Lacquer or Leave Her!

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Review: Selections from Incoco's Sweet On You collection

(Press samples ahead!)

Hello!

Incoco sent me a couple of selections from their Sweet On You collection, a seasonal collection that I think has lots of versatility beyond just Valentine's Day. For example, check out the soft lace look of Date Night:

Incoco Date Night

Lace designs can be tricky--they can so easily go tacky, especially colored lace. But this design is soft, with just enough of an intricate flowered pattern to compliment the softer pink base. Beautiful.

Incoco Date Night

I also received Dear Diary, a fun set of hearts and script in black over glitzy gold glitter, and the Sweet On You accent nails set:

Incoco Dear Diary

Incoco Sweet On You Accent Nails

My husband isn't the only love of my life--my furbabies are a close second (depending on the day, it might even be a tie...), so I was delighted to see that the accent nail set for this collection features two little kitties! So excited, in fact, that I put together two combos with the Dear Diary set and the Sweet On You accent nails. For the first, I wanted to show off the heart side of the accent nail set as well as the kitty side:

Incoco Dear Diary + Sweet On You Accent Nails

And for the second, I indulged myself with lots of kitties:

Incoco Dear Diary + Sweet On You Accent Nails

Which do yo prefer? I'm not gonna lie, the more kitties the better, as far as I'm concerned. :)

Incoco appliques have no match as far as I'm concerned--I've tried a lot of nail wraps, and these are by far the easiest to apply, and the best quality. For tips on how to apply them, check out my video tutorial here.

You can find these and other beauties from the Sweet On You collection on sale now in Incoco's store, and don't forget to follow them via social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/incoco/?fref=ts

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

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope your day is filled to the brim giving and receiving love. :)
M.

Review: Born Pretty Store Harunouta-L029 (Or, Ugly sweater love)

(Press samples ahead)

Hello!

So, do you have any cool plans for Valentine's Day? I'm gonna try to make my sweetie some chocolate covered strawberries...we'll see how they come out!

In the meantime, I have another Valentine's Day mani to show you, this one with Born Pretty Store plate Harunouta-L029. Here's the video I did reviewing this plate (and more!):

Here's a still shot of the plate:

Born Pretty Store Harnouta-L029

As you can see, this is a winter-themed plate, great for cold weather and, of course, Christmas. But, I noticed a couple of cool little surprises in there perfect for a Valentine's mani...

The images are all different sizes, so here's a shot with a ruler to help you get a feel:

And how does it stamp?

I had a small issue with even coverage when using a clear stamper, so I'd recommend using a soft scrape and plenty of polish if you're going to use a clear stamper with the plate.

For my manicure I started with a semi-smooshed mani using Zoya Tatum, Cathy, and Gina; I put the different polishes in a plus shape and then smooshed before applying. Then I stamped with Messy Mansion Red-y Or Not:

Born Pretty Store Harnouta-L029 over Zoya Tatum, Cathy, and Gina, stamped with Messy Mansion Red-y Or Not

I like the slightly atypical colors on this, and that it looks like I was eating a box of Valentine's chocolates and got smeared chocolate all over my nails!

You can find this plate in Born Pretty Store's shop; use code MCL91 for 10% off your order, and follow them here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BornPrettyStore2010/?fref=ts

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

Happy stamping!
M.

Monday, February 13, 2017

Review: Messy Mansion plate MM76XL (or, antique lace Valentine!)

(Press samples ahead!)

Hello!

Today I have a sweet plate to share with you that I've been saving, Messy Mansion plate MM76XL. It's a plate that would work well for winter manis or Christmas manis, but I couldn't resist using it for a Valentine's Mani. :)

Here's the video review I did of the plate, along with another:

And here's a still shot:

Messy Mansion MM76XL

Obviously the snowflakes are great all through winter, and the two below the ribbons look like a starburst and a little flower to me, too. The ribbons have a great country feel for a country Christmas type look. I also love the bows and hearts on the plate for Valentine's manicures, so I decided to highlight that aspect today.

Since all of the images are different sizes, here are two shots with a ruler to help you get a feel for the relative sizes:

And here's a look at the stamping quality, which is excellent:

For my Valentine's mani, I started with a base of The Lady Varnishes Destiny, then I sponged over some Hit The Bottle Polish Champagne Shifter, and Messy Mansion Petal. Then I stamped my images with Messy Mansion Dogwood Pink:

Messy Mansion MM76XL over The Lady Varnishes Destiny

I love the antiqued look of this, like crocheted lace over an antique chest. Not exactly non-traditional colors for Valentine's Day, but not the typical look, either. :)

You can find this plate in Messy Mansion's shop, and you can follow them around the interwebs:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/messymansion/

Facebook Fangroup: https://www.facebook.com/groups/messymansion/

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

Happy stamping!
M.

Review: MoYou London Trend Hunter 08!

(Press samples ahead!)

Hello!

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

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

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:

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

Facebook fangroup: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1538116343076252/

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

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/moyoulondon/?etslf=8048&eq=moyou%20

Happy Stamping!
M.

Thursday, February 9, 2017

Review: It Girl Nail Art Mini Plates IG305 & IG306

(Press samples ahead!)

Hello!

Guess what? It Girl Nail Art has put out some little bitty mini plates, and I'm gonna show you two of them today. I included them in my video review, which you can see here:

Let's look at the teeny little darlings:

It Girl Nail Art IG305

It Girl Nail Art IG306

IG305 is a chintz-y flowered pattern, so you can get the same pattern with a different flower on each nail, and IG306 gives you several lace images to play with. The plate is 6cm by 4cm, or 2.4 x 1.6 inches.

I'm on the fence about the size of these plates. On the plus side, I think they're adorable to take when you travel, so you can do your nails while you're gone if you want--especially IG306, which gives you several patterns to choose from. I think it's also a good concept to pick an image you love without being stuck with several you don't. And, they're cute, and the price is right for the size. But, There is less wiggle room to hold the plate when you're working with them, and you'll have to find a different storage alternative than you might be used to. Not big issues, but there nonetheless.

How big are they, really?

The images on IG306 are 3.2 x 3.2 cm (1.25 x 1.25 in), 2.5 x 2.5 (1 x 1 in), and 4mm x 2.5cm (0.1875 x 1 in). The image on IG305 is 5.7 x 3.2 cm (2.5 x 1.25 in).

And how do they stamp? Here are the swatches I did with It Girl Nail Art Sapphire and my clear stamper:

For my first mani, I started with a gradient of Girly Bits Cosmetics That's How You Get Ants Lanaaaaaa! and Sploosh, then I stamped with Messy Mansion Hydrangea Blue:

It Girl Nail Art IG305 over Girl Bits Cosmetic polishes

I went a little heavy on the blue, but I still like how it came out--vibrantly floral for the rainy days of winter. :)

For my second mani, I put a base of Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Four Star Daydream, and then stamped two of the lace designs with Messy Mansion Chalk:

It Girl Nail Art IG306 over Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Four Star Daydream

I love the way the glitter peeps out from under the lace, and seriously, how perfect well do those images stamp! Love, love, love.

You can find these plates in It Girl Nail Art's Etsy store now, and can follow them here:

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

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

Facebook fan group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1706336266277419/

Happy stamping!

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Review: MoYou London Scandi 07

(Press samples ahead!)

Hello!

Today I have another MoYou London Scandi plate to show you--Scandi 07! Here's the video review I did:

And here's a still shot of the plate:

MoYou London Scandi 07

The images on the plate are 1.5 x 2.0 cm.

This plate has a lovely blend of country-esque floral prints and linear graphic designs. Like Scandi 02, this plate is excellent if you're a beginning stamper--the quality is top-notch so getting a good image is as easy as it's going to get, plus you can get tons of great manicures from the plate with a simple one-color technique.

These designs would be beautiful even just over a single base color, then stamped over with another color--for example, just about any color you can think of stamped over white, or stamped in black or white in just about any color you can image--perfect if you're just learning how to get your stamping right. You can also vary your base--skittle colors underneath, smoosh mani or brushstroke technique underneath--and still only need a single-color stamp with a plate like this to create an intricate mani with only beginner skills.

I also like that this plate will grow with you as your skills grow. You can do some very gentle lead-lighting or decal-making by just coloring in one or two of the flowers, for example, on the right-most top image.

How does it stamp?

That's some pretty pristine stamping right there, my stamping friends. :)

For my first mani, I did a skittle with Blue-Eyed Girls Lacquer Best Selling Show and A Love Such As This, then stamped with Messy Mansion Hydrangea Blue:

MoYou London Scandi 07 over Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Best-Selling Show and A Love Such As This

I chose the blue stamping polish because, even though it doesn't show as well as I'd like in the picture, there is a blue shimmer micro-flakie deal going on in Best Selling Show that looks great with the color. I rotated the placement of the image on the middle and ring fingers to give a two-tiered effect to the stamping. So, a lovely mani from a beginning-level technique. :)

For my second mani, I used a base of Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Goin' Way Down South. Then I put a stripe of Messy Mansion Hydrangea Blue and another of Messy Mansion Lilac, then scraped for a gradient effect:

MoYou London Scandi 07 over Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Goin' Way Down South

I love the shimmer together with the soft stamping, and I love how the linear designs flow. I'd call this an intermediate-level technique; if you went in and colored the flowered teardrops in a decal or something, you could easily move up to more advanced techniques without too much stress. :)

You can find this plate for sale now on MoYou London's site, and you can follow them here:

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

Facebook fangroup: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1538116343076252/

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

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/moyoulondon/?etslf=8048&eq=moyou%20

Happy stamping!