First Postpartum Manicure

Hi there!

While pregnant, I really had no desire to paint my fingernails. It wasn't because the smell bothered me... I just didn't care. I kept chopping them as short as I could get them, so even if I wanted to sport a somewhat creative manicure, I don't think it would necessarily look lovely.

My nails painted with Sinful Colors - Dark Room.
Stamped with Konad image plate M57
and Color Club - Halo-Graphic.

I painted 1 coat of Sinful Colors' Dark Room before stamping... and then I added a coat of Seche Vite. Even though they're short as can be, I don't think this manicure looks terrible. The holographic touch makes me happy :-)

And since I think I'm starting to care about nail polish again, I raided my local drugstore this past weekend...

The Rimmel polishes were $0.49 each and the Sinful Colors polishes were $0.99 each. Do you blame me? Most of the Sinful Colors polishes were originally $2.99.

Until next time...

Neon Leopard

Hi there!

I decided I wanted to match my outfit today, so I added a leopard print to yesterday's manicure...

My nails painted with Orly - Glowstick and
China Glaze - Flip Flop Fantasy.
Stamped with Konad M57.

I used Konad's special black polish to stamp the print and then I topped it with a coat of Seche Vite.

Now this is what I call a fun manicure! What do you think?

Until next time...

Retro Summer Neons

Hi there!

I got a handful of the Summer Neons polishes at once and I couldn't decide which to wear first...

My nails painted with China Glaze - Splish Splash, I'm With the Lifeguard,
Sun-Kissed, Orange You Hot?, and Love's a Beach.
Stamped with Konad image plate M65.

... But who's to say I have to choose just one? I painted 2 coats of each polish to achieve what's pictured. All 5 polishes were seemingly thicker than the typical bottle of China Glaze nail polish... but I was sitting directly under my ceiling fan. That very well could have been the reason for the thickness. Minus a couple of mess-ups with my stamping, I enjoy this manicure :-) I topped everything with a coat of Seche Vite.

Are you a seasonal polish wearer? Admittedly, I am... and I'm not yet ready to simmer the brights!

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 7

Hi there!

Wonder Woman, anyone?

My nails painted with China Glaze - Frostbite and Red Pearl.
Stamped with Konad image plate M3.
Patriotic 4th of July Wonder Woman nails.

I painted 2 coats of Frostbite, then added a thick coat of Red Pearl to my tips. I stamped the stars with Nicole by OPI's Positive Energy and then topped everything off with a coat of Seche Vite.

My nails painted with China Glaze - Frostbite and Red Pearl.
Stamped with Konad image plate M3.
Patriotic 4th of July Wonder Woman nails.

What are you wearing on your nails today? Did you try any of the ideas I posted over the past week? If so, I'd love to see (I'd love to see a picture no matter what). If not, I hope you at least enjoyed seeing my ideas :-)

To see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Happy Independence Day! Be safe.

Until next time...

Purple and Gold Animal Print

Hi there!

The title is quite unique, right ;-p This is a quick manicure I painted and stamped with Konad...

My nails painted with Julep - Trina.
Stamped with Julep - Sienna and Konad image plate M78.

I painted 2 coats of Trina to achieve the base pictured. Though, I could have gotten the same result with 1 thick coat. I was kind of surprised to see how well Sienna stamped. This was my first attempt stamping it, and I had absolutely no difficulties. I added a coat of Seche Vite to top it all off.

Is this something you would wear?

Until next time...

Wrapping Paper

Hi there!

I spotted a package wrapped underneath a charity donation tree that inspired this manicure...

My nails painted with China Glaze - Ruby Pumps and Emerald Sparkle.
Stamped with China Glaze - Passion and Konad image plate M60.

I almost decided against sharing this design because the picture shows and magnifies every flaw. Yes, the image is patchy and uneven, and the top coat definitely smeared it. But it really doesn't look that bad in person!

Anyway, I painted 2 coats of Ruby Pumps (red) and Emerald Sparkle (green). I stamped using Passion, one of my favorite stamping polishes. Then I added a coat of China Glaze's Fast Forward Top Coat.

Do you use/have you used this top coat? This is my second time using it, and I'm not sure I like it. It dries with an annoying smell that doesn't dissipate for hours after application :-/

Until next time...

I Have A Right Hand

Hi there!

When photographing my manicures, I often forget about my right hand. It felt left out, so today, it's making its first appearance...

My nails painted with China Glaze - Hyper Haute.
Stamped with Konad image plate M73.

I painted 2 coats of Hyper Haute and stamped with Konad's special black polish to achieve this look. I topped it off with a coat of Seche Vite.

To anyone who photographs their manicures: I dare you to spotlight the hand you don't generally photograph in your next post :-)

Until next time...

Teal Leopard

Hi there!

I've been wearing this manicure for a few days now...

My nails painted with Diamond Cosmetics - Don't Teal My Heart Away.
Stamped with Konad image plate M57. 

I used China Glaze's Adore to stamp over my ovarian cancer awareness manicure. Adore stamped very easily, as do the rest of the polishes from the Romantique collection :-) I topped it off with a coat of Seche Vite.

What do you think of this color combination?

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 5

Hi there!

This manicure might be a little more time consuming than the other ones I've done...

My nails painted with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri - Whirlwind White and
China Glaze - Bermuda Breakaway. Stamped with Konad image plate M3.
Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 2 coats of Whirlwind White and then painted 1 thick coat of Bermuda Breakaway on my tips. Once dry, I stamped the stars with Konad's special white polish and applied the nail art tape. I topped it all off with a coat of Seche Vite.

I think this would look fantastic as a full manicure or as an accent nail!

Check out my other patriotic manicure ideas:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 6
Day 7

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 3

Hi there!

I'm really enjoying discovering new design options for next week! Here's what I've got for today...

My nails painted with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri - Whirlwind White.
Stamped with Konad image plate M45.
Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 2 coats of Whirlwind White for it to be opaque and streak-free. I then globbed Konad's special blue polish and Konad Princess' cool red polish onto plate M45. I topped it with a coat of Seche Vite.

I really like how this one turned out! What do you think?

Check out my other patriotic manicure ideas:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 1

Hi there!

Over the next week, I will be experimenting with manicure ideas for the 4th of July. Here's my first idea...

My nails painted with China Glaze - Midnight Mission.
Stamped with Konad image plate M3.
Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

It's simple, but I like it. I painted 2 coats of Midnight Mission for it to be opaque and I stamped over it with Nicole by OPI's Positive Energy. I really like how the silver shimmer in Midnight Mission is accented by the silver stamping.

I hope you'll stay tuned for my other ideas. I have some pretty good ones coming up :-)

Check out my other patriotic manicure ideas:
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7

Until next time...

Flowers for a Sunny Day

Hi there!

I've definitely been neglecting my Konad plates lately :-/ So what better time to use them than today? Well, that may be a bit of a lie... I painted this manicure 3 days ago and I just now got around to taking a picture of it...


My nails painted with Essie - Big Spender.
Stamped with Konad image plate M64.


I painted 2 coats of Big Spender for it to be perfectly opaque, stamped with Konad's special yellow polish, and then I topped it off with Konad's top coat.

Until next time...

Graffiti Lace in Lincoln Park

Hi there!

I wanted to use some of my metallics, so I chose 3 to stamp over yesterday's manicure...


My nails painted with OPI - Lincoln Park After Dark Suede.
Stamped with Konad image plate M70.


I used...

From left to right: OPI - Lincoln Park After Dark Suede,
China Glaze - Passion, Sally Hansen - Ruby Chrome,
Nicole by OPI - Positive Energy, Seche Vite, double sided
stamper, scraper, and Konad plate M70.

All of the polishes are fairly new except Ruby Chrome. It's suuuper old, so I'm not sure you'll be able to find it in a store. Each of the colors I stamped with were very easy to work with, but I think any brand of metallic gold, pink, or silver would work for stamping this image.

Until next time...

Pinky-Punky Water Marble Revamp

Hi there!

I decided that my manicure needed some pizzazz...

Pink, black, and silver water marble. Nicole by OPI - Positive Energy, Sinful
Colors - Black on Black, Sinful Colors - Cream Pink, Revlon - Silver Dollar.
Stamped with Konad image plate M3 using Konad's special black polish and Positive Energy.


I'm very satisfied with this new look!

What's your favorite way to revamp a manicure?

Until next time...

Pink Leopard and Lace

Hi there!

I was finally able to open the polish I wanted to wear last week, so I took full advantage of it.

I used OPI's Didgeridoo Your Nails? and my Konad image plate M50. I tried several variations before I settled on this one. Stamping this image in black looks amazing, but I felt that I stamp too often with black. White looks very good against this pink - but with this image, it covered too much of the base color. Sooo, I used Konad's special pink polish.

My nails painted with OPI - Didgeridoo Your Nails?
Stamped with Konad image plate M50.

It's a subtle, fun look. Didgeridoo Your Nails? applies very nicely with 2 coats. It's a bit difficult to tell, but it has pink shimmer that reflects in the light. You can best see it if you enlarge the picture and look at my ring finger below the glare. Ya can't go wrong with this one ♥

Until next time...

Yellowy Goodness

Hi there!

I was messing around with my file today and I decided to play with a new nail shape. Then I wanted to make my nails pop with a bright color. Yellow works...


My nails painted with China Glaze - Happy Go Lucky,
from the Up & Away collection.


I wasn't done playing, so I broke out the Konad image plates. I chose plate M70.

My nails painted with China Glaze - Happy Go Lucky,
from the Up & Away collection. Stamped with Konad plate M70.


The yellow went on quite streakily. You'll need a steady hand if you want to use this color. 1 coat would not suffice and 2 coats were iffy - so I used 3.

I really enjoy the color. So, yay for that.

Yuck for my new nail shape, though. It was fun to try, but since my nails grow inward at the tips it doesn't make sense for a square shape. Tomorrow, I'll start easing my way back into rounded tips :-)

When was the last time you tried a new nail shape?

Until next time...

Holographic Loveliness

Hi there!

I haven't done a manicure with my Konad plates in a while, so I did one today :-)

My nails painted with Color Club - Fashion Addict.
Stamped with Konad plate M60.

Here's what I used...

Color Club - Fashion Addict, Konad - Special Black,
Seche Vite top coat, stamper, scraper, and M60.

I absolutely love this and it's the perfect spring manicure!

Until next time...

Pink Leopard

Hi there!

I wasn't too fond of yesterday's manicure, so I decided to jump on the "pink Wednesday" bandwagon.

I used China Glaze's Ahoy! for the base color and Konad's special black to stamp the design with Konad image plate M78. I also used Konad's top coat.

Konad special black, Konad top coat, double
sided stamper, China Glaze - Ahoy!, scraper, M78.

Here's the final result!

My nails painted with China Glaze - Ahoy!
Stamped with Konad plate M78.

I'm kind of in love with this design. And if you look closely or enlarge the picture, you can see the pink sparkles in the polish.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I do :-)

Until next time...

San Francisco 49ers

Hi there!

My hunny poo has been requesting rather frequently that I do a red and gold design. He's a huge 49ers fan. I kind of missed football season, but here it goes...

I used Konad image plate M64. I used China Glaze's Drive In for the base color and China Glaze's Passion to stamp the design. I topped it off with a top coat by Seche Vite.

China Glaze - Drive In, China Glaze - Passion, Seche Vite
top coat, double sided stamper, scraper, Konad plate M64.

My nails painted with China Glaze - Drive In.
Stamped with China Glaze - Passion and Konad plate M64.

I let him choose the base color, stamping color, and the image. I think he did pretty well.

Until next time...

Black and White Carpet Balls

Hi there!

When I took the picture for my previous blog post, I became inspired by my surroundings... especially by my carpet balls.

My carpet balls.

I decided to use Konad image plate M73 and Bundle Monster image plate BM20. I used White Night, by Cover Girl to paint my entire nail. I stamped with Konad's special black polish, and I used Konad's top coat.

Konad top coat, Konad special black, double sided stamper,
Cover Girl - White Night, scraper, BM20, and plate M73.

Here's the final result!

My nails stamped with BM20 and Konad plate M73.

I hope this inspires you.

Until next time...