Monday, November 30, 2015

Review: UberChic Beauty Collection 6

(Press sample)

Hello!!

I'm back today with UberChic Beauty's 6th collection of awesome plates! First, of course, I have a video review of the plates, which includes my thoughts on how to use the images:





So let's take a look at the images on the plates, first 6-01:


UberChic Beauty 6-01


UberChic Beauty 6-01

UberChic Beauty 6-01


I've dubbed this the 'celebration' plate in my mind, because of the balloons and banners and streamers and presents. But there are a ton of other things to love about this plate--I love the origami-look hearts, and the dotted image for texture. I love the kaleidoscope feel ovals, and the African violets have a special place in my heart.


And 6-02:


UberChic Beauty 6-02


UberChic Beauty 6-02

UberChic Beauty 6-02

My particular favorites on this plate? The keys and locks, the deco images, and that awesome crazy-quilt of geographic flowers and shapes. I love the infinity shapes, and there's just no arguing with how awesome the dotted flower is.


And finally, 6-03:


UberChic Beauty 6-02
UberChic Beauty 6-02

UberChic Beauty 6-02

On a lot of the UberChic collection plates, she gives you a flower image, and then a section of that flower image closer up. In this one she does that, and then gives you a section of the close-up even closer up! Hows that for mix-and-match magnificence? I also love the orchids, the dotticure edging, and the argyle pattern. And the crazy four-point star pattern. *sigh*



Hey! How big are those images? Well, let's take a look (click if you need to enlarge):








 And, the most important thing of all--how do them thar plates stamp?








That's some amazing, crazy good detail. There was a problem with my scraping at the bottom orchid, so don't let that worry you, it was my problem and not the plate. These plates are up to UberChic Beauty's excellent standards, and are going to give you pristine images.

I have yet to get an UberChic Beauty plate that I don't absolutely adore. Excellent quality and a variety of images for every mood--what's not to love?

I'll be back with separate posts with a manicure from each of these plates. In the meantime, you can find these and a ton of other awesome plates at UberChicBeauty.com, and if you're a huge UberChic addict like me, join the Facebook Fangroup.


Happy stamping!
M.

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Before & After: Tee Roses

(Includes press samples; affiliate links)


Hello!

Today I have a quick before-and-after that I actually wore on my birthday back in August; it was inspired by the shirt I wore that day:





I shifted the color scheme a little because I wanted to try something out, so I started with Zoya Charli, an olive-gray creme:






Then I sponged on a some Wet n Wild Tickled Pink and Lavender Creme (a name I find deeply confusing because the shade is hot pink, not lavender), along with a titch of Orly Mirrorball holo magic to capture the shimmer in the shirt. I finished by stamping some roses from Bunny Nails plate BuNa-A:




Here's how it turned out:


Tee roses manicure
Tee roses manicure
Tee roses manicure

Tee roses manicure

Tee roses manicure

I totally get that this combo of colors isn't for everyone, but I ADORE it. The olive gray with the bright pinks--edgy but feminine at the same time. Even if I didn't go exact, I think I captured the feel of the shirt, and to be honest--I wish I could make the background of the shirt the same color as Charli!

What do you think--nailed or no?

Happy stamping,
M.



Friday, November 27, 2015

Review: Incoco Mystic Night collection!

(Press sample)

Hello!!

Well, it's officially the holiday season, and I have a great collection full of holiday magic to show you: Incoco's Mystic Night collection. Each of these has gorgeous bling that's perfect for any holiday occasion:

glitter holo nail wrap incoco holiday nail applique
Incoco Mystic Night collection


First up is Deep Space, which has a navy blue background swathed in dark and light blue glitters, fuschia glitter, and silver glitters:


glitter nail wrap incoco nail applique
Incoco Deep Space


glitter holo nail wrap incoco holiday nail applique
Incoco Deep Space


glitter holo nail wrap incoco holiday nail applique
Incoco Deep Space

glitter holo nail wrap incoco holiday nail applique
Incoco Deep Space


This one reminds me of an evening's snowfall, with the flakes glittering as they catch the light; it's also perfect galaxy nails with no muss or fuss.



Next up is Enchanted Rose, my favorite of the collection; this is a deep wine burgundy background with dusty rose and silver glitters:


glitter holo nail wrap incoco holiday nail applique
Incoco Enchanted Rose


glitter holo nail wrap incoco holiday nail applique
Incoco Enchanted Rose


glitter holo nail wrap incoco holiday nail applique
Incoco Enchanted Rose

glitter holo nail wrap incoco holiday nail applique
Incoco Enchanted Rose


This has a soft Victorian feel that I love, and that puts me in a Dicken's Christmas Carol kind of mood. So pretty, so soft, but still so glittery!



Next we have Golden Age, and sprinkle of gold and bronze glitters on a gold background:


glitter holo nail wrap incoco holiday nail applique
Incoco Golden Age


glitter holo nail wrap incoco holiday nail applique
Incoco Golden Age


glitter holo nail wrap incoco holiday nail applique
Incoco Golden Age

glitter holo nail wrap incoco holiday nail applique
Incoco Golden Age


There is so pretty and so blingy and so rich, perfect for any holiday occasion--New Year's Eve, with red or green stamping (or both) for Christmas, this will sparkle up any holiday party and make the perfect foundation for any nail art.


And finally, we have Stars Align, which has a dark purple background with fuschia and gold glitter:

glitter holo nail wrap incoco holiday nail applique
Incoco Stars Align

glitter holo nail wrap incoco holiday nail applique
Incoco Stars Align


But, we also have a tale of holiday horror...This set came punctured and dried out, the equivalent of receiving a broken bottle of polish. So, I thought I'd use this as an opportunity to let you know what shouldn't be happening when you received a set of nail appliques from Incoco:

If the appliques don't stick on their own without you pushing them down, there's a problem.
If the appliques don't stay down when you've applied them, there's a problem.
If the appliques break when you try to gently stretch them, there's a problem.
If you get wrinkles and gaps all around even when you've applied carefully, there's a problem.

In all of these cases, you've received a set that has somehow been punctured or didn't seal correctly, and you should contact Incoco about it. Take a look at the pictures of how this set applied compared to the pictures above:


glitter holo nail wrap incoco holiday nail applique
Incoco Stars Align

Incoco Stars Align

glitter holo nail wrap incoco holiday nail applique
Incoco Stars Align


You normally might get a wrinkle or two, but this is extreme and signals a problem! That said, I do love the colors of this and I'm sure if I got a set that wasn't punctured, this would have been my favorite set. The glitter has an almost duochrome feel; the purple glitter shifts blue and almost gold-coral. Really beautiful, and very festive.


I love this collection--pretty glitter that you can wear alone, or use with nail art (and I'll be showing you some with this collection). I especially love Incoco during the holiday season, because I can throw on something beautiful with no hassle in no time flat and look great. And, if you love the look of glitter but hate the clean-up, you have to check these out--no foils or special base coats needed, just regular nail polish. They're a smidge harder to remove than normal non-glitter wraps, but not much, and they're light years easier to remove than glitter polishes.

I definitely suggest picking up a pack of these to ease your holiday season and for beyond!

You can find these wraps at Incoco's website. and don't forget to check out the Incoco selection at your local Walgreen's.

Happy appliqueing!
M.

Before & After: French Comics

(Polish is press sample; affiliate links)

Hello!

Today's theme in the Crumpet Nail Tarts challenge is "Comics", and I recently had the theme "Funky French" in the Nail Challenge Collaborative, so I had to combine them both!

I started with Barielle Sheer Nonsense, which I thought had a bit of a newspaper feel:

Barielle Sheer Nonsense


 Then I stamped with MoYou London Pro 16 and Frenchy 5:



MoYou London Frenchy 05

MoYou London Pro 16


I stamped with Eat Sleep Polish Endless Sheets of Canvas, and I used the reversed-stamping technique for all images, and colored them in with Sally Hansen Lightning and Rapid Red:


Frenchy comics

Frenchy comics

Frenchy comics


What do you think? I think it's sassy and bright and kitchsy and fun. I meant to make the girl's eyes blue, but totally spaced it out--I think that would have been an extra pop of color that would have worked well, but I still think it's fun as is. Hope you like it, too!

Happy stamping,
M.