Autumn Inspired Gradient Manicure

I wasn't in the mood for anything complicated tonight, and I haven't done a gradient in a while, so I had a pretty easy time deciding what to do for my newest manicure! 

Seeing as tonight is the autumnal equinox, it only seemed fitting that I break out some of my more autumn-like polishes. 

Polishes Used:

OPI You Don't Know Jaques

OPI Wocka Wocka (I'm pretty sure... it's an unlabelled mini!)

Sally Beauty Gold Glitter Topper

HK Girl Top Coat

I used the sponge technique where you paint the polish directly on, I find it a lot quicker than dabbing the sponge into the polish on plastic. 

I love the look and think perhaps I might not miss my summer palette of pastels as much as I thought! (And who am I kidding- I don't follow the rules anyways :-P)

Do you let seasons dictate your colour palette?

xo Shawna

Purple Ombré Stamped Mani

I was envisioning a purple hued mani when I sat down this afternoon (yay for stat holidays!). I don't actually have a ton of purple shades so I used a base of Essie "Lapiz of Luxury", and used a sponge to create a gradient effect with China Glaza "Grape Juice" and my mini Color Club in neon purple. The Grape Juice has a heavy undertone of silver micro glitter, and the colour effect reminds me of royalty with the sparkly purple ombré!

I used a born pretty store stamping plate (item 6450) with Ciate "Snow Virgin" to create a lacy, almost chain-link, effect. I love the way it turned out!

 I actually attempted double stamping but it just wasn't working out, the black wasn't popping over the deep purple tones. I'll save that for another manicure!

The base for my stamping.

An off-topic question today: what cuticle treatment do you use? Despite regular oil use, mine are a little ragged!

xo Shawna

Birds on a Wire Stamped Mani

Tonight's mani has booted out my Paris nails as my new favourite! As soon as I saw the Birds on a Wire on the MoYou Pro Plate #4 I knew it was a must have. The only thing that prevented me from using it earlier was a fear of the fine line work, so I wanted more practice first! 

First, I created a gradient with:

China Glaze - Naked

L'oreal - Orange You Jealous

Sally Hansen - Pacific Blue

I was going to use an Essie shade in lieu of Pacific Blue but the colour was just too sheer to be really noticeable and I wanted more.

Next, I used Wet n' Wild Black Creme for the stamping. I paired the delicate (illegible) text from the same plate with the bird image.

I absolutely love the way this one turned out. The ombre effect on my thumbs are less than perfect - I figure my thumbs are kind of like the first pancake - a write off. 

Do you have issues getting your thumbs sponged as nicely as the rest?

xo Shawna

Blue Ombré Paris Stamped Mani

Yesterday, Shoppers Drug Mart had an amazing deal on Essie polish, which worked out to $4.50 a bottle in multiples of 2. So I grabbed 4 different shades - and since I bought them at two locations I didn't realize until after how similar they all are! You like what you like, right? They're gorgeous light blues, lavenders and teals. I'll have to do a swatch post soon!

I also managed to get my hands on a couple bottles of the original formula of Sally Hansen's "Pacific Blue". Being new to the nail art world, I've only just discovered this "holy grail" shade, and my first attempt at buying actually landed me the new formula. I didn't love the colour so I'll be returning the new versions. SDM's in Milton are a gold mine for the original, with 9 bottles between the two stores I visited - it doesn't seem like there are a whole lot of nail enthusiasts in Milton, or else they'd all be gone! 

On to today's mani. I used Essie "Lapiz of Luxury" as the base (one of my new shades) and sponged a gradient with "Pacific Blue". 

Lapiz of Luxury swatched. 

I love the way the ombré effect looks with these two shades! 

I used MoYou London Tourist plate 21, which has a definite Parisian theme. There are a ton of cute designs, so I chose one floral as the main design with two accent nails on each hand. 

Clearly, getting my stamps straight is something I need a little practice with! I don't mind too much, in particular I think the Eiffel Tower looks cute on a jaunty angle!

On my right hand, I love the little moustaches! 

Despite my lack of centering some of the images, I think this mani is my favourite so far. (Not that I have a whole lot to choose from!). I used Ciate "Snow Virgin" as the stamping colour, and of course topped it off with HK Girl Top Coat which is becoming a fast favourite.

Does your nail polish stash have all the colours of the rainbow, or do you tend to gravitate towards the same colour family?

xo Shawna