Holographic Stamped Manicure

Hi there!  I'm trying to get back into the swing of things here and I wanted to show off my newest manicure.  I'm doing my best to get the hang of stamping and I had a good night of it.  My bf even commented that it must have gone well because the process wasn't accompanied with the customary swearing and throwing things...so I have a temper, sue me!  lol

I started with 2 coats of FingerPaints Dream I Can Fly, a turquoise-y blue (that's got a touch more green than my pics show) as a base.  I was a little disappointed with this polish as my bottle is quite gloppy and streaky.  It did even out in two coats, but it was kind of a mess to get there. Fortunately, the color is beautiful!

Using Colors by Llarowe's Smooth Criminal, which I recently snagged from a blog sale, and Pueen 65, which I received as a gift from my friend Liz at A Mani Maniac, I stamped some swirly bits over top.   I'm loving the way this turned out and I can't wait to see it in the sunlight (stay tuned for an Instagram pic of that)! 

My best stamping tips so far are to work quickly and make sure to rough up your stamper head!  Mine wouldn't pick up the image at all until I buffed it lightly with an emery board...now it works great!  I'd love to hear any tips you guys have for stamping...it can be a tricky business ;)

Thanks so much for reading!

11 of 31: Polka Dot Nails

Howdy, everyone!  It's turning into another whirlwind week for me, I almost didn't get my Day 11 Challenge done!  I did manage to sneak it in after all so, on to the Polka Dots!

I started with one coat of Fingerpaints Hue Are You? topped by one coat of Maybelline's Color Show in Downtown Brown.  DB is a really pretty milk chocolate brown with a turquoise green shift.  I'll have to swatch this on its own and get some full sun photos going for you guys.  Maybelline has a few limited edition colors out in their Color Show line at the moment, but DB was the only one that caught my eye as something different.  Super pretty!

After all that dried (with the help of some Seche Vite, of course!), I did a polka dot gradient using Sinful Colors in Leap Flog and Athens and Wet 'n' Wild's Megalast in  I Need a Refresh-Mint.  I love the color combo here and the gradient effect is pretty nifty.

Tune in tomorrow for some stripe action!  Thanks for reading!