Are you guys ready for some turkey?! We just bought ours yesterday and are slowly defrosting it in the fridge. I'm not a huge turkey fan myself, but my hubby is, and I love all the sides that go along with it. I'm also a big fan of actually spending a little time enjoying Thanksgiving before I decorate for Christmas! So I'm very excited to about Dixie Plates Thanksgiving plate.
Here's the video review I did for the plate:
And here's a shot of the plate:
I love the balance of image types on this plate. the wheat image is great for texture, and the chevrons add a beautiful accent nail to any mani. The negative space fall leaves are great for showing off those specialty polishes, and OMG--how cute is that turkey and that scarecrow?!
And here's a look with a ruler so you can judge the size of all those little elements:
This plate has a lot of images with very fine lines, but they stamp beautifully. A reminder: when you're working with fine lines and clear stampers, be generous with your polish, use a very gentle scrape, and work quickly. :)
For today's mani, I started with a base of Sally Hansen Get Mod, and Shinespark Polish Harvest and Pumpkin Spice. I made acorn decals stamping with Messy Mansion Pudding, and Shinespark Polish Pumpkin Spice, and stamped the rest of my images with Messy Mansion Soft Gold, Pudding and Carbon. Here's how it turned out:
I also made a video to show you how I did it:
I love how seasonal and festive this came out. I messed up a little filling in the one acorn decal, but I think it gives it an old-fashioned feel, like with old newspapers and magazines when the color was off a little. Very homey and fun. :)
If you're in the US or Canada, you can find this plate at Lantern & Wren. For other locations, check out Dixie Plates' site here. And definitely follow Dixie Plates around the interwebs:
Today I have the Zoya Party Girls winter 2017 collection to show you--it took me a little longer to get this to you than I had hoped, because I had a break half-way through swatching. So, half of the pictures you see below are going to be on shorter nails, and half are going to be on longer...
Zoya Party Girls collection--part 1
Zoya Party Girls collection--part 2
The packaging this comes in if you order the entire collection is gorgeous--check out the unboxing video I did:
Okay, so, let's jump into the collection, short nails first. This is Zoya Blake, a blackened purple that leans hard on the the blackened side:
Zoya Blake
Zoya Blake
Coverage: 2 coats Formula/application: Perfection
This polish wears black, but not stark black. The purple undertone and the hint of gold shimmer make this mysterious and lush.
Next up is Zoya Danielle a lavender creme that flirts with the border of periwinkle:
I struggled to capture the true color of this polish, which looks more lavender than it's showing up on my computer. Look at the bottom of the bottle--see that lavender shade? That's the true color. It makes me think of meadows of wildflowers, soft, romantic, and sweet.
Then there's Zoya Isadora, a shimmery plum-aubergine:
Zoya Isadora
Zoya Isadora
Zoya Isadora
Coverage: 2 coats Formula/application: Perfection
This is my definition of a holiday party! I love jewel tones for winter, and this rich aubergine puts me right there. Plum puddings and blackberry pies and gorgeous, gorgeous nails.
This has a soft, subdued feel to it that brings the pretty on those days when you don't want to go the jewel-tone route this winter.
Moving on, we get to Zoya Tawny, a rust-red shimmer:
Zoya Tawny
Zoya Tawny
Zoya Tawny
Coverage: 2 coats Formula/application: Perfection
This is another of my favorites in the collection. The gold and rust and red play together so beautifully, it's like wearing flames on your fingertips. I'll be wearing this for Thanksgiving dinner this year.
I expected this t have more of a duochrome effect based on the look in the bottle--it's there, but it's very subtle, and you have to look for it. You wouldn't necessarily think 'duochrome' when you see this, but it does have more movement and light play than a 'normal' shimmer. This is sugar plum fairies and snow princesses. Flirty, pretty, amethyst perfection.
And now, on to the long nail swatches, starting with Zoya Fallon, a vibrant berry shimmer:
Zoya Fallon
Zoya Fallon
Coverage: 2 coats Formula/application: Perfection
This was a sleeper surprise for me--I don't normally adore berries, but the glow to this pulled me in, and I just fell in love. Gorgeous.
Next we have Zoya Kelsey, a barbie pink creme:
Zoya Kelsey
Zoya Kelsey
Zoya Kelsey
Coverage: 1-2 coats Formula/application: Good
I have to admit, this one is a bit unexpected in a winter collection for me, but since the collection is called 'Party Girls', I get it--I know plenty of ladies out there who love to rock out pink when they're out on the town.
You don't get much more holiday than this--this is poinsettias and Santa Claus suits and the red stripes on candy canes. The perfect bright red for the season.
And then there's Zoya Nadia, a shimmery duochrome blend of gold and copper:
Zoya Nadia
Zoya Nadia
Zoya Nadia
Coverage: 3 coats Formula/application: Thin, but very nice application
Gold and copper duochrome?! That's gorgeous for both fall manis and for holiday glitz. The shimmer and play of light on this is perfect for all your candle lit dinners and dance floors this season.
Zoya Sheri takes red into the cherry creme zone:
Zoya Sheri
Zoya Sheri
Coverage: 2 coats Formula/application: Excellent
If you like your holiday reds a little darker, and I do, Sheri's the girl for you. A little more vampy than Ming, this is how Mrs. Claus dresses back at the house when she gets Santa alone at the end of the day. ;-)
And finally, we have Zoya Solstice, a shimmery golden peach:
Zoya Solstice
Zoya Solstice
Zoya Solstice
Coverage: 2 coats Formula/application: Perfection
I like this in the bottle and became obsessed with it on the nail. The gold shimmer in this transforms the color peach from pie into a warm cobbler with plenty of cinnamon. This is sexy and just plain HOT.
Overall, I think this collection is an interesting blend of fall and winter colors. Zoya continues to put out cremes that cover in one coat, and their shimmers always have depth and personality. There are colors here I'll be happy to rock for the rest of November, and winter shades I'll be definitely grabbing for December and January.
You can find this collection now on Zoya's website, and you can stalk them around the internet here:
Today I have another mani for you made with UberChic Beauty Texture-licious 03, this one in a fall theme also using UberChic Beauty Lovely Leaves 02.
I started with a base of Zoya Olivera. Next, I stamped my Texture-licious 03 image, one that looks to me like falling rain, in Hit The Bottle Polish My Suitor Wears Pewter (also available at Beautometry.com), to look like rain lit up by moonlight. Then, I stamped my leaves first with either Hit The Bottle Polish Copper-Haired Girl, Drop Red Gorgeous, or It Mossed Be Love, and then stamped my second layer with Hit The Bottle Polish Everyday I'm Truffling. Here's how it came out:
UberChic Beauty Texture-licious 03 and Lovely Leaves 02 over Zoya Olivera
UberChic Beauty Texture-licious 03 and Lovely Leaves 02 over Zoya Olivera
What do you think? This is one of my very favorite manicures I've done this year. It captures the serenity of a soft rain on a cool autumn evening. And I have to say, I love how reliable Hit The Bottle Polish stamping polishes are--I always know they'll show up beautifully over my dark colors.
I love this mani so much, I'm so glad I made a tutorial for you as I went:
I hope you're having a lovely fall! Happy stamping,
M. xoxo
Today I have another new-to-me brand of plates to show you: B. Loves Plates. We're going to take a look at her Flower Power plate, which I'm reviewing along with two Moonflower Polish stamping polishes, all sent to me for review from Lantern & Wren. Here's the video review I made of the plate:
Let's take a closer look at the goodies:
B. Loves Plates B.02 Flower Power
The images are approximately 1.6cm x 2.0 cm:
And here are the two Moonflower Polishes, Mar Caribe and Atardecer en el Morro:
Moonflower Polish Mar Caribe and Atardecer en el Morro
Seriously, how gorgeous are those colors for fall!! I found that both of these polishes stamped beautifully over lighter colors, and Mar Caribe showed up well over darker colors, although Atardecer en el Morro was more muted over dark colors. Both had good consistency, and played well with the B. Loves Plates plate.
For my first mani, I wanted to do a fall version of the sort of chintz porcelain-type pattern you normally see in blue over white, so I did a play with this shimmer over a Zoya McKenna, which is a pearly beige-almond and stamped a chintz pattern with Moonflower Polish Mar Caribe:
B. Loves Plates B.02 Flower Power stamped with Moonflower Polish Mar Caribe over Zoya McKenna
B. Loves Plates B.02 Flower Power stamped with Moonflower Polish Mar Caribe over Zoya McKenna
I love the softer contrast of this, it has a subtle sophistication, and the shimmer gives it a little extra something. And look at how beautifully that image stamps!!
For my second manicure, I was struck by how Atardecer en el Morro looked like fall leaves on fire to me, so I wanted to let that orange shine through for another type of simple fall mani--so I stamped it over Sally Hansen Get Mod:
B. Loves Plates B.02 Flower Power and Moonflower Polish Atardecer en el Morro over Sally Hansen Get Mod
B. Loves Plates B.02 Flower Power and Moonflower Polish Atardecer en el Morro over Sally Hansen Get Mod
Normally I think of manis done over white as very springy or summery, but I love how this orange just pulls you into the season. And again--look how beautiful that image is!
I was very impressed with the quality of this plate, and would absolutely recommend them. The Moonflower Polishes performed well and I love how vibrant both of them are over light colors, and how pretty Mar Caribe is over black.
You can find all of these products at Lantern & Wren if you're in the US and Canada, and you can check in directly with Moonflower Polish and B. Loves Plates if you're located elsewhere. You can also stalk them both around the interwebs here:
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.
