Showing posts with label Julep. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Julep. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Moyra 44 Stained Glass!

(Press samples and affiliate links ahead!)

Hello!


I hope you had a happy Easter! I made my very first hummingbird cake and it came out soooo good, it's definitely going in my permanent rotation. :)


Today I have my very first Moyra plate to show you--Moyra 44 Stained Glass! I've been eyeballing Moyra plates for a while, especially this one. My very first (and very tragic) nail art tutorial back in 2012 was my attempt to get a stained glass look eons before clear stampers came on the market (it's still on the channel, but it's not worth the 8 minutes to watch it, even for a laugh, lol). Now, with a plate like this, stained glass looks are simple and fast, and I'm in love.


Of course I did a video review of the plate:



And here's a look at it:


Moyra 44 Stained Glass

Moyra's full-nail images are 2.0 x 2.5 centimeters, so they're generous. That also means if you have shorter nails, you can pull 2-3 different areas from an image and still get full coverage, so plan out which part of the image you want before you start.


I've only heard good things about Moyra, so I wasn't surprised to find the images were top-notch quality, even with my clear stamper:





This plate is designed for more advanced techniques, especially leadlighting and reversed stamping, but simpler techniques are gorgeous still, too. Here are four ideas I swatched for you:




From left to right, here are the techniques I used:

1) Just colored in directly with sharpies (so easy!!)
2) Reversed stamping (how beautiful over Zoya Brighton, a golden-beige scattered holo!)
3) One-pass stamping
4) Watercolor sharpie technique


For my first manicure, I wanted to show you a technique I call reversed leadlighting--because instead of using colors that show over white, you use interference toppers that show over black:

Moyra 44 Stained Glass over Julep Ledi, with reversed leadlighting

Moyra 44 Stained Glass over Julep Ledi, with reversed leadlighting

Here's what I used:

Base polish: Julep Ledi
Stamping polish: Moyra 08 Silver
Fill-in toppers: Zoya Leia, The Lady Varnishes Dragon

This technique gives stunning impact with a very minimal amount of effort! So pull out all of those toppers you have, and get to playin'.


For my second mani, I had to use the gorgeous shell image on the plate. I wanted to capture that gorgeous look that shells have, so I used this glitter dust powder from Beauty Big Bang:




I'm not sure if it has real shells in it, but it sure looks like it! For my manicure, I stamped once to give a general guide where I should place my shell dust, and then added in some shimmer with Zoya Leia and Zoya Leisel. I put on two layers of topcoat over the dust, to even out the surface. Then I stamped over again to define the image, and stamped stained glass lines on the other nails:


Moyra 44 Stained Glass over Zoya Snow White, Haruko, and Trudith

Moyra 44 Stained Glass over Zoya Snow White, Haruko, and Trudith


Here's what I used:

Base polishes: Zoya Snow White, Zoya Haruko, Zoya Trudith
Stamping polishes: Moyra 08 Silver, Kaleidoscope st-02 White, Zoya Trudith (yes, it stamps!)
Fillers: BeautyBigBang glitter dust, Zoya Leia, Zoya Leisel


How pretty is that shell powder?! An image that beautiful deserves a little extra bling, I think. ;-)


In the US and Canada, you can find Moyra 44 Stained Glass, Moyra stamping polish, and Kaleidoscope stamping polish all at Lantern & Wren; check Moyra's site for retailers that ship elsewhere. You can find the glitter dust powder at BeautyBigBang, and use my code, MISHKA824M, for 10% off your order.


And don't forget to follow Moyra and Lantern & Wren around the interwebs for awesome inspiration:

Lantern & Wren


Moyra



Big hugs,
M. xoxo

Follow me! 

Monday, July 17, 2017

UberChic Beauty Garden Love mini!

(Press samples and affiliate links ahead!) 

Hello!


Today we're going to take a look at the new Garden Love mini plate from UberChic Beauty...Here's the video review I did of the plate:




Let's take a closer look:


UberChic Beauty Garden Love
UberChic Beauty Garden Love


What I love about this plate: There's plenty of stuff here to build whatever gardening scenes you want, with a few very cute sayings to help you along. My favorite images are the bees and the hexes (also love that she gives the little images to go alone with the full-nail image), the snail, and the inchworm. Oh, and, ahem...I find the little gnome just a teeny bit terrifying.


UberChic Beauty full-nail images are 17mm x 21mm, and here's a shot with a ruler so you can see the size of the other images:





Quality is always top-notch with UberChic Beauty, and this plate is no exception. Here are my test swatches, all done with a clear stamper:





For my first manicure, I started with a base of Zoya Darcy, Julep Ledi, and Sally Hansen Get Mod. Then I stamped with Messy Mansion Chalk, Carbon, and Banana Bender:


UberChic Beauty Garden Love over Zoya Darcy, Julep Ledi, and Sally Hansen Get Mod, stamped with Messy Mansion polishes
UberChic Beauty Garden Love over Zoya Darcy, Julep Ledi, and Sally Hansen Get Mod, stamped with Messy Mansion polishes

UberChic Beauty Garden Love over Zoya Darcy, Julep Ledi, and Sally Hansen Get Mod, stamped with Messy Mansion polishes
UberChic Beauty Garden Love over Zoya Darcy, Julep Ledi, and Sally Hansen Get Mod, stamped with Messy Mansion polishes


For my second mani, I started with a base of Zoya Lois, then stamped some thyme with Hit The Bottle Polish It Mossed Be Love (HTB is also available at Beautometry). Then I made decals of the dragonfly, stamped with Messy Mansion Sterling and filled in with Hit The Bottle Polish Amethyst Sizzle:


UberChic Beauty Garden Love over Zoya Lois, stamped with Hit The Bottle and Messy Mansion polishes
UberChic Beauty Garden Love over Zoya Lois, stamped with Hit The Bottle and Messy Mansion polishes

UberChic Beauty Garden Love over Zoya Lois, stamped with Hit The Bottle and Messy Mansion polishes
UberChic Beauty Garden Love over Zoya Lois, stamped with Hit The Bottle and Messy Mansion polishes

These are both so different--one has a more graphic, bold look while the other is feminine and flirty-- but I love how summery they are!


You can find the plate in UberChic Beauty's store, and you can stalk follow them around the interwebs here:




Happy stamping!
M.

Monday, May 29, 2017

Messy Mansion Crystal 03 plate (Or, Urban Panda!)

(Press samples and affiliate links ahead!)

Hello!


I hope you're having a wonderful long weekend! We're going to barbeque some burgers and spend some time welcoming summer. :)


Today I have a layering plate to show you from Messy Mansion that's a ton of fun if you're into cute animals: Messy Mansion Crystal 03. Here's the video review I did of several of their Crystal layering plates:




Let's take a closer look:

Messy Mansion Crystal 03
Messy Mansion Crystal 03


These images are all different sizes, so here's a shot with a ruler to help you get a feel for how big they are:





And how does it stamp? Take a look:



Good quality images, and seriously, how adorable are those faces!!!


For my manicure, I wanted to go a different way that full-on cute animal, so I decided to give a my panda a little bit of an urban-graffiti type of feel. I started with a base of Julep Ledi and stamped over it with Messy Mansion Sterling, Carbon, and Chalk, using Messy Mansion Leadlight Lacquer A08 plate for my background:


Messy Mansion Crystal 03 and Leadlight Lacquer A08 over Julep Ledi, stamped with Sterling, Carbon, and Chalk
Messy Mansion Crystal 03 and Leadlight Lacquer A08 over Julep Ledi, stamped with Sterling, Carbon, and Chalk

Messy Mansion Crystal 03 and Leadlight Lacquer A08 over Julep Ledi, stamped with Sterling, Carbon, and Chalk
Messy Mansion Crystal 03 and Leadlight Lacquer A08 over Julep Ledi, stamped with Sterling, Carbon, and Chalk


When I stamped my panda, I first stamped the background in Sterling and then again slightly offset in Chalk to give a shadowed effect and help the panda pop off the black background. Then I stamped my final layer on top in Carbon. I think this is a kicky, fun, happy way to show a little panda love, because I have to admit my little secret--I adore pandas. ;-)


You can find both of these plates and the stamping polishes on Messy Mansion's site, or on Amazon if that's easier for you. And you can follow them around the interwebs here:




Happy stamping!
M.

Saturday, March 4, 2017

Review: Born Pretty Store BP-L057 (Or, Skeletons need love too)

(Press samples ahead!)

Hello!


Today we're gonna take a look at Born Pretty Store BP-L057, a Halloween-themed plate that has lots of fun skeletons for people like me to use throughout the year. :) Here's the video review I did:





And here's a still shot of the plate:




Can I just squeee a little bit about how much I love those skeleton kitties?! Because seriously--skeleton kitties!!! How cute is that!!!!


Here's a look at the relative sizes, since there are a bunch of shapes on the plate:






And how does it stamp? Check these test swatches out:





Deliciously creepy, my nail-art friends!!


For my sample mani, I started with a base of The Lady Varnishes Broken Carousel and Julep Ledi, then stamped with Messy Mansion Sterling. Here's how it came out:


Born Pretty Store BP-L057 over The Lady Varnishes Broken Carousel and Julep Ledi
Born Pretty Store BP-L057 over The Lady Varnishes Broken Carousel and Julep Ledi

Born Pretty Store BP-L057 over The Lady Varnishes Broken Carousel and Julep Ledi
Born Pretty Store BP-L057 over The Lady Varnishes Broken Carousel and Julep Ledi


Skeletons are people too, and they need love--so what better than a totally adorable skeleton kitty!?!

You can find this plate in the Born Pretty Store, and you can use my code for 10% off your full order: MCL91.



Happy stamping!!
M.

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Before & After: Fall Sunset (featuring Julep Riley, Zoya Tanzy + UberChic Beauty 9-03)

(Press samples and affiliate links ahead!)

Hello!

Hey, are you missing summer? If so, I have a fall manicure with a teensy splash of summer in it for you today...

Continuing on with my fall 2016 obsession with orange (I didn't plan this, I swear, it just sorta happened), I started with a base of Julep Riley, a gorgeous blood-orange with a blue shimmer:


Julep Riley
Julep Riley

Then I sponged some Zoya Tanzy on the tips:


Julep Riley + Zoya Tanzy
Julep Riley + Zoya Tanzy

Then I stamped using UberChic Beauty 9-03 and Julep Mickey:


UberChic Beauty 9-03
UberChic Beauty 9-03


Here's how it came out:

   
Zoya Tanzy over Julep Riley, stamped with UberChic Beauty 9-03
Zoya Tanzy over Julep Riley, stamped with UberChic Beauty 9-03

Zoya Tanzy over Julep Riley, stamped with UberChic Beauty 9-03
Zoya Tanzy over Julep Riley, stamped with UberChic Beauty 9-03

What do you think? I love the fall colors, but I love the little splash of magenta to give it extra pizzazz. :)


Happy stamping!
M.


Saturday, November 12, 2016

Review: UberChic Beauty Mermaid Life (with sample mani featuring Zoya Levi and Julep Adele)

(Press samples and affiliate links ahead!)

Hello!


Do you wish you were a mermaid? My personal wish list goes like this: Queen, Magical Superhero, Mermaid. But honestly, any one of the above is juuuust fine.


If you're a wannabe mermaid, UberChic Beauty has made the perfect plate for you, their Mermaid Life plate. Of course I did a review discussing the images for you:





(And if you prefer your reviews a little more on the fast side, check out my super-quick version, here.)


Let's take a look at the plate:





There's a mermaid here for every mood: sexy, cute, whimsical, straight hair, curly hair, up close, full-body. But, there's also plenty of fun images to build pirate manicures and ocean manicures--and can I just say how in love I am with the full-nail scallop shell images at the bottom? Stayed tuned for a mani I'e done with that.


How about size? This'll give you an idea of the size of the images:





And how do they stamp?





Top-notch quality, as always. :)


For my sample mani, I used Zoya Levi on three nails, and Julep Adele on the other two. Then I stamped a variety of scallop shell images from the plate with Messy Mansion Chalk:


UberChic Beauty Mermaid Life over Zoya Levi and Julep Adele
UberChic Beauty Mermaid Life over Zoya Levi and Julep Adele

UberChic Beauty Mermaid Life over Zoya Levi and Julep Adele


What do you think? I think this came out sparkly, but not over the top, and with an elegant edge. We won't talk about the fact that I messed up the side of the thumb a little...ahem.


You can find this plate in UberChic Beauty's store, and don't forget to follow them on Instagram and Facebook for inspiration and news updates. :)


Happy stamping!
M.