Illamasqua 'Throb' & 'Untold'

Hello Readers,

Today, I have more Illamasqua! I used two coats of 'Throb' which is a beautiful cool red as the base and one coat of 'Untold' which is a fine red glitter with a clear base on accent nails only. Illamasqua can be purchased for $14.00 USD from Sephora here or directly from their website here.

Now for the photos...

L-R: Illmasqua 'Untold' & 'Throb'

So, there it is, a nice cool red with a 'Dorothy's slipper' accent nail! I hope you all enjoyed this mani and wear red!

Cheers,

♥ Bridget

Illamasqua 'Mehndi' Inspired Nails

Hello Readers,

Today, I have an inspired mani from Illamasqua. If you go here you can see the 'Mehndi Nails Kit' which features a how to video. I only did the half moon part using the dotting tool. I used NCLA 'Pick Me Up at Melrose Place' which is a bright purple and Illamasqua 'Load' which a creamy light yellow (yup, you read that right ha).

Now for the photos...

L-R: NCLA 'Pick Me Up At Melrose Place' and Illamasqua 'Load'

Excuse the orange skin, I was trying to show the purple better, it's warmer like in this image!

I did the opposite on the other hand ^_^

You can purchase NCLA polishes and amazing nail wraps here for $16.00 and Illamasqua polishes are $14.00 from Sephora. Of course, you can purchase Illamasqua direct from their website but it's a bit more expensive if you live in the U.S.

Polka Dots In The Air...

Hello Ladies,

Tonight, I was originally planning on entering the Cult Nail's contest but decided my creative juices (and my energy levels) weren't flowing. I started out with Illamasqua 'Purity' and placed different sized polka dots using various Cult Nail's shades that include 'Iconic', 'Hypnotize Me', 'Feel Me Up', 'Awakening', and 'My Kind of Cool Aid'. I'm not gonna lie, it looked horribly ugly and I'm still a bit 'iffy' as to how I feel about it. I then thought of Deborah Lippmann's 'Glitter in the Air' and Revlon's 'Whimsical' and thought to put a sheer wash over it to make the colors seem less garish. I think it helped, it's definitely interesting. I used French Tip Dip's 'B 1001' which is the sheer nude shade that comes with these kits.

I used two coats of Illamasqua's 'Purity' which was one of the most difficult polishes to use. It's VERY thick and gloppy. It easily creates streaks and doesn't blend very well. I had a really hard time with it as much as I love the color, I'm definitely going to add some thinner to this polish.

And the photos...

So, maybe I had an artsy fartsy night. It's all just in good fun anyway. I'm still waiting on my brush set from Hong Kong (it's been over a month) and I think I'll wait for them before I try any other 'nail art'. What do you guys think? ;oD

♥ Cheers,
Bridget

24 Days of Christmas Nails - Day 7: Gingerbread Man

Hey Ladies,

I'm SUPER excited to participate in '24 Days of Christmas Nails' with both Sabine from My Polish Stash and Shannara from Nails and Stuff so don't forget to check out their nails as well!

This idea was started by Paint that Nail so props to her. ^_^

As a side note - my nails were getting SO frail I couldn't stand it any longer so I cut them down... yes now I have 5 year old hands ;o\ but they needed to be cut!

Here is my 'Gingerbread Man' design:

 

All the colors I used from left to right:  Pure ICE 'Super Star', Essie 'Cocktail Bling', Illamasqua 'Raindrops', Essie 'Hot Coco', China Glaze 'Lemon Fizz', Revlon 'Royal Cloak', Essie 'Knockout Pout', Essie 'Pretty Edgy', Sephora by OPI 'Sample Sale, and Nfu-Oh '62'

Natural light with flash

Natural light

Natural light with flash

My drive home... the sun was blinding yet it was so dark from the clouds!

I'm trying to hang in there and keep up with this challenge!!! Can you tell? :o) Note that I do not have any brushes, this is all done with the same size dotting tool. This is my first try at nail art!

Hope you all enjoyed this design! Don't forget to check out Sabine's design from My Polish Stash and Shannara's design from Nails and Stuff !!!

♥ Cheers,

Bridget

24 Days of Christmas Nails - Day 2: Snowflakes

Hey Ladies,

I'm SUPER excited to participate in '24 Days of Christmas Nails' with both Sabine from My Polish Stash and Shannara from Nails and Stuff so don't forget to check out their nails as well!

This idea was started by Paint that Nail so props to her. ^_^

Here is my 'Snowflakes' design:

From left to right:  Pure ICE 'Super Star', OPI 'DS Coronation', Revlon 'Downtown'

In sunlight

In natural shade

In sunlight

My secret revealed; snowflake stickers used as stencils!

Illamasqua 'Raindrops' added for a more muted look; in natural shade

Illamasqua 'Raindrops' added for a more muted look; in sunlight

So, what do you guys think?! I have been collecting stickers for nearly 25 years (yes, this is true!) and have many that have these cut out designs. The three things to remember are:  1) make sure your base color is dry to the touch, and 2) make sure you don't glop on the paint, it will bleed over the design, and 3) make sure you peel the sticker off just after you're done painting the nail. I like to sort of lightly lift up all the sides (so it's not stuck on your finger) and then lightly pull it off from one side.

Hope you all enjoyed this design! Don't forget to check out Sabine's design from My Polish Stash and Shannara's design from Nails and Stuff !!!

♥ Cheers,

Bridget