Nostalgic Lacquer Blane with stamping

Today I used another indie brand. I wanted purple and it caught my eye. This is Nostalgic Lacquer Blane. Nostalgic is also sold on Etsy - here and has a blog - here.
This is three coats.

If you do not like visible nail line, you will need something layered under this one. I don't think it will reach opacity very quickly. :) The formula was almost like a quick dry top coat or Gelous, very thick but easy to work with and dried fairly quickly for me. It was also smooth after top coat. I love the look!

Later today, it cooled off and I decided to change it up a bit. I stamped it with Konad green and white using Bundle Monster 20 and Konad m32 respectively.

It looked like glass. I liked it. I also dotted some of the purple glitter in the centers of the flowers, but they were too small to make too much of a showing I think.

Again, I wish the BM plate was larger. I had to double stamp every nail. It also stamped very thick compared to the Konad plate. I would love to design my own plates!

I'm waiting for some sunshine to go back to Holos. What do you think of this much stamping? What do you think of the Nostalgic Lacquer? Is this a syrup glitter?

Have a great day! ✿

Nerd Lacquer Cyance Friction

Yay, Yippee!!! My Nerds are here :) I am a Nerd. It's true. Although my nerdy skills are falling behind quickly, I love that stuff. And yes, "Big Bang" is on as I type. On to the polish, this is Cyance Friction and it is everything I hoped it would be. It also matches my tshirt perfectly! Pink shimmer, copper small and medium hex, and medium turquoise squares all visible in a turquoise jelly. This is two coats. I used my regular base and top coats. It was a smooth finish.

Incandescent 'day' lighting

Diffused natural lighting

Shade

Do you buy from indies? Are you big name only?
Hope to see you soon! ✿

Franken with a recipe, Acertmint

I believe I first spotted a polish like this on Dollish Polish (an Etsy shop). However, it seems to be forever sold out. So, I thought I would take a stab at it copying it for myself because I had the glitter I really wanted in it. I don't recall the name at the moment, but I will add it when I find it.

These are the ingredients I used. I started with 1/8 Pure Ice and 1/8 Wet n Wild, with 2 pinches of loose glitter. (I actually used the tip of a pair of small scissors to scoop and poor it in. Fancy right?!) I add two stainless steel balls and shook it up. It looked good, but not jelly enough and the glitter was all one size as I thought. So, I added about 40 drops of FingerPaints Motley (20 at a time), shaking in between. Then, I added about 1/8 Jordana glitter and shook more. I also added some clear Jordana Yellow Out topcoat, then more Jordan glitter.

This is how it turned out. I believe the same effect could be achieved with the Jordana glitter, white, and clear alone. The Jordana glitter is more complex than I originally thought. It has medium and small turquoise hex with some tiny holo glitter. It's definitely not an exact duplicate! DH said it looked like soap. I said it looked Certs thus, it's name. Acertmint.

It chipped on day three. Not too bad. I think it may have something to do with the application. The corners of my nails curve tightly and I am often slack about painting them really well. That's where they always chip first and early when I'm slack.

I'm still stalking Dollish Polish. There are others there that I would love to get my hands on or rather get on my nails! :)

Have a great day! ✿

Pam's Girly Bits Shift Happens

I have another indie brand for you today. Pam's Girly Bits are available here and here. I previously showed you one of Pam's creations, Street Magic last month.

I've had this one, Shift Happens for a while and am just now getting around to using it. If you've been wanting Max Factor Fantasy Fire or Clarins 230, this might help quench the fires a bit. ;)

I have two coats over a base I'll show you. On to the pictures. I have lots!

(diffused sunlight)

This picture is blurry, but it is the only one I caught with all the colors at once. (incandescent lighting)

(full spectrum lighting)

I used two coats of this franken underneath. It's a 'rubber' finish like the Illamasqua collection. Any medium purple would do as well I think. This does have a bit of a jelly finish as well. (Please excuse the cuticles here. I was mid-mani and acetone was involved.)

Pam has lots of lovely colors, so be sure to check them out. I'll be showing you more soon.

Have a great day! :)

Fabergé for Easter

Easter is getting closer. :) I won't be doing non-stop Easter art, but I thought I would put one in here and there. This one was inspired by a card I received a couple of years ago.

I started with Orly Porcelain. Then used China Glaze Romantiques Adore, Admire and Cherish with 2030. I used plates H17 (the green vine)*, Konad M40 (pink and blue flower), and Chez Delaney D21 (the gold). Then I added a top coat of Out the Door Northern Lights.

This is the card that inspired me, a beautiful Fabergé Egg. I may try another this year. :)

Are you planning a fun mani? Hope to see you soon! 

*This plate does not have a name brand, but was also purchased from Chez Delaney

Essie Smooth Sailing

Hey Guys!
My franken hasn't chipped so I'm still wearing it :) So, this is one from the vault. It's a favorite of mine.
Essie Smooth Sailing.

Stamped with Bundle Monster 221 using Konad Princess White.

Hope you have smooth sailing today! ✿

Grapes of Wrath - A Spectraflair production

I've had Spectraflair in my possession for quite a while. I just hadn't felt the urge to do much with it. I finally mixed up a big bottle of concentrate a couple of weeks ago and have stared at it. One of my other favorite frankens you've seen already is a jelly blue/purple or blurple.

Today, I have for you what happens when the two of those come together. Grapes of Wrath, by...me.

I think this maybe my favorite polish ever. :)

No direct light here.

Have a great day! ✿

From Wikipedia
"The Grapes of Wrath is an American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. For it he won the annual National Book Award[1] and Pulitzer Prize[2] for novels and it was cited prominently when he won the Nobel Prize in 1962.[3]

Set during the Great Depression, the novel focuses on the Joads, a poor family of sharecroppers driven from their Oklahoma home by drought, economic hardship, and changes in financial and agricultural industries. Due to their nearly hopeless situation, and in part because they were trapped in the Dust Bowl, the Joads set out for California. Along with thousands of other "Okies", they sought jobs, land, dignity, and a future.
The Grapes of Wrath is frequently read in American high school and college literature classes due to its historical context and enduring legacy. A celebrated Hollywood film version, starring Henry Fonda and directed by John Ford, was made in 1940." More...

Zoya Kara with Chloe

I did not expect Zoya Kara to be so vibrant from pictures I had seen. It does seem a tiny bit darker than the bottle color. But it is a lovely color that easily fits into the Pantone color of the year category.

I had excellent wear from this. These were taken after 3 days. I used my normal base coat Orly Bonder and Instant Artificials. My top coat was again Nubar Diamont.

I then topped it with two coats of Zoya Chloe one of the new flakies from Zoya. 

These look more pink/red on the nail than the gold in the photos. But they also have flecks of green in them that I wish were not there. I will try them again on a lighter and a darker color.

Happy St. Patrick's Day - China Glaze L8R G8R with A England St. George

This is what I finally ended up with after all of the greens I've gone through. I love this. I do not love my pictures. But I do love the combination and it it looks great. I received lots of compliments while we were out also. I had to explain stamping at least three times. China Glaze L8R G8R with A England St. George stamped using Konad M-63. Maybe my favorite plate.

Here are a few shots of China Glaze L8R G8R alone. The sun disappeared yesterday, so the only holo I was able to get before I stamped was under artificial lighting. Definitely not the best.

Inside, under incandescent.

Outside, very cloudy.

Indoors, full spectrum lighting. I can see this much holo almost all the time, except in the brightest lights.

For the base coat on this, I used Orly Nailtrition, Orly Bonder and Instant Artificials. I used 3 coats of L8R G8R and I only had one nail give me a bit of a patchy spot. Can you guess which one? I top coated with Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Strengthening Top Coat then Sally Hansen Insta Dri. 

I've found combining these two Orly products make my manis more chip proof. So, I thought I would try it with this OMG which are notoriously chippy. The double top coats, both have done well for me in preserving holo. The first has also done well in not streaking my stamping designs. 

As I write this post, I've had this on for over 24 hours, and it is showing no sign of chipping or tip wear. I took more  pictures today with some sunshine.

Outdoors, indirect sunlight. This is what I was able to see all day long! I love the partial rainbow.

Indoor, indirect sunlight. This picture shows you how glossy the top coat is.

I do have to double stamp the design on a few nails. I sure wish that design was larger. I love that it looks marbled and I try to keep it from looking identical on each nail, but I don't do so well ever time.

This is the only mani I have repeated. Ever. The only difference is that I used St. George to stamp instead of a different dark green. I might make it a tradition :)

Do you repeat mani designs? Which ones and why?

I hope you had a great St. Patrick's day!!! ♣ 

PSA - see the ridging on my pinkie? If you have ridging and have no reason for it, have your blood checked. I know it can also come with aging. However, I am severely anemic and  have been a long time. I have treatments every year. Just wanted to remind you, your nails can reflect your health. So don't ignore the signs. ;)