A Perfect Peach!

Since the beginning of Spring, I have been on the search for a perfect peach coloured polish. I have tried a few brands but they took at least three coats to cover to opaque and the colour always seemed a little off.  Enter the star of my post, Peaches and Cream from Australian indie polish maker,  Picture Polish.  I purchased a number of 11ml bottles from their range with an every day Deal offer, and received a free full sized polish! What a bargain right? 

The polish went on like a dream, and the flat style brush made application very easy.  I was happy with the colour and coverage after two coats and the drying time was about 20 minutes which was pretty reasonable. I am loving the colour, its a warm summer shade, but stops short of too much orange.  My skin can be red toned with hot colours, and this cool peach is delightful.  The gold and peach together remind me of Hollywood.

I used a Seche Vite top coat, stamped an accent finger with Pueen plate PUEEN 24 and Nabi Metallic Cinnamon.   Top coat after stamping helps protect the image from wear.  On my other nails, I added a splash of glitter with a Revlon polish, Sequins then top coated one last time.

What colours are you wearing on your nails this Spring?

Glitzy and Glamorous Nails.

Welcome back everyone! Its now officially Spring here in Australia. I am enjoying the blossoms, the daffodils and birds I see outside.  I also have lots of new projects on the go, and taking a number of short courses to try and find some employment. I have been at home raising my children for a long time, so now I am in need of some retraining.  I am trying to stay positive about going to work and managing the house but one thing at a time please!

Today's effort is part of the Sunday Stamping Challenge for 8th of Sep, 2013.  I cannot stress enough how helpful I have found the group, and I have met a lot of beautiful people as well, which has been tremendous fun.  So many talented members, and they always take the time to help out those who are new to the art of stamping. You can find their facebook page here:  http://www.facebook.com/groups/aistamping/  .

The theme was Glitz and Glamour and I was coming up blank all week.  Then I recalled a mani which inspired me and I saved in my files. The image is uncredited in all the pages I could track it on, but if anyone knows the photographer/nail artist pictured above please let me know so I can give them due acknowledgement.

I do have the image plate above (Konad M63) but decided to use one from the Pueen stamping plate set numbered PUEEN26.

For a base coat, I used a Sally Hansen Miracle Nail Thickener Treatment, then one coat only of W7 Black creme polish.
W7 is a UK brand, and was a random but valuable find.   It is sold at the Chemist Discount Warehouse in Australia, but colours do vary from store to store. It is cheap, about $3 a bottle and the colours which I have all apply very well, and dry reasonably well but at a guess, they are not 3Free formulas. The black goes on very smoothly and self levels. It also has a lovely vinyl patent finish.

I covered the base coat with Seche Vite fast dry topcoat.  Then stamped over using a squishy type stamper and Harp On It, a holographic silver polish from Color Club.  Its an amazing polish, and works a dream in one coat as a base, or equally well as a stamping polish.

Another coat of Seche Vite and I was done. I cleaned my cuticles with 100% Acetone and a small hobby brush with a flat edge. Then the usual handcream and cuticle oil.
I buy sorbolene lotion in bulk and have a pump pack beside the two sinks and one at my computer desk.  It is great to wash my hands then put some lotion on.  The cuticle oil I am using right now is Solar Oil by CND.

I have a full schedule until the school holidays hit in about two weeks, so wish me luck and I will try to blog again as soon as I have time. Au Revoir!

Polished on a budget.

I have been busy collecting some really great ideas to save you money on your nail addiction. 
As I find more I will add them in. If you have your own great economising tips please put them in the comments.
*  Buy 100% acetone from the hardware store in large bottles. It is exactly the same as store bought polish remover, and if you are worried about it being drying on the hands, you can add a small amount of glycerine as a softener.

* Instead of pouring remover into a bowl and then throwing away the excess, purchase some plastic pump dispensers from Amazon or Ebay and refill over and over. They are really handy too, and stop you making a mess of your mani when you are cleaning up.

*  You can use one cotton ball for all ten fingers if you unroll it and tear the strip into sections.
Check out this handy tutorial with pictures from http://www.thesobremesa.com/


How to remove polish with one cotton ball.



* Cheap drugstore polishes can work just as well as expensive ones.  True!

Some stamping polishes are super cheap if you shop online as well, so do a quick google on places which ship to your location.  I haunt the discount bins at all the chemists, supermarkets and department stores to make sure I never pay full price. 



*Use paper masking tape to cut out designs, make stripes and other shapes on your nails. 


This beautiful mani by NailZilla uses regular cheap paper masking tape.

http://www.nailzilla.com/

*Use your stamper to make decals instead of buying stickers.

Messy Mansion has a great tutorial here which shows you step by step how to make your own full nail decals and infilled images.

http://www.messymansion.com.au/advanced-technique-stamper-decals/

*A cheap option to cuticle oil is almond massage oil, jojoba or olive oil. Blend your own and add your own non allergenic essential oil.  Add a capsule of vitamin E oil which acts as a preservative and it should should last you years if stored in a cool dark place.

* Buy a small bottle of polish thinner solution. It will help revive old polish which has gone gloopy and save you from throwing out the last half of the bottle. Remember that some polishes need specific thinners, like Seche Vite.

* Try and double up on polishes, some are great as base coat colours and for stamping, so if you can collect those then you are spending money wisely.




*Remember this can be a hobby you can keep for decades, so a little investment will go a long way. 

AIS Sunday Stamping Challenge ~ August 4th.

This post was for the AIS Sunday Challenge, "Plates Ending in 8", 4/8/13.

I used a beige base coat, Champagne, by Savvy. Its a super cheap brand, but this is one colour I wear over and over. The second coat was a holographic nude by Born Pretty. Its number 6 from their collection.

I was using a Bettina plate (B18) design, from the Betina nail plate collection.  

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Plaquinhas-Betina


I stamped using Kleancolor Metallic Brown. 
Once the stamping was dry, I top coated with Seche Vite.

I found all the polishes very simple to use, and the flash from my camera picked up colors not visible in the daylight. (Its Winter here in Australia, and very dull at the moment.)  
For once I managed to get through a whole mani without repainting anything, and clean up was a simple once over using acetone and a tiny square end hobby brush.  
I hope you enjoy, and happy stamping!

AIS Sunday Challenge ~ Butterflies.

Guide to Stampers and Scrapers

When it comes to Nail Stamping, the tools you use are really important.

You can purchase a number of branded and generic stampers, so its good to know a little about the differences.

BRANDED STAMPERS  -  Konad,  Salon Express, Mash, Claire's, Flirt.

Branded stampers are great for the beginner.

The silicon is quite firm and transfers a clean image.   

They are often coloured (mainly pink), so stamping in white or very light colours is much easier.    A common drawback to these branded stampers is the size. They have a relatively small surface area, and for those who like full nail designs, or have long or wide nails, they may not suit the task.

The image is transferred by gently pressing the stamper onto the image plate after scraping, and then rolling across the nail.  It is not necessary to press down hard on the nail, but working fast and smoothly is essential. Make sure to clean the stamper of any excess polish in between using masking tape.

GENERIC STAMPERS -

There are many generic stampers available online on Ebay and Amazon, as well as from reputable nail art and stamping stores.  The XL versions are very popular, and have a soft, squishy feel to the silicon.
To pick up polish from an image with the XL stampers, simply press lightly directly on top of the image.

To transfer the image onto the nail, you can squish the stamper right into the nail bed, as they are quite soft. Alternatively, you can press the nail into the stamper while holding the stamper up to see the image.

SCRAPERS - 

There are two basic types of scraper, plastic, or metal edged (konad). Others prefer to create home made scrapers from various common items, plastic cards (ie gift or shopping cards), pot scrapers, painting or sculting tools.

Experimenting with different angles and techniques will be necessary for any beginner, no matter which scraper you decide to begin with. Some images need a firm clean scrape, and others need a lighter touch to leave more polish behind.

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HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR STAMPER - 

When your stamper first arrives in the mail, give it a wash with some soap and warm water to clean off any oils or residues left from the manufacturing process. Let it dry completely and then use some sticky masking tape to clean off any remaining lint or dust.
Give it a try!  Make sure you use a simple design to begin with, and have a few practice tries on paper. If your stamper is picking up the image right away from the nail plate and transferring cleanly to the paper, it will work fine on your nails.
In between stamps, clean off excess polish with the sticky tape, or in extreme cases of mess, a little acetone on a cotton bud or ball.  Using acetone to clean your stampers will eventually break down the silicon and will lead to needing a replacement.


TROUBLESHOOTING -  

1. My stamper won't pick up an image. What am I doing wrong?

Many image plates come with a protective plastic film over the top of the plate. Be sure to remove this before attempting to stamp.  If your image plate is engraved correctly then it should hold just the right amount of polish after scraping to transfer onto the stamper.

2. I have removed the plastic, and still cannot pick up an image.

It could be that your stamper is not completely clean, and has small particles of dust or lint stuck to it.  Try cleaning the stamper with warm soap and water, then sticky tape to remove residues.

3. My stamper feels smooth and rubbery instead of soft and sticky.  Will it still work?

Some stampers have a smooth shiny finish, others feel almost like peach skin and have a sticky texture. This should not affect the stamper or its performance. If the smoothness is preventing the polish from gripping onto the stamper, lightly running a nail file over the stamper head to rough up the surface may help.  This commonly referred to as 'Priming' your stamper, but is not always necessary.

4. I have tried washing the stamper, using tape and ended up filing my stamper (priming) and its still not working. 

Some techniques can lead to an image not transferring:
* Working too slowly, and the polish dries in the image before you can pick it up. Weather and humidity has a huge effect on this, so its not always your speed!
*Using polish which is too thin, dries very quickly or is of insufficient quantity can affect how a stamper picks up the image.
*Pressing too hard or soft, or not having a steady hand can also lead to partial images or smudged parts.  

*Some stampers may be faulty and not pick up an image despite your best efforts.  It may be that the stamper needs replacing.  Please do contact your seller if you come across a stamper like this and you may be able to arrange a replacement.  

5. How can I line up images to line up straight on my nails?

Its often advised to make a permanent mark (in white-out or a piece of tape perhaps) on the barrel of your stamper. Then when you pick up the image, you can make sure it lines up with the mark on the stamper. This makes it easier to position onto your nail.
Alternatively, you can hold the stamper in the air, line up your finger to the image and press the nail onto the stamper, rather than vice versa.
There are also rectangular stampers available now, with white and coloured 'heads' to make it simple to line up images on the nail.

6. The end of my stamper keeps falling out of the holder.

If you turn the stamper over, you can see that the grooves on the barrel correspond to small indents on the side of the stamper head.  If you place the indents into the groove positions, it makes it less likely that the head will fall out as often.  Some people prefer to use the stamper head on its own without the holder, and others make their own holders from shampoo bottle caps and other household items.  You can also wind a small strip of Saran Wrap/Glad Wrap (plastic food wrap) around the side of the XL stamper head, and place it into the stamper barrel to hold it in place.  It is possible to use a non-acetone based glue to hold the stamper in. Acetone based adhesives will destroy the silicon on the stamper head.

7. How do I make a small image larger?

You can remove the stamper head from the barrel and gently squish the edges to stretch the stamper out after picking up polish from an image. This increases the surface area of the image. This is only possible with the XL variety of stampers.

8. The polish is transferring onto the stamper but the edges look blurry.

You may be pressing too firmly to pick up the polish.  It could also be that there is excess polish on the image to begin with, and it takes some practice to scrape the image just right to get the angle correct.  Try using a variety of scraping tools to see which works the best for you.  

9. The image is only partially transferring onto the stamper.

*You may have removed too much polish from the image when scraping.
*The polish may be unsuitable for stamping.

*The scraper or the plate may have a build up of dry polish, which affects even performance. Clean with acetone before the manicure, and often during use. Long handled tweezers come in handy here.

*The stamper may not be 100% clean, or have residue of acetone on it.

**********************************************************

Some fantastic video tutorials can be found on Youtube,and there is nothing quite like being able to watch someone's hands to learn a task.  Here are some to get you started.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMu3tNT6hWI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2VfIYj1Ev8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gokoaekKc0g

On Scrapers - 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctE_6otIACs

Now you have learnt a little about stampers and scrapers, I hope you will have enough confidence to get motivated and practice your stamping. Its good to try out new polishes and plates on paper too, and the clean up is simple with the masking tape. 

Remember that every time you stamp, you are adding to your knowledge and technical skills. Even the most experienced stampers have regular issues with scrapers, stampers, mess, new techniques. There is no one perfect way to stamp, picking up and transferring an image sounds simple, but it is more complicated than it looks at first and new beginners find it daunting. Rest assured that if you keep at it, then the success rate increases.

Ask friends and family to be your models for nail art practice but be careful to read safety information and follow guidelines.*

One of the great attractions of nail art, is its variety of methods and styles. With nail stamping, you can create beautiful nails in a very short time and still have something which looks completely unique.  Happy Stamping!

LINKS TO RETAILERS

http://www.amazon.com/ & http://www.ebay.com/ are two cheap places to shop for nail art.  Remember to check the ratings of sellers on these sites.

These three companies sell their own branded stampers and scrapers:

http://www.konadnailart.com/

http://www.mashnails.com/

https://www.getsalonexpress.com/

Independent retailers:

USA -
Cheeky Beauty
Ninja Polish

ALI EXPRESS
Beautiful Scratchers

Born Pretty store

AUSTRALIA
messy mansion
DQN Shop

UNITED KINGDOM
MoYou Nails


(Sincere thank you to all brands listed for images reproduced to illustrate my guide)

*Nail polish, removers and thinners have safety warnings as they can contain toxic ingredients. Make sure you are aware of any specific guidelines for use and storage. 

Messy Mansion Plate MM07 = Nail Heaven!

I purchased one of my first stamping image plates from a local Australian small business.

Based in Canberra, Messy Mansion has a fabulous collection of commonly used nail stamping image plates, polishes and equipment and best of all, the lovely Julia creates new and original Messy Mansion plate designs of her own.
Their original image plates really are something special, every one combines full nail images with smaller image sizes and you can generate multiple nail art creations with the one plate. The rose design plate MM07 which arrived last week is absolutely divine.

There is a full nail image of a full blown rose, some thorns and blooms together, a lush tapestry full nail image. Tying these together are a rose images big and small and a crisp full nail image of rose leaves.

I used a Nabi matte black polish for my base then stamped a background in Nabi metallic gold over the top. Konad Green stamping polish for the leaves.
The rose images were stamped using Kleancolor red metallic polish and Sally Hansen Extreme white.

I usually use a Seche Vite fast dry topcoat, but this week decided on LA Colours. It takes a little longer to dry but it wears well. My manicure can last for three or four days without chipping.
I love how the roses look so old fashioned, it reminds me of fabric and tapestry cushions.


Here is the store link for the rose plates. http://www.messymansion.com.au/shop/image-plates/mm-series-plates/image-plate-mm07/

Initiation into Nail Stamping.

When I first saw some stamped manicures I literally wore out my mouse finger googling all that I could about the technique. I purchased some stamping plates online from Bundle Monster and they arrived to Oz within ten days.  Sadly the first stamper I bought from China was defective, and I have never been able to make it work, although the second one I tried from Konad Stamping Nail Art has been fantastic.

My first few stamping manicures were so messy, I was too embarrassed to take any photos..but everyone is allowed some practice tries right? Here is the first stamping manicure I was happy to show to the world.

Just a simple French tip on my stubby nubs. I am a nail biter from way back, but I am slowly recovering. I am hoping that polish will be the saviour of my nails.

Welcome to my Addiction.

One photo, that's all that it took. Now I am on a journey into the wonderland of polish.

A few months ago, I thought I was keeping up with beauty trends. I was content with my polish collection of two Revlon reds and a pink shimmer.  Now I shake my head at how much I was missing out on.