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Stamping

Nail Art, Stamping, Uncategorised

The Trouble With Bargains

14th August 2014

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Gradient Stamping Nail Art // The Nailasaurus

The trouble with bargains is that it’s very unlikely you’ll ever find the same one again. It’s a truth that I refuse to accept despite continual proof that it’s one of the harsh realities of life. I found this mint Sally Hansen polish in Poundland and it is, hands down, the best mint nail polish I’ve ever owned. To this day, I still check the shelves every time I go in there, holding out hope that I’ll be able to buy a backup bottle as this one is nearly empty. I even check Fragrance Direct on the regular because I know they often get end of line Sally Hansens but if it has ever appeared on there, I missed my chance. I’ve had so many comments and emails asking me where to find it but the answer is, it seems, nowhere! I guess I’m just sad because I know this polish is coming to an end and it will be a hard one to replace. If anyone knows how that feels, it’ll be you guys!

Today’s nail art is something new to me – a gradient stamp. I’ve stamped over a gradient before but this time the stamping is the gradient. It took me a few goes to master getting a smooth gradient and even more to get the designs straight on my nails but I made it in the end!

I know tribal pattern nails are really popular but insanely hard to perfect so I thought this plate was worth a special mention as it’s covered in ready made tribal nail art. There are a few more in the Explorer Collection that have similarly awesome tribal designs so definitely worth a look if you’re in the market for some easy tribal nails. If you’ve never purchased from them before, you can get 20% off your first order with the MoYou discount code, SAMMY20. Just make sure you’re signed in to your account or the code won’t work.

Items Used

Sally Hansen Green Tea

NYC Picnic on the Lawn

Sally Hansen Brisk Blue

MoYou Explorer Collection 14 Stamping Plate

MoYou Gradient Tribal Nail Art // The Nailasaurus

MoYou Explorer Gradient Tribal Nail Art // The Nailasaurus

Gradient Tribal Stamping Nail Art // The Nailasaurus

Tribal Stamping Nail Art // The Nailasaurus

Gradient, Nail Art, Stamping, Uncategorised

MoYou Hipster Stamping Nail Art

2nd August 2014

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Press Sample

Have I ever told you that I really love MoYou London stamping plates? Wait.. what do you mean, I’ve already told you dozens of times? Well it’s absolutely true. These designs are both from a plate in the Hipster collection and I can’t wait to try out the rest of the designs on the plate. It’s times like these I wish I had 18 fingers so I could use every pattern at once.

What I Used

Gradient Tutorial

Revlon Cloud

Maybelline Ceramic Blue

piCture pOlish Totes

BK Matte White

MoYou London Hipster Stamping Plate 08

Astrid & Miyu Infinity Midi Ring

Nail Art, Stamping, Uncategorised

Evergreen

15th July 2014

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For this forest themed nail art, I wanted a soft and fuzzy background so I went to work with a sponge. I tried it in the style of a galaxy but I couldn’t quite achieve the look I was going for. In the end, I painted little blobs of colour straight on to the sponge and dabbed at it until I was happy. The result is barely even there, but I think it adds a subtle softness to the mani.

I started with a base of Sally Hansen Mojito and then applied a mixture of Graffiti Nails Ice White, piCture pOlish Chillax, Barry M Kiwi and Sally Hansen Green Tea with a sponge.

I topped it with a thin coat of Cirque Iris – a very sparse shimmer – and then stamped the design from Bundle Monster Plate BM407 with BK Matte White.

It’s all topped off with Glisten & Glow HK Girl top coat.

Freehand, Nail Art, Stamping, Uncategorised

Beepbopboop

28th June 2014

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When I was at a nail event a little while ago, this wi-fi design by Jessica Hoffman was on the nail art menu and I knew that I would have to try it for myself. I started this mani intending just to do the wi-fi all over but it swiftly turned in to a technologic mani!

My base colour is Revlon Minted and I topped a few nails with Cirque Magic Hour.

All the stamping is from Bundle Monster plate BM415 and I used OPI Suzi Says Feng Shui and BK Matte White for all the details.

To draw on the wi-fi signal, I used two straight vinyl stencils to mark off a triangle at the base of my nail, then drew 3 curved lines stretching edge-to-edge with a nail art brush. I tried to follow the curve of my cuticle to get them all matching! I quickly removed the vinyls and used a dotting tool to add one dot at the base.

It’s all topped off with a coat of Glisten & Glow HK Girl.

Glitter, Nail Art, Stamping, Uncategorised

Raindrops on Roses

18th June 2014

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Pastel on pastel is never going to look bad but it’s so hard to find pastel shades that are pigmented enough to use with stamping. I mentioned in my post about piCture pOlish’s Urban Shades collection (see that here) that I thought Chillax would work well for stamping and I’m so glad that it does. While it is admittedly on the bright side for a pastel, I think it can pass as it does look a little more muted with the stamps!

I used Barry M Rose Hip as my base colour here. On the accent nails, I used Claire’s Shiver which is a glitter in a shimmery clear base with white and pastel green hexes.

For the stamping, I used piCture pOlish Chillax.

The designs are from MoYou’s Fairytale Collection Plate 02 and Pro Collection Plate 07 (which isn’t on the website anymore, but the same rose pattern is on XL Plate 07). To get 20% off your first order at moyou.co.uk, log in to your account and use the code SAMMY20.

It’s all topped with a coat of Glisten & Glow HK Girl.

Nail Art, Stamping, Uncategorised

Short Circuit

15th June 2014

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I did these nails a little while ago when I was desperate to wear my favourite purple, China Glaze Cowgirl Up, and mattify it. To spice up the manicure a little, I added some stamping using A-England’s Excalibur Renaissance with Bundle Monster Plate BM415.

Bit of a tangent but I feel compelled to mention that circuit is one of those words that doesn’t look like it should be a word (although I know this often comes down to opinion). A freak-of-language combination of letters that just isn’t very pleasing to the eye. I wonder how it came to be that circuit would be pronounced ser-kit? The mind boggles. Well, my mind at least!