Zoya Satins Collection Swatches

I LOVE getting new nail polish but I HATE swatching it!  It's so boring and all I want to do is create something interesting by stamping it, bejeweling it, dotting it, and/or sponging it.  I try to be a good little nail blogger, but it's always my creative side that is itching to come out.  What I'm saying is don't count on me for swatching the latest collections in the future... :-)

That being said I am so in love with the Zoya Fall 2013 Satins Collection!  All of the colors are so regal and beautifully saturated and the collection comes with a glitter top coat!  Seriously, what more could a girl want?

First up is Neve, a deep shimmery royal blue.  I've mentioned several times before that I'm not a big fan of blue, but this one is a definite exception.  Two coats.  Below I am showing Neve with one coat of Maria Luisa, which is a copper-gold top coat.

Next is Mason, a to-die-for bright shimmery magenta.  I am showing two coats here.  Unfortunately, this color had trouble self-leveling as you can see from the photos.  Below I am showing Mason with one coat of Maria Luisa dabbed on top.

Next is Claudine, which is a dark shimmery charcoal with the slightest hint of green.  The formula is flawless and goes on smooth as glass!  Below I am showing Claudine topped with one coat of Maria Luisa brushed over the top.

Next is Channing, a bright coppery orange.  I love the color of this one, but like Mason it had a hard time self-leveling and it went on fairly streaky.  Despite that I was able to get good coverage with two coats.  Below I am showing Channing topped with one coat of Maria Luisa dabbed on.

Last, but certainly not least is Giovanna, a deep shimmery teal green.  I was so enthralled with this color that I was unable to stop myself from adding embellishments before I had taken photos of Giovanna alone.  

For this look I started out with two coats of Giovanna on each nail.  I dabbed one coat of Maria Luisa on my pinky and stamped my index and middle fingers using Cheeky plate CH37 with Color Club Angel's Kiss.  To finish it off I placed two small metal studs on both my ring finger and thumb.

What do you think of the Zoya Satins collection?  What color is your favorite?

Thanks for reading.  Toodles!

Color Club Holographic and Water Slide Decals!

I have two exciting new things to share with my readers today - holographic polish and water slide decals!

I've seen holographic polish all over the internets lately but the allure of it was lost on me.  However I am never deterred by personal disdain - as any good nail-polish-addict I decided to give it a try anyway and well...I'm sold!  It is so beautiful and dimensional on my nails and the holographic polish gives off an amazing rainbow sparkle when in the sun.  Goodness knows we have enough of that here in New Mexico!

The next exciting news is that I decided to give water decals a try.  Not just any decals, but decals that I printed here at home!  You can buy water decals in myriad designs online, however the only ones I found online that I liked ship from Hong Kong - who has that kind of patience?  Especially when you can order your own water slide decal paper on Amazon and have it in two days?

So I poked around on Google Images, found some designs that I liked, threw them into Illustrator and printed up a sheet of water slide decals.  It really is that easy!  The only thing I didn't know until I received the paper is that you need to use a fixative spray when using an ink jet printer.  Thankfully I didn't have to make an emergency run to Hobby Lobby as I had some fixative spray on hand!

Have I blathered on enough?  Are you ready to see the pictures already?

The holographic polish is Color Club Kismet, which required three coats to achieve the opacity you see here.  What do you think of the paisley water decals?  They turned out a bit more translucent than I was expecting, but overall I am thrilled with the results!

If you would like a water slide decal tutorial let me know and I will get to work on it.

Thanks for reading.  Toodles!

Grayscale - White to Black Gradient with Flower Stamp

I'm back!  The last week-and-a-half has been busy; filled with lots of family time and LOTS of driving.  On July 23rd I began the journey back to my home in North Dakota.  It was so great to see my kitties, sister-in-law, nieces and nephews.  We did find some time to have fun, but I spent most of my time getting settled into my new home, which I moved into a few months ago. 

This past Wednesday I journeyed (by 'journeyed' I mean drove the 1,100-something miles) back to New Mexico to be with my mom for her impending shoulder surgery.  We have a little time before she goes under the knife so I thought I would take the time to share with you all a manicure I did while in North Dakota.

From thumb to pinky I used the following polishes for the white to black gradient: Essie Blanc, OPI Moon Over Mumbai, Zoya Dove, Zoya Kelly, and Essie Licorice.  I then stamped each finger with Bundle Monster stamping plate BM02 using Konad special polish in black and white.

Hopefully I will be able to post more frequently now that I am getting settled back in here.

Thanks for reading.  Toodles