Pink n Punk - China Glaze 'Designer Satin'

Hi everyone,

Last week I joined the group Adventures In Stamping on Facebook and I am hooked! The lovely ladies not only post a challenge manicure every Sunday but they also provide great advice, support and enthusiasm for members.

The first challenge I entered was "inspired by a spring purchase." Since it is winter here in Australia I was inspired instead by my new boots I had made up in Bali and my new scarf. If you know me personally, a pink sparkly fluffy scarf sums me up completely!

This is what I came up with:

I have used;

Basecoat - Seche Clear
Colour on ring finger - two coats of China Glaze 'Black Diamond'
Colour on index finger - two coats of China Glaze 'Ahoy!'
Colour on remaining fingers - two coats of China Glaze 'Designer Satin'
Top coat - Seche Vite
Stamping - Konad Special Stamping Polish in light silver
Plates - m11 (stars), m28 (skull), m40 (crown) and m59 (hearts)
Rhinestones in silver

The second photo shows the shine in the polish of my ring and index finger, which I really liked as accents. I don't usually wear shimmer polishes, but "Black Diamond' and 'Ahoy!' are definitely now favourites.

I have finally started to watermark my photos, who knew it would be so time consuming? I hope it doesn't detract from the photos too much...

Happy polishing!

Minnie Mouse Inspired - China Glaze 'Hey Sailor'

One of the ladies at my workplace is now interested in what design I will have on my nails for the week. She requested a Minnie Mouse inspired look after seeing some designs online.

This is my interpretation that I wore last week. Since I didn't have a specific plate I have used bows, hearts and of course a red and white theme to recreate Minnie!

I have used:
Basecoat - Seche Clear
Colour on ring and thumb - two coats of China Glaze 'White Out'
Colour on remaining fingers - two coats of China Glaze 'Hey Sailor'
Top coat - Seche Vite
Stamping - Konad Special Stamping Polish in red and white
Plates - m59 and m79
Rhinestones in silver and orange

I like this look but I wish I had Disney themed plates to use, I think I could have made it really cute. They are now on order though (hope they arrive soon)! I think I will have to come back and re-visit this manicure at a later date and do a "Time Warp" post.

Also, I am well aware of how bad the white polish looks on my nails. I am still trying to figure out this "clean-up" business around my cuticles. It was especially frustrating with 'White Out' as I could tell where I hadn't fully covered the nail and the polish didn't smooth out like usual. Something to be aware of for next time.

I think sometimes I may be too fussy, as most people tend to comment on how nice my nails are, rather than the mistakes I can clearly see. Does anyone else experience the same thing?

Happy polishing!