. Takes away cleaning mess with acetone and works like a charm.



I was very happy when it was all done, still not as perfect as I wanted it, but good enough for my birthday I suppose!





So for the review part:

Application: Stamping works well once you get your groove and discover what works and doesn't work for you. My advice, watch a lot of YouTube tutorials and see how other people make it work. That is how you learn some tricks (like the tape clean up). All the polishes were smooth with application. China Glaze Atlantis, which was a wonderful Random Act of Kindness gift I received from an Instagram friend, took three coats for that opacity as it is sparkles in a jelly base. It also required two top coats for a smother finish. OPI AmazON AmazOFF will stain, so be aware, but the color is took good for that to be a deterrent for me. It is a crelly consistency, took two coats for full opacity. AEngland St. George was almost a one coater and is just an amazing polish, one of my favorites. Zoya Frida is the jelly I layered over my cupcake stamp and I used two coats. Zoya Giovanna is also almost a one coater.

Where to buy: You can buy OPI and China Glaze at most beauty supplies and online retailers. Zoya is available at their website. These polishes retail from $7-9. The Winstonia stamper is available on Amazon for about $6, please throw away those scrapers though!

Looking ahead: I'm thinking of trying to do a manicure in honor of my grandparents as we are celebrating their lives at a joint memorial in Seattle this weekend. Or I might just take it easy and give myself a tiny break on the art side of things.

What do you think? Which finger did you like best? What shade/finish of teal is your favorite?