Bold Gold Stamping...

If you follow me on instagram, then you may have already seen a sneak peak of this manicure. I'm not in the habit of giving sneak peaks, but I'm just a bit a lot hooked on instagram right now and it makes it so easy to share even when I don't have time to process all the photos or do a full write up. Now I'm not even sure why I resisted for so long. Sidetrack aside though, I got the most perfect stamping gold polish as an unexpected gift from a friend and I was so excited to try it out...

The base for this manicure is Ulta Devious which is a dark eggplant purple cream. I just love the combo of purple and gold. Actually gold with just about anything really appeals to me which is why I was so excited to finally have a gold that I could stamp with! This perfect gold is Maybelline Bold Gold from the Color Show Metallics line. I decided to test it out on a rather detailed pattern from DashicaBeautyShop plate SdP-O. I just love this pattern so much and the Bold Gold captured every detail....

For the accent nail, I used one generous coat of Shimmer Tracy. It is a gorgeous gold glitter mix that had me staring at my nail all day...

It is difficult to capture the full beauty of Tracy because while it might appear as just a gold mix, it is so much more. If you look closely, you can see reds and greens and blues and even holo in the mix. While different shaped gold is the primary component of this mix, in the sun the other colors sparkle and come to life...

Let me know what you think of this manicure!

Thanks for looking and commenting!
Anutka :)

Barielle Tulips...

I am always commenting on how well the thick Barielle creams work for stamping, so while swatching the beautiful shades of the Barielle Brilliant Colors collection, I got the urge to do some stamping. I was once again pleased with the stamp-ability of the creams and if it hadn't been for a little oops on my part, this would have been perfect...

The base of this manicure is Barielle Smarty Pants Pink. I stamped it with Barielle High Marks Purple using DashicaBeautyShop plate SdP-O. I just love how crisp and clean the images on this plate are. High Marks Purple did a great job picking up all the details of the pattern...

I didn't realize my stamper had a bit of silver on it leftover from a previous manicure and if you look closely, you can see just where it ended up on my nail. I didn't have time for a re-do and it wasn't too noticeable, so I just left it. I know, I know... walking on the wild side here...

I hope you like this manicure! Let me know what you think of it in the comments below!

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

** Polishes were provided to me for review by the manufacturer or their PR. **

** For more information please see the disclosure policy **

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms out there!!!

I would love to say that I have prepared a special manicure for the occasion, but I simply ran out of time. Rather than spend this morning trying to create a manicure for myself, I am heading over to visit my wonderful mom and give her a much deserved manicure! To compensate for my lack preparedness, I would like to show you a manicure I wore a little bit ago....

The base of this manicure is China Glaze Strap on Your Moonboots which is a beautiful denim blue holo. I stamped the scroll butterfly pattern from Dashica plate SdP-O using Wet 'n Wild White Creme. This pattern reminds me of piping on a cake that is done in one continuous string of icing. The name of the technique escapes me at the moment. This is such a beautiful pattern...

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

** Polishes were provided to me for review by the manufacturer or their PR. **

** For more information please see the disclosure policy **

The Case of the Disappearing Stamping...

I showed you the color changing Ruby Wing Poppy lacquer on Monday and even though it was April 1st, it was no joke, Poppy really changes color from a bright raspberry red to a deep burgundy wine color. I wanted to play with the effect a bit and one of my ideas was to have disappearing or rather appearing stamping...

The base of this manicure is Essence Everybody's Talking About. I chose it because it is the closest match to the indoor color of Ruby Wing Poppy that I have. It is just a touch darker, but close enough for me. I stamped it using Poppy and Dashica plate SdP-O. If you look really closely, you might be able to see the stamping in this shot indoors...

Under direct sun it transitions from the hidden image you see above, to this...

I absolutely love the effect and idea of it. Kind of a hidden surprise for myself and great a excuse to go play in the sun. Unfortunately, in Seattle, the sun is here one moment and gone the next. The day that I created this manicure it was sunny and gorgeous, but the next day the stamping was hiding even outside...

Now you see it... Now you don't...

Essence Everybody's Talking About is a raspberry red cream with a slight jelly finish. It is one of my older polishes and was a bit on the dry and goopy side by now. I had to thin it out slightly prior to using, so I will refrain from commenting on the formula or application. I believe when I used it in the past I had no problems with it. Swatches are two coats with no top coat...

Swatch Details
	Brand: Essence Collection: Colour & Go Color Name/Number: 29 Everybody's Talking About Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: No Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

** Polishes were provided to me for review by the manufacturer or their PR. **

** For more information please see the disclosure policy **

Sunday Stamping: Flowers

Despite the snowfall that fell over Seattle last Thursday night (and melted by Friday afternoon), I think it is safe to say that most people are ready for Spring. Ready to put away the warm clothes, enjoy the sunshine, and watch everything start to bloom. This week the Sunday Stamping challenge of flowers is just right for the mood...

The base of this manicure is Color Club Eternal Beauty from the Halo Hues collection. I am absolutely smitten with this polish and the rest of the Halo Hues collection. I stamped the flower pattern from Dashica SdP-O plate using OPI Vant to Bite My Neck?. I really didn't expect it to stamp so well, but decided to give it a try and it really surprised me...

I accented the ring finger with two Swarovski rhinestones. Since I didn't want to use a top coat and dull the sparkle of them, I attached them with a bit of nail glue. These things are not going anywhere...

There was a bit of sun shining through the clouds, so I took the opportunity to snap a few photos outside...

I could just stare at the holo all day...

As I was writing this post, I realized that I used this stamp for a Sunday Stamping gemstone challenge last year. Still just as crazy about this pattern now as I was back then :)

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

** Polishes were provided to me for review by the manufacturer or their PR. **

** For more information please see the disclosure policy **

Sunday Stamping: St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day Everyone!

This week's theme in Sunday Stamping is quite appropriately a manicure to celebrate the occasion or just create something with an Irish theme. I didn't have anything specific in mind when I started on this manicure, but somehow ended up using everything and the kitchen sink for it. The end result turned out being sweet and subtle and matches my mood perfectly...

I started the manicure with a base of OPI My Vampire is Buff plus a coat of Shimmer Erica. Erica is a beautiful peridot green, gold and holo glitter mix which I thought worked well for a St. Patricks's day color scheme. I was tempted to use it over a green base as I've previously worn it, but thought it might be fun to try it over something different...

I then sandwiched the glitter by applying a coat of OPI Don't Burst My Bubble. The jelly layer somehow made the green glitter stand out more. In other news, I have officially decided to sandwich every glitter with this sweet and sheer OPI because I love it so so much...

Finally it was time for the stamping. The Celtic knot pattern comes from Dashica stamping plate SdP-O and was stamped using Essence A Piece of Forever. It is not quite what I had in mind for the gold color, but I am still in search of the perfect stamping gold for me. For a little bit of luck, I stamped the small four leaf clover from Winstonia plate W105 using Color Club Wild Cactus and accented it with a green rhinestone...

I really like the subtle pattern and the tiny specks of green scattered throughout. Although I hate photos of my shorter nails, I am actually quite enjoying this length in real life....

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

** Some polishes were provided to me for review by the manufacturer or their PR. **

** For more information please see the disclosure policy **

Shimmer Leslie Stamped

I have been really enjoying stamping over glitter especially with intricate patterns that allow the glitter to peek through in spots. This is another one along those lines. It is not quite as subtle as the last one that I did, but this for me is a much better result...

The base of this manicure is Shimmer Leslie (over Barielle Rio's Rockin' Bands). For the stamping I used Dashica Beauty plate SdP-O and my favorite stamping silver which is Pure Ice Silver Mercedes (recently renamed Silver Star). To accent the flower centers, I used yellow rhinestones from Ebay. My favorite part is seeing the glitter sparkle in the flower petals...

Thanks for looking and commenting!
Anutka :)

** Polishes were provided to me for review by the manufacturer or their PR. **

** For more information please see the disclosure policy **

Mermaid Scales...

I often draw inspiration from the name of the polish so it is only natural that Nicole by OPI Mer-Maid For Each Other inspired a mermaid tail manicure. With a bit of stamping and a dash of glitter this is exactly what I envision a mermaid tail to look like. Now if only I could find one to confirm.... ;)

I stamped using Wet 'n Wild Black Cream and DashicaBeautyShop plate SdP-O over NOPI Mer-Maid For Each Other. It looked pretty cute all by itself, but even a mermaid needs some glitter in her life. Shimmer Linna was the perfect touch to add to the tips...

Here is what it looked like pre-glitter tips....

That beautiful blue green duo-chrome shift...

So what do you think a mermaid tail looks like?

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

** Polishes were provided to me for review by the manufacturer or their PR. **

** For more information please see the disclosure policy **