#52weeknailchallenge: mythical creature

How is everyone doing? Surviving the lock down? The one question I have come to hate during this time is, "how are the wedding plans going?". Like seriously? Did you think that one through? How am I supposed to make any plans when there are no service providers working?? Fortunately, I have all my service providers. Now it's a case of waiting to see what's going to happen with this lock down. And deciding at what point do we start to worry.

Anyway, nails! I decided to do mermaid nails for this one. Besides that I have a mermaid on my nail, my polishes are also mermaid inspired. I started with two coats of Ulta3 black satin on my pinky. On my thumb, index and ring finger I have two coats of Catrice mermayday anyway and on my middle finger I have two coats of Hean 401. I then added a coat of Sinful Colors green ocean to all my nails.

On my pinky I stamped a scale image from Moyou Sailor 4 with Painted Polish stamped in scales. On my middle finger I added a mermaid decal. I think I should have used a slightly pink base for the mermaid, like China Glaze let's chalk about it. It would have made the green jelly less obvious.

What do you think? It wasn't quite what I had in mind, but then again these ones rarely turn out the way I want it to.

Thanks for stopping by!

Friday Triad (on a Sunday): Inspired by @kt_tk1

So two days ago it was time for our Triad post, but due to my work scheduling changing, working multiple public holidays and three weekends in a row, I didn't have time for nails. I actually went naked for 3 days!! I can honestly say that was three pretty bad days. We had to do PPE training at work, how to don and doff face masks, face visors and how to properly sanitize our hands. And sanitizing my hands 4 times in a row, actually lifted my polish... That's one of the reasons I stopped wearing my engagement ring weeks ago. I don't even want to know what the over exposure to different kinds of sanitizers would do to the integrity of my ring.

Anyway, Joyce and Michelle was super understanding and allowed delaying the post by two days. It was my turn to choose our inspiration and I chose this manicure done by @kt_tk1. Let me show you what I did.

I started with two coats of Fair Maiden Polish vintage romance on my thumb and index finger. On my middle finger I have a coat of Tip Top pink lemonade. On my ring finger and pinky I have two coats of Catrice oyster and champagne.

I then stamped an image from Moyou fashionista 11 with Nicole Diary white on my middle finger. I actually like that I managed to pick up the gold in oyster and champagne. Normally it just looks slightly pink in photos.

What do you think? I kinda like how it turned out. I wish I had more time for nails... I'm actually behind with the 52weeknailchallenge and I don't mean with just posting. Normally I have time to do 3 mani's in the space of two weeks. That way I stay slightly ahead, now I only have time once maybe twice in a two week period. Which is very depressing for me. Doing my nails is essential ME time. I always feel better with a new mani.

Don't forget to check what Michelle and Joyce did with my inspiration.

Thanks for stopping by!

#52weeknailchallenge: birds

This prompt gave me the opportunity to use a new stamping plate with bird images on it. I've been wanting to use it for a while, but now I don't know if I did it justice. Let me show you what I did.

I started with two coats of Cirque Lapis Lazuli on all my nails except my middle finger. On my middle finger I have two coats of Hean 870.

The stamp is from Moyou tropical 04 stamped with Nicole Diary black. I coloured in the birds with Lapis Lazuli, the eyes with Hean 440.

And that's that. I think that lapis lazuli may have been a little dark, or maybe I should have made the eyes a different colour. Anyway, lapis lazuli is gorgeous.

What do you think?

Thanks for reading!

Catch up on #52weeknailchallenge

I've been terrible with posting the challenge posts as the weeks just seem to get away from me, all the time. Since I'm late already with the new year's challenges, I decided to post the remaining ones from last year all together and hopefully this year will be better... But with planning the wedding I might not.

Let's start... First up: Mermaid

Polishes used:

Hean sugar 856 pink

Hean 401 

Hean 408

Sinful Colors green ocean 

The rest is decals.

Summer

Polishes used:

Pahlish Scamander

China Glaze let's chalk about it

The rest is decals.

Nude

Polishes used:

China Glaze beaches and toes

China Glaze meet me in the mirage

Stamping plates:

Lina feeling shapely 1

Lina feeling shapely 9

Lina @tanya_wish collab

Stamping polishes:

Nicole Diary white

Nicole Diary black 

Konad 17

Black and white

Polishes used:

China Glaze bump in the night

Hean black

Hean 401

The rest is decals.

Christmas

Polishes used:

Pahlish Godric

Pahlish Salazar

Hean 401

Stamping plate:

Lina can't wait for Xmas! 2

Stamping polishes:

Mundo de Unas caramel

Moyou fresh basil

New Year

Polishes used:

Tip Top sparkle queen

Hean sugar 852 gold

Vinyls: 

Numb3r5 from @becauseishop

And that's it. All the ones I missed from this year. They are all up on Instagram already. Now to get to work on this year's ones.

Thanks for reading!

Friday Triad: Inspired by @polishpixie92

Don't you just hate how the last Friday of the month sneaks up on you? I mean there I was laying in bed, about to continue reading my book, checking my emails and one from Michelle pops up reminding us about our Triad posts. Damn....

So here I am, no longer warm and comfortable, typing my post! Anyway, enough of that, if I finish this I might have some time left to read something.

This month was Michelle's turn and she chose something non Halloween, shock and horror right?? Our inspo is this mani done by @polishpixie92 Seems easy enough. Let me show you my version.

I started with two coats of Cirque acid wash on my index and middle finger. The rest has two coats of Catrice the sky so fly.

I then chose an image from Moyou flower power 23 and using Born Pretty navy picked the image up leaving it on my stamper. So four stampers later, I used sky so fly and painted one side of the image.

Once it was dry I rolled the image onto my nails. I then stamped the middle of the lines with BPS navy, filling in the gap. I didn't quite line it up, so don't look to closely!

What do you think? I kinda like how this turned out. Maybe I should have used some other colours too, but I didn't think of that.

Don't forget to have a look what Joyce and Michelle did, I bet they totally nailed it. Even with Joyce doing a midnight mani.

Thanks for reading!

#52weeknailchallenge: holographic

I find holographic to be a tough prompt. Mostly because I can't seem to photograph it properly and it's more a polish than nail art... I guess the trick is to do something with the polish. Anyway let me show you what I did.

I started with two coats of Pahlish Expelliarmus! on my thumb, index and pinky. On my middle and ring finger I have two coats of Catrice good lack!

I then stamped a geometric image from Moyou flower power 22 with Born Pretty navy on my middle finger. On my ring finger I have a similar image but with a flower coloured in with Expelliarmus! from the same plate.

I kinda like how this turned out. I wanted to try something different and this is definitely not my style. It's very different to what I normally do.

I of course had to add a flash shot to show off how pretty Expelliarmus! is. I wore it by itself prior to doing this mani and I couldn't stop looking at my nails and playing with light shifts.

What do you think? Any suggestions on how to photograph holo's properly?

Thanks for reading!!

#52weeknailchallenge: stripes

I'm going to start by saying this was a bit of a fail and I should have used last week's prompt for this one instead... That being said let me show you what I did and you can judge.

I started with two of Hean City Fashion 200 on my thumb, index and middle finger, on my ring finger and pinky I have two coats of OPI DS pewter. Did I mention before how much I like this polish??

I then used Mundo de Unas forest to pick up an image from Moyou trend hunter 2. I then dabbed on some Essence I (heart) my golden pumps on the leaves only and left it to dry. In the meanwhile I stamped the checkered design with forest from QA95, a stamping plate I got from BPS.

Once the image on my stamper was dry and I wanted to place it on my nail, only part of the design transfered.... It was too dry! The leaves also had a checkered background. So lesson learned. Coat the nail or whole design with another coat of polish to make it tacky.

I feel this is a design I might try again... I kinda like the spot of glitter showing trough the leaves. What do you think? Complete fail or just a little one?

Thanks for stopping by.

SA Travelling polish box: Angela's pick

It's time again for the Travelling polish box. This time round Angela put the box together and boy did she choose some interesting goodies. Renita was next, then myself and lastly Heather who got to keep the mentioned interesting goodies.

I'm saying interesting like it's things I've never seen before, but it was only a very unusual stamping plate. I didn't peg these ladies as chevron ladies and that's mainly what the plate had on. Let me show you what I did.

I started with two coats of LynB designs expecto patronum on my middle and ring finger. On my thumb, index and pinky I have two coats of LynB designs I move the stars for no one. To be honest I wasn't a big fan of expecto patronum, it was a little thick and I ended up dragging the polish more often than not.

I then stamped the chevron shape with Moyou black from Moyou UK artist collection 28. I then stamped another image over it with I move the stars for no one. I was hoping the sparkle would show a little more, but oh well.

I kinda like how this turned out, but expecto patronum was shrinking under my top coat. Foil like polishes are weird like that. What do you think?

Thanks for reading!

Secret Santa mani's

Isn't it nice playing with new polishes and new stamping plates?

Here is some mani's I did while playing with my new things. 

For this I started with two coats of WoW 427 on my thumb, index finger and pinky. On my middle and ring finger I have two coats of LA Girl cornflower. I then stamped an image from Essence shapes of glory with WoW 433 on my middle finger. On my ringer finger I stamped from Moyou Scandi 4 and coloured it in with China Glaze pearl jammin'

Here I started with two coats of Morgan Taylor go for the glow on my thumb, index and middle finger. On my ring finger and pinky I have OPI blush hour. I then stamped an image from Essence shapes of glory with WoW 422.

This is my favourite of the ones I did. I started with two coats of China Glaze lime after lime on my thumb, index, middle and ring fingers. On my pinky I have Tip Top galaxy. For the cotton I stamped from Konad 38 with Nicole Diary black and coloured it in with Hean City Fashion white.

This is the last one and was chosen by my Secret Santa Thea. I was told to do something, anything with ILNP Ava. I'm wearing two coats and on my ring finger I did a negative space with stamping from Konad 38 with WoW 433.

What do you think? Which one is your favourite?

#52weeknailchallenge: favourite villain

"Off with their head!!!"

This is one of those prompts of do I or don't I. We recently watched Alice in Wonderland: Through the looking glass, so I decided to do the Queen of Hearts as my villain. And I feel like it's a bit of a fail...

I started with two coats of Sorbet flash the fireman on my pinky and thumb.This is actually a one coater, but I added another. On my index, middle and ring finger I have two coats of Catrice good lack!

While that was drying I placed some heart vinyls on my Simply Neat miracle mat and filled them in with flash the fireman. I also made a stamping decal from Moyou London Alice in Wonderland 2, the Queen's head, I stamped it with Nicole Diary black. I coloured in her hair with flash the fireman, her face with Hean I love Hean 904, her cape with Ulta3 black satin and her crown with OPI oy-another polish joke!

When that was all dry I used my clear stamper to place it. The reason why I think it's a bit of a fail is because no one recognised it. Not that I can always expect people to know it.

What do you think? 

Friday Triad: Inspired by Paulina

It is that time of the month again, where Michelle, Joyce and I post our Triad posts. Once a month we chose a mani to be inspired by and try our best. This month was Michelle's turn and she chose this mani done by @paulinaspassions

Now when I saw this, I was kinda excited as I recently got my first Moyou stamping plates and a trend hunter plate being one of them. So my plan is to totally nail this!!

I started with two coats of Ulta3 radiant orchid on my thumb, index and pinky. On my middle and ring finger I started with one coat of  Hean City Fashion white. I didn't bother with it being too opaque as I was going to do a gradient over it. For the gradient I used CF white and Tip Top fairy dust.

For the image on my middle finger I stamped from moyou trend hunter 2 with Nicole Diary black stamping polish. Left it on my stamper and coloured in the flower with radiant orchid, once it was dry it stamped it to my nail and top coated.

On my ring finger I stamped an image from Lina feeling shapely 1, to match the lines from the other image. I top coated and then my top coat decided to eat my lines.

I was told this looks very Beetlejuice... And then I couldn't unsee it. Guess I should have used green!

What do you think? As always don't forget to pop over to Michelle and Joyce and give them some love.

Thanks for reading!