Today I want to share the mani I wore on Mardi Gras--I didn't get a chance to blog it before, but I think it's a fun look not just for Mardi Gras, so figured I'd go ahead and share it after. :)
I used images from MoYou London Mandala 14, which I adore:
MoYou London Mandala 14 over Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer's My Precious and Green's Alexandrite With Me
MoYou London Mandala 14 over Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer's My Precious and Green's Alexandrite With Me
I love how the flakes and the glitters in these two polishes make such a gorgeous background, and I love how the stamping give a wrought-iron Anne-Rice sort of mystical look.
What do you think, does it put you in the mood to let the good times roll?
Today we're gonna take a look at a new plate from Dixie Plates, her Mega Mani 01 plate, with three manis I did using the plate. Here's the video review I did of the plate:
And here's the still shot:
Dixie Plates Mega Mani Mix 01
This plate has very generous images at 2.1x 2.5 cm, great for longer nails (which just rubs in the fact that I just broke a ton of nails because I switched my basecoat--noooooooo), and gives you a variety of looks. Remember that that because the images are so big, you'll be picking up only a section of them--that means you can get a variety of looks from within the same image depending on where you look, so pull out your little nail guide and play around. :)
The stamping quality is top-notch as always:
I did these with my clear stamper and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Midnight Flight.
Dixie Plates Mega Mani Mix 01 over Girly Bits Shake What Ya Mama Gave Ya
Dixie Plates Mega Mani Mix 01 over Girly Bits Shake What Ya Mama Gave Ya
I love how the design lets the gorgeous duochrome holo shine through, and i love how the diamond glitters gives it a little bit of contrast to accent the different colors of light thrown by the holo. Easy mani that looks lush!
Dixie Plates Mega Mani Mix 01 over The Lady Varnishes Harpy
Dixie Plates Mega Mani Mix 01 over The Lady Varnishes Harpy
Dixie Plates Mega Mani Mix 01 over The Lady Varnishes Harpy
I love the rich colors, and love that the negative space in the design lets the holo sparkle on through. Something about this feels like it comes from a sci-fi movie, something a beautiful alien race would wear from some exotically named planet. Or maybe an ancient civilization...
For my third mani, I wanted to play with the lace images. Whenever I see lace, I want to do a 'naked' lace look, so I picked two lace images that had a similar mesh pattern, and mixed and matched. I started with a base of clear polish with gold glitter, Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer's Four-Star Daydream, and then stamped with Kaleidoscope White. I did reversed stamping for my accent nails, and filled in the flower with Spellbound Nails In Just 7 Days. Here's how it came out:
Dixie Plates Mega Mani Mix 01 over Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Four-Star Daydream
Dixie Plates Mega Mani Mix 01 over Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Four-Star Daydream
I adore this look and this technique, so I made a tutorial if you want to replicate it:
So what do you think? Do you have a favorite of the three? I think together they show what a wide range of looks you can get from this plate, and even more so if you have longer nails.
If you're in the US and Canada, you can find this plate at Lantern & Wren. If you're elsewhere, check out Dixie Plates website for a retailer that ships to you. In the meantime, stalk Dixie Plates here:
...And, here's another NOTD to start the New Year off right!
For this mani, I started off with a base of Zoya Bay and Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Goin' Way Down South, then stamped an image from UberChic Beauty 17-03 with Moonflower Polish Moonflower:
UberChic Beauty 17-03 over Zoya Bay and Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Goin' Way Down South
UberChic Beauty 17-03 over Zoya Bay and Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Goin' Way Down South
Okay, I said yesterday's mani was my last Halloween mani of the year.
And it is.
But, November 1st is a day that a lot of cultures celebrate as a day to remember the loved ones they've lost, and in that spirit, I have a mani about trying to talk to those we have on the other side...
MoYou London Circus Collection 07 over Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer A Soul For Sale Or Rent and The Lady Varnishes Evil Like Me
MoYou London Circus Collection 07 over Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer A Soul For Sale Or Rent and The Lady Varnishes Evil Like Me
What do you think? I love stuff like this--I read tarot cards, and one of my book series is about a woman who solves mysteries with the help of an enchanted tarot deck--so this is right up my alley.
Today I'm going to take a look at MoYou London Africa 04, a plate that's been a around for a while, but that I only got my hands on a little bit ago. Here's the video review I did of the plate:
And here's a closer look:
What I love about this plate: The strength of designs like this is their bold intricacy. You can throw a rainbow at them and they'll sing--you'll get big, beautiful designs that make a statement, without drowning the pattern itself. But, you can also use them for more subtle color-on-color art, and the detail in the patterns are strong enough to create a gorgeous look.
The images on this plate are 1.5 x 2.0 cm, and here's a shot with an inch ruler:
In terms of quality stamping, MoYou London is at the top of the industry. Check out how beautifully all the detail is preserved--and this is with a clear stamper:
See what I mean about how that design just pops on a color-on-color manicure? The detailed flowers create a rich look even with a simple one-pass technique. Fast, but amazing. You gotta love that!
You can find this plate, and literally dozens of others, on MoYou London's website, and you can follow them around the interwebs here:
Oh yes oh yes, today is Mardi Gras! Time to eat, drink, be merry, and collect as many little strings of plastic beads as you can! Bring on the zydeco! Bring on the crawfish! Have at it, 'cause lent starts tomorrow!
UberChic Beauty 14-01 over Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer and Spellbound Nails polishes
UberChic Beauty 14-01 over Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer and Spellbound Nails polishes
What do you think?! I love how these colors play together to make a perfect Mardi Gras triad, and there's enough shimmer and glitter to give it some New Orleans glitz. And I was really impressed by the ringed pearls--they stayed put for ages. If you like them, you can find them here in Born Pretty Store, and can use my code for 10% off your purchase: MCL91.
Happy stamping, and happy Mardi Gras! Laissez les bons temps rouler!!
M.
Remember the olden days when there was no such thing as clear stampers and layering plates? Good times...NOT. Thank goodness we're living in more enlightened times, and thank goodness for these layering plates from Messy Mansion:
If you're on your way to a party or just want to look like you've got a party on you hands, this is the plate for you! Presents and banners and balloons, and even ice cream, all done in layers so you can get all the color your heart desires.
The images are all different sizes, so here's a shot next to a ruler to give you a sense of how big they are:
And how do they stamp? Really well:
I did this on camera, so my layering isn't perfect, but you get the idea!
For my sample mani, I wanted to play around with the bows, and was inspired to pair them with these cute bow charms sent to me for review by Charlie's Nail Art:
Messy Mansion Crystal 01 & Charlie's Nail Art bow charms over Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Best-Selling Show, A Love Such As This, and Spellbound Nails Milky Way
Messy Mansion Crystal 01 & Charlie's Nail Art bow charms over Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Best-Selling Show, A Love Such As This, and Spellbound Nails Milky Way
Messy Mansion Crystal 01 & Charlie's Nail Art bow charms over Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Best-Selling Show, A Love Such As This, and Spellbound Nails Milky Way
What do you think?! I love this soooo much, it's so pin-up and retro and cute. And I love how all of these colors play together! And I was impressed--these bows stayed on much better than I expected them too, I think because the edges are rounded, so they didn't catch as much as I expected them to. I wouldn't expect them to stay on for days at a time, but for an event I think you'd be okay. :)
You can find the bows in Charlie's Nail Art store, and you can use my code, LOLAM10, for 10% off your order. You can follow them here:
Today I have another MoYou London plate to review for you, Trend Hunder 08! Here's the video review I did:
And here's a shot of the plate:
MoYou London Trend Hunder 08
I. Love. This. Plate. It's the most awesome combination of ancient Egyptian symbols and art deco and futuristic sci-fi I've ever seen--it's like I've been dropped onto the set of Stargate or The Fifth Element. Like someone set the Great Gatsby in a sci-fi redux. You all know I love ancient Egyptian stuff to start with, and this is a different spin on it that makes me deeply, deeply happy.
The potential for mix-and-match is strong in this plate. But, I also suggest you pull out any images of stripes that you have, and any other art-deco images you have--and of course any ancient Egyptian images you have--and play around with combinations. A lot of these images are statement pieces on their own, and can make a strong accent nail, by themselves or combined with patterns from other plates. To my mind, these plates call out for bold colors--this is not a plate for the shy, I don't think.
The images on this plate are XL size, 1.5 x 2.0 cm (0.6 in x 0.8 inches). And, the stamping quality is top-notch:
For my first manicure, I started with a base of Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Green's Alexandrite With Me, and then stamped with MoYou London Ginger Rust and Messy Mansion Jingle Bells. To finish off the look, I added a ringed half-pearl from Born Pretty Store (use code MCL91 for 10% off your order):
MoYou London Trend Hunder 08 over Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Green's Alexandrite With Me
MoYou London Trend Hunder 08 over Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Green's Alexandrite With Me
MoYou London Trend Hunder 08 over Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Green's Alexandrite With Me
I love the sci-fi reptile look of this! The holo is gorgeous to start with, and these images allow so much of that to shine through while adding the perfect amount of adornment. This seriously feels like jewelry to me.
For my second look, I started with a base of Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer A Soul For Sale Or Rent, then stamped with Messy Mansion Soft Gold; to finish the look I put a blue stud over the eye:
MoYou London Trend Hunder 08 over Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer A Soul For Sale Or Rent
MoYou London Trend Hunder 08 over Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer A Soul For Sale Or Rent
MoYou London Trend Hunder 08 over Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer A Soul For Sale Or Rent
This has such a the-ancient-Egyptians-were-visited-by-aliens conspiracy theory vibe! I love how the images and the colors and the sparkly scattered holo work together to create an otherworldly sort of feel. :)
You can find this plate in MoYou London's store, and you can find them all over the social medias:
