Christmas Plaid Konadicure

More Holiday themed manicures!  I love this color, I used Emerald city from Sally Hansen as a base.  I'd been looking for something like this for a while.  I really like Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear, I like their long brushes and their highly pigmented, easy to apply formulas.  This nail polish was no exception, almost opaque in 1 coat, perfect in 2 coats.

The Christmas Season has officially begun!

Christmas spirit took over the minute I laid eyes on China Glaze's Party Hearty. What a GORGEOUS glitter!  I really didn't wanna mess with it, since it is so adorable and almost overwhelming.

What's new in my stash

Hey there! I just wanted to share the polishes that I've bought lately and haven't used yet. 

Konad Special Polishes in Green and Dark Purple.
They are much darker IRL

OPI in Tease-y does it and Simmer & Shimmer,
from their new Burlesque collection

SH Xtreme Wear in Red Carpet and Emerald City. SH nail art pen in White.
I wish you could see the tiny glitter on RC, it's beautiful!

Icing- Sparkle me Happy, Icing-Bedazzled, Unnamed Orange Glitter from Hot Topic,
CG Boundless Color - Amethyst Mist and NYC In a New York Color Minute - East Village 

I saved the best for last… China Glaze - Party Hearty from their Holiday 2010 collection

I would love to hear about your recent buys or favorite picks.

LiLo's "F- you" Court Manicure!!

Boy, was I excited to recreate this one! Lindsay Lohan may be lots of things, but somehow I always like what she's wearing, or how she looks. For her court date back in July, she opted for a super girly and cute, airbrushed pastel manicure with a very naughty hidden message: "fuck u" written right in the middle fingernail. How passive-agressive! Here's how I did it:

Start with clean, short nails, buff them and use a base coat (I always use OPI).

Then, apply the nail polish with a sponge. I used an old eyeshadow applicator, because i'm on a budget here! But you can get a fancy one from Konad (I want it!), or one of those foamy makeup applicators.

What I used

After sponging. We'll clean up later!

Drip 2 or 3 drops of nail polish on a flat surface (I did it on an old plastic tray somebody gave me and I never ever use), Dip your sponge in it and apply to your nail in a taping motion, just little dabs here and there. You have to leave room for at least 3 colors. Repeat this step with every polish for a multicolored effect. It's ok if you don't completely cover your nail. I think Lindsay's show a bit of natural nail down the middle.

Next, we are going to stamp our nails with the leopard print on Konad's image plate m57. I didn't want the print to be that blunt, so I used a regular nail polish instead of the Special one for a soft, almost ethereal look. You can also use a nail art pen or an art brush and do this step freehand.

Finally, you can write an offensive message of your own, or copy Lohan's infamous words.  Use a nail art pen, or a Sharpie for this step.  I skipped it, I thought it wasn't office appropiate, LOL.  Seal your design with 1 or 2 coats of your favorite top coat.

Lindsay Lohan

My version. Please excuse my crooked fingers!

I think my design looks a lot like Lindsay's, and I really like it on her, but I just don't know how to feel about it.  I'm not sure the color combination looks good with my skin tone, but still got some compliments :)

I used Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Blue Me Away, Bubblegum Pink and Sun Kissed (toned done with a few drops of white).  For the white leopard print I used NYC French White Tip.

A sea of purple

This look was a little bit more complicated than what I usualy do but I will explain it step by step.

I used Sally Hansen's Deep Purple from their Xtreme Wear collection as a base.  Like most of their polishes, it was very easy to apply, smooth, and opaque in 2 coats.

We are going to apply a tape diagonally to each finger and then use our base color to paint the nail.

Then, we are going to stamp our nail with a swirly design from image plate bm19 and a Silver Foil Nail Polish (Finger Paints Easel come, easel go).  Remove the tape carefully and slowly to protect your design.

Apply silver glitter to the line that divides your design and your naked nail with a fine brush.  I used Kiss Nail Art Paint in Silver Glitter.  If you are shaky like me, you need to do this slowly so you can get a straight line.  Finish it with a nice and glossy top coat, like Seche Vite.

After removing the tape

Apply a thin line of silver glitter and voila! 

Nail Polishes that I used from start to finish!

Leopard Manicure

I used my Konad m57 plate for this manicure.  The thing with Konad is that you don't need to get to creative to have a cool looking manicure so, usually I just use a base color, stamp, and that's it.  For this mani I switched it up a little bit.

First, I used 2 coats of Sally Hansen Lavender Cloud as a base.  It looks really bright here, but the picture is really not doing it justice.  Lavender Cloud is the lightest lavender possible, so it does not look completely white, it has a purplish or pinkish tone, which is very beautiful.

Then, I stamped my nail with the Leopard Print from Konad's m57 plate. I grabbed my dotter tool, and filled out the leopard's spots with China Glaze's For Audry, one of my favorite nail polishes EVER, It's the closest possible color to a "Tiffany blue".

And finally, I used Sally Hansen's Disco Ball  as a top coat. This is a clear polish with rainbow iridescent glitter, that I usually think it looks childish, but I'm really digging it today.  Now, I'm going to remind you guys again: when using Konads, it is SUPER important that you apply your top coat in as little brush strokes as possible, 2 or 3 tops, because you may drag your design and ruin your manicure.  I got carried away with my beautiful glittery top coat, and I dragged my nail polish a little bit here and there, but since it's a Sunday and I'm feeling way too relaxed I didn't make a big fuzz about it.  I'll probably have a fresh mani in a couple of days anyway!  

I really like how this one came out, I love the color combination and the iridescent glitter gives it a nice little kick.  

Blurry shot, so you can see the colors of the glitter top coat (Disco Ball)