The Digit-al Dozen Does Recreations--Day 5!

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Hello!


So today I'm back with my final recreation of The Digit-al Dozen's recreation week, and I saved the biggest transformation for last...let's take a look at the offending mani:

This is one of those manis that I like every individual component, but somehow when I put them all together, they all just turn into a big pile of yuck. I love the base polish, which if my photography wasn't so horrible, would show as a lavender holo. I like the image just fine, and I'm always a big fan of adding dots to a stamped image. So is it the color combination that's throwing me off? No, I don't think so...


Okay, there's one thing I know just doesn't work. That chick-hatchling-tooth-looking gemstone on the accent nail. THAT definitely has to go.


Since I couldn't pinpoint what I thought went wrong with the design, I decided to just put a modern twist on the whole thing. I went full-on henna, but put the full images only on three nails rather than all five, then put partial images on the other two. And instead of the holo, I went with cremes, and kept the whole thing mattified. What a difference a little modernizing makes:

Lesly LS-132 over Zoya Abby

Lesly LS-132 over Zoya Abby

I started with a base of Zoya Abby, then stamped the image from Lesly LS-132 (I'll have a review of this and two other Lesly plates up on my YouTube Channel soon):

And I stamped with Messy Mansion Misty Jade and Amalfi Coast. And with that, I give you my final recreation mani!


This week has been an interesting one...I think it's a good thing every once in a while to stop and take stock. While I'm horrified at some of the things I put up on the web in my early days, the original point of my blog was to document my journey, including what I learned as I learned it. Over time the focus of the blog has changed and grown, but I still want this to be a place where I talk about the things I try that don't work as well as my successes--and this was a good way to remind myself of that. :)


I hope you've had some fun, and maybe even a few laughs, looking at some of my first attempts at nail art. And don't forget to check out the other ladies' final recreations, below!


Big hugs,
M. xoxo

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The Digit-al Dozen Does Recreations--Day 4!

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Hello!


So today's day 4 of the Digit-al Dozen's recreation week, and I'm back with another of my very first manis to recreate for you...

(BTW, I see that this series has cause a number of you to go back and check out some of my first posts...I offer my sincerest apologies to you, lol! In fact, I'm considering changing my hosting plan because it's probably super stupid for me to pay money to keep those up in the blogosphere--nobody's got time to waste on manis that bad!!!)


So today's recreation is a lesson in the folly of pig-headedness...before I explain what I mean, let's take a look at the original mani:

Okay, yeah, so. Since the very beginning of my nail art journey, I've been obsessed with making silver stamping over gold holo, or gold stamping over silver holo, work, especially with visual-illusion images. Now, sometimes they do work enough that they're pretty in real life--but I have never, ever been able to get it to work such that I can photograph it and have it show up well in my pictures. Ironically, this is actually the best I've been able to manage.


Every few years at Easter time, my brain says to me "Hey, wow, those marshmallow peeps sure look good," conveniently forgetting how much I detest marshmallow peeps. And every so often, that same portion of my brain tells me that this time, this combination of silver and gold will work, because surely some stamping polish/base coat combo I haven't tried yet is the way to go. Every time the peeps nauseate me, and every time the combo fails to work.


When picking my manis for this week, that part of my brain woke up again. So I tried to recreate this mani using different visual-illusion images that I thought would allow the silver/gold combination to shine.


It didn't.


So, I present to you a version of this mani that says, in bold colors: I officially acknowledge that for whatever reason, whether it's my skin tone, my non-professional-level camera, or some other reason, the silver/gold combo is just not one that works for me.

BeautyBigBang BBB XL-016 over China Glaze OMG

BeautyBigBang BBB XL-016 over China Glaze OMG

 Yes, that's much better--the holo sines through, and adds to the visual illusion look--I really love how this came out. This is Kaleidoscope Black over China Glaze OMG; the image is from BeautyBigBang BBB XL-016 (use my code MISHKA824M for 10% off  your order).


I'll be back with my final recreation tomorrow--in the meantime, check out what the other ladies did below. :)

Big hugs,
M. xoxo

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The Digit-al Dozen Recreates--Day 3!

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Hello!


I'm back to recreate another of my very first manis! Are you ready to see what I'm working with today?


I'm not...sigh...

Okay, well, yeah. Where do I start?! Let's ignore the horrendous cuticles--I was literally cleaning up my cuticles back then with Q-tips, no lie. But in terms of design, there's plenty to improve here. I love red and beige and black together, but the red tips just don't work here. And, while I realize I had only a few plates and so I had very limited choices, the scale of the paws versus the cat drives me insane. So, I wanted to see if there was a way I could preserve as much of this design as possible while fixing those issues.


Here's the updated version:

BeautyBigBang XL-013 and UberChic Beauty Furry Friends over Girly Bits Irreplaceable and Zoya Noah

For a less garish French-tip look, I started with a base of Girly Bits Irreplaceable and pained my tips with Zoya Noah. Then I stamped my paw prints from UberChic Beauty's Furry Friends, and the rest of my images from BeautyBigBang XL-013 (I'll have a video review of the set this plate comes in up on my YouTube channel soon!).  I stamped with Kaleidoscope by El Corazon in Black. To honor the red from the original mani, I went over the heart on the kitty's chest with Zoya Rekha.


I definitely think this is a much better version of the original--and can I just say thank heavens from clean-up brushes?! Also, if you want to snatch up the BeautyBigBang plate, you can use my code, MISHKA824M for 10% off your purchase.


I'll be back tomorrow with another recreation; in the meantime, check out what the other ladies did, linked below. :)

Big hugs,
M. xoxo

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The Digit-al Dozen Recreates--Day 2!

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Hello!


So, we started off easy yesterday with a first-post recreation that didn't change the original mani too much. But from this point on, I'm gonna have to work a little harder to make lemonade out of my lemons.


Today we're heading back to my very first posted mani ever:

Yeah, I know. But, not only was this my first mani post ever, it was only my second attempt at nail stamping, ever. So, if I keep that in mind, I'm not too embarrassed by it...although I'm not sure there's anything I can say to excuse that photography. How I ever thought this was okay to put up in a blog post I really just don't know. Yikes.


Okay, so, what would I do differently? Well, first of all, I had a limited number of images (probably like 4 little Konad plates at that point!), so I did the best I could, but I'm not sure I'd combine these two images again. I also don't think the shape is right on the flourishes for where I placed them. Add in that the base color is so dark it makes it hard to see the black, and I've got my work cut out for me.


I decided to go with a green that has a little more light to it for contrast, so I used Sinful Colors Show Me The Way. To stick with the full-nail image + accent image scheme, I selected two images that actually look good together from UberChic Beauty's Art Deco Chic plate, and stamped with Kaleidoscope Black:

UberChic Beauty Art Deco Chic over Sinful Colors Show Me The Way

UberChic Beauty Art Deco Chic over Sinful Colors Show Me The Way

Oh, yes, that's more like it. A unified look, bright enough contrast to let the stamping shine, and image placement that makes way more sense. What do you think?


I'll be back tomorrow with another recreation--in the meantime, check out the other ladies' recreations, linked below! :)

Big hugs,
M. xoxo

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The Digital Dozen Revisits Our First Posts--Day 1!

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Hello!

This month, the Digit-al Dozen is recreating our first mani posts, and I have to admit, I've been both looking forward to and dreading this theme...


I love looking at manis and doing a second version or another take, but my first manis make me wince in pain. I started blogging in April of 2012, nearly six and a half years ago, back when nail blogging was fairly new--and Konad was pretty much the only stamping game out there. It's safe to say that even now it's obvious I'm not a professional nail tech nor a professional photographer--but looking back then, it looked like I was doing nail art and taking pictures while in a full body cast!


But, I took a deep breath and I went back, and pulled out my very first few full manis to recreate. Today I'm going to start with the one that will change the least in the recreation, because it was actually not too bad in terms of design:

Oh, yeah, that makes me wince--but it's actually the best of the retro pics I'm going to be dredging up this week. The hand position is horrible, the photography is overexposed, and I apparently hadn't heard of topcoat. But, all the nails are in focus, and compared to my other pictures at this time, my cuticles don't look too bad--I think I must have been wearing this for a day and the polish on my cuticles had worn off, hehehehe. And, while the stamping is novice and a bit messy, the positioning isn't bad considering those were the days before clear stampers. Long before.


So, what would I do differently? When I did the original mani, I was going for a sophisticated color combo, but I went a little too dark with the base coat, and a little too bland for the stamping polish (of course, back then we didn't have many choices for stamping polish!), so the whole thing ended up muddy. And, because the stamping polish was a big bland, the purple rhinestones didn't add to the look, they just seemed off.


To brighten things up for my recreation, I started with a lighter basecoat, with Zoya McKenna. I kept the same image, from Bundle Monster BM-201, which I stamped with Hit The Bottle Polish Auberginie, which contrasted beautifully! I dropped the accent nail down all the way to the cuticle, and let the other tips come down a bit lower for more impact. Then I used half-pearls rather than rhinestones to complement the color of the stamping polish rather than compete with it:

Bundle Monster BM-201 over Zoya McKenna

Bundle Monster BM-201 over Zoya McKenna

So what do you think? Do you like this brighter version? Or should I have stuck with a darker approach?


I'll be back tomorrow with a bad, bad first mani, and my attempt to make it better. In the meantime, check out the other ladies' recreations, linked below.

Big hugs,
M. xoxo

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Stella Chroma Fall Mattes!

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Hello!


So if you've been hanging around the Instagrams, you may have noticed that matte looks are very much a trend right now. I've always had a soft spot for mattes, so I for one am really happy about that, and am super-stoked to show you an awesome collection of Fall Matte polishes from Stella Chroma!

Stella Chroma Fall Mattes

Let's start with Stella Chroma Cinnamon & Spice, a warm brown matte with rose shimmer:

Stella Chroma Cinnamon & Spice

And of course you can always turn the polishes into shinies should you so desire:

Stella Chroma Cinnamon & Spice

Coverage: I'm wearing two coats
Application and formula: Excellent

Cinnamon & Spice is cozy flannel sweaters, piles of fallen leaves, and steaming hot chocolate. Actually, not just hot chocolate--the rose in it makes me want a Mayan mocha, one with a kick of cayenne in it. And the shiny version puts me in mind of cherry cordials or chocolate covered strawberries. No matter what, it's warm, sultry, and delicious. 


Next up we have Stella Chroma Flannel & Boots, a steely teal matte with tiny white and aqua flakies: 

Stella Chroma Flannel & Boots

Stella Chroma Flannel & Boots

Coverage: I'm wearing two coats
Application and formula: Excellent


Flannel & Boots is inspired by the sort of skirts you wear with leggings and boots in the fall. It's a rich autumn sky filled with the first tentative snowflakes of the year, and the cute raincoat that makes you not mind the weather. And for me, it's the San Jose Sharks and the impending start of hockey!! Go Sharks!!


Then we have Stella Chroma Gala, a tomato red with blue flakies:

Stella Chroma Gala

Stella Chroma Gala

Coverage: I'm wearing two coats
Application and formula: Excellent

Gala is inspired by apple picking, and by bright, snappy apples. This is a bright, fun matte with a fair dose of sexy. The blue flecks give it an icy, cool fall feel that makes me want to cuddle up with my honey on a hayride.


Next we have Stella Chroma Perseids, a navy blue matte with holo flakies: 

Stella Chroma Perseids

Stella Chroma Perseids

Coverage: I'm wearing two coats
Application and formula: Excellent

Perseids is inspired by the meteor shower of the same name, and boy does it live up to its inspiration! This is a night-sky polish, all the way, and a beautiful one at that. That is, this is the night sky if the night sky is filled with sparkling diamonds and magic. This is what I want to look up and see when I'm cuddling on that hayride I mentioned--and if I can't have it in the sky, I'll be darn happy to have it on my nails.


Next we have Stella Chroma Pumpkin Everything, a soft pumpkin matte with green shimmer:

Stella Chroma Pumpkin Everything

Stella Chroma Pumpkin Everything

Coverage: I'm wearing two coats
Application and formula: Excellent

You don't get much more autumn than pumpkin, and this polish takes the colors of a pumpkin and its vines and uses them to maximum shimmering glory. This is visits to the pumpkin patch, it's carving your jack-o-lantern, it's pumpkin pie with a hot toddy. And it glows like the candles on the Thanksgiving dinner table. Soft, seasonal, and sensual.


Finally we have Stella Chroma You Blockhead, a banana matte with a golden shimmer:

Stella Chroma You Blockhead

Stella Chroma You Blockhead

 Coverage: I'm wearing two coats
Application and formula: The first coat was a bit patchy, but this evened out on the second coat.

The name of this one comes from Charlie Brown's shirt, which I love--watching "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" was one of my fall rituals growing up, and this color takes me right back to that. This also captures the gold of fallen leaves and waves of wheat, and makes me think of stalks in corn mazes. Gorgeous on its own, and a staple for fall nail art.


So what do I think of the collection as a whole? You may have noticed I didn't flag any as my favorites--that's because I adore each and every polish in this collection. I've started planning my fall nail art manis, and I've already been reaching for these again and again--the colors work so well together, and capture any sort of fall look. I was very pleased with the application here--I've had some unfortunate experiences with matte applications in the past, and these were a joy to work with.


This collection will release at noon EST on September 22nd, in Stella Chroma's store. They'll sell for $12 for a 15 ml bottle, but for the first two weeks after release (until October 5th), the full collection will be available for $64. And, for purchases made through September 30, Stella Chroma will donate a portion of the proceeds to this quarter's featured STEM organization, Black Girls Code. After that, the proceeds go to their last quarter's organization, GirlStart. Either way, you're supporting a good cause, and who doesn't love that?

In the meantime, you can follow Stella Chroma around the interwebs here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STELLACHROMA/

Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stellachromatics/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stellachroma/

Big hugs,
M. xoxo

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The Lady Varnishes Red Death!

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Hello!


This month's Polish Pickup collection is right around the corner, and this month's theme is Horror Movies--right on time for some awesome polishes to find their way to you in time for Halloween! Today I have a beauty to show you from The Lady Varnishes, inspired by Phantom of the Opera!


The Lady Varnishes Red Death is a blood-red scattered holo:

The Lady Varnishes Red Death

The Lady Varnishes Red Death

The Lady Varnishes Red Death

The Lady Varnishes Red Death

The Lady Varnishes Red Death

This is two coats with topcoat, and the formula/application was perfect.

I've spent much of my time as a polish fanatic seeking out the perfect red holo, and in terms of scattered holos, this is it. This red has a coppery edge to it because of the shimmer and the light that the holo throws, and it's a lovely deeper type of red for fall. I'm obsessed, and you can be sure you'll see this polish again both for Halloween and Christmas nail art.


I had to do a negative-space image with this to show off the gorgeous holo in some nail art, so I stamped over it with Dixie Plates Mega Mani Mix 02 with Kaleidoscope White:

The Lady Varnishes Red Death stamped with Dixie Plates Mega Mani Mix 02 and Kaleidoscope White

The Lady Varnishes Red Death stamped with Dixie Plates Mega Mani Mix 02 and Kaleidoscope White

And I couldn't resist seeing how the holo flecks looked matted:

The Lady Varnishes Red Death stamped with Dixie Plates Mega Mani Mix 02 and Kaleidoscope White

I do like this matted, but have to admit, I think this one's prettier in its full shiny glory! What do you think?


You can pick up this beauty between September 7th and 10th during Polish Pickup's sale (see what I did there?!), and in the meantime you can check out the other lovelies The Lady Varnishes whips up here. And both Polish Pickup and The Lady Varnishes have Facebook groups if you want to keep up with upcoming events and such. :)

Big hugs,
M. xoxo

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