Beige doesn't have to be boring

It's definitely winter here in Germany. The last few days have left Bavaria blanketed in a fairy tale-like snowfall and it's just beautiful. However, the days are getting shorter and as pretty as the snow is, I've never been a fan of the cold. So you'd think I'd go running to my bright and glittery polishes to perk things up a bit, right? Hmmmm, well, not today...

The polishes I'm swatching in this post remind me of a thick and cozy cashmere sweater. And they show that, yes, beige definitely doesn't have to be boring.

The first swatch is ANNY Stardust. I've posted before about how much I love ANNY polishes, and this one is no exception. Super easy to apply, and no streakiness at all. For this photo I used two coats over a coat of CND Stickey Base Coat and finished the look with a coat of Seche Vite.

It has a very fine and subtle micro shimmer which gives it a bit more dimension. It's an easy everyday look and also good if you work in a conservative workplace (or have an interview coming up!) and would like to wear polish.

The next swatches are of Catrice Cosmetics Steel My Soul, which bills itself as having a "brushed metal finish". It's sort of like a semi-matte.

I like Catrice polishes because they offer a good product and great colors at a low price point, but this one was hard to work with. When I first tried it the formula was thicker than usual and hard to work with. I added a drop of thinner which made it easier to apply, but it might have affected the finish.

Catrice Cosmetics Steel My Soul, without topcoat

In the above photo I applied only one coat over CND Stickey Base Coat. I think it's pretty good opacity for just one coat, which I liked. Adding a topcoat means you lose the "brushed metal effect", as the next swatch shows...

For this photo I stamped my ring finger using Konad Special Polish in Black with a lacy pattern from XL stamping plate D. You can see the topcoat gives it more shine and dimension and it's a good background color for stamping.

While I'll keep the bottle and probably use it again, I was disappointed with this particular formula and won't likely be buying any "brushed metal finish" Catrice polishes again. I wanted to like this one very much, the color looks beautiful in the bottle, but even with the thinner I added the consistency just wasn't easy to work with and I thought if I added any more thinner then it would be streaky.

The last swatch is OPI Don't Pretzel My Buttons!, a creme polish from the Germany Collection. For this photo I stamped my ring finger nail with a pattern from XL stamping plate B. I used two coats over CND Stickey Base Coat and it applied very easily. I finished the look with a coat of Seche Vite.

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One stamping pattern, three different looks

I was really excited about this post because it's the first one on Polishly that shows off one of my favorite things about nail stamping: versatility!

I started off with this pattern from my XL stamping plate A. It's the pattern on the top left corner of the plate.

I wanted the first look I created to be have some sparkle. 

I'd say it was successful ;-)

I used CND Stickey Base Coat and Seche Vite top coat for all three looks in this post.

For the first photoset, I applied two coats of Catrice Cosmetics Jade Is Not My Name, a light green creme. I got this polish on sale (it was just  €1.75, and Catrice polishes are already nearly always under the €3 price point anyway) and I'd had it for almost two months before I used it for the first time with this look. It photographs bluer than it is. To be perfectly honest, I don't like it on its own at all. It might be good for Halloween, but by itself it made my skin look sickly. But I gave it a shot because I figured like the other green shades I had, it would look really good with gold. I was pretty happy with how it turned out!

I stamped the pattern with a generic gold stamping polish. 

The next look was the first one I tried when I got XL stamping plate A last spring, and it's still one of my favorites. 

I applied two coats of Catrice Cosmetics Birdy Reloaded, a sunny yellow with a subtle hint of shimmer. Although I usually really like Catrice polishes because they have a wide range of colors, are really affordable and usually apply well, this shade had a little bit of streakiness to it. It didn't matter in this case though, since you can't tell with the stamping on top.

The pattern was stamped with red creme Konad Special Polish.

For the third and last look, I applied two coats of Essie Smokin' Hot, a dark purple/mauve creme. I stamped it with black shimmer Konad Special polish. 

I wanted to try something different with this look, so I applied Essence Matt topcoat over all nails except my ring finger, which I left glossy both as an accent nail and to show contrast.

The pattern is definitely more subtle here because there's less contrast, but there's still enough to make it wearable. I think it's also a great look for autumn!

A few things to keep in mind if you try this out...

With dark stamping polishes, you might still end up with a little bit of polish around your cuticles right after, even if you tidy up with a brush like I do. You can put tape around the outside of the nail to keep if from getting on the rest of your fingertip, but that won't keep it off the cuticle (at least not without affecting how your nails look). I find that cleaning the polish off your fingers with a cotton swab soaked in acetone is faster than putting tape all around your fingers and then removing it, but that's my preference.

Also, I highly recommend if you try these looks matt to put a coat of Seche Vite on first. Why? Because the thicker formula of Seche Vite helps keep the delicate stamped pattern from smearing. Even after fully dried, other topcoats I've used will smudge the pattern at some point, even if I'm being really careful. Matt topcoats on their own also tend to smudge nail art.

So which one's your favorite? 

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Snakeskin print stamped nails

I admittedly thought about a few potential puns for this one, but I'll spare you the gory details. I did, however, include stamping plate info with this post (including pics!), since it was asked on the Polishly Instagram and I'd been wanting to add it for a while.

As for the nails...this is a great look to try if you're new to nail stamping. As long as you have the basic technique down (I'm working on a tutorial video), it doesn't matter if you're really exact with where you place the stamp on your nail. Since snake prints tend to be pretty random in nature, I think it actually looks a lot better in this case if it's not too perfect.

See what I mean? 

The variation in the patterns and how they're placed?

To create this look, I started with a coat of CND Stickey Base Coat.

I then applied two coats of Essence Cosmetics Colour & Go "Wanna Say Hello", a dark brown creme.

I then stamped on the snakeskin pattern with a generic gold stamping polish.

I finished with a coat of Seche Vite topcoat.

Now, for the stamping plates...

They're available from MagnoNails.de or Amazon. Cheeky apparently manufactures them, although there's no name imprinted on the plate. If you search "XL Stamping Plate" on Amazon, you'll see the ones I've used for this and other full nail stamps.

Don't mind the reflection from my lamp ;-)

This one is plate "D".

I used a combination of these three patterns on my nails.

As you can see, the edges are curved, which is great if you want to just stamp a pattern on your nail tips, but you can also cover a full nail more easily than with Konad full nail patterns.

Above is a closeup of XL Stamping plate B (recognize the pattern from the Meghan Draper Mani?) next to Konad plate M83. You can see it covers a lot more of the nail, which is great for me, since the Konad plates usually don't cover my thumbnail, and my hands and nails aren't very big at all.

I also used a pattern from plate B for the Medici Manicure.

I hope this is helpful info in case any of you would like to recreate these looks at home on your own.

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I'm Puzzled!

I really have to stop with these awful puns, I know. But unfortunately posts have to be titled and titles have never been my forté. So lets continue on to something I think I'm a little better at...nails!

I start work again this week, and this look was a favorite of my kindergarteners last year. I got lots of "ooooh's" and "aaaaah's" over it from them, but I got plenty of compliments from grownups on it too!

To create this look, I started with one coat of CND Stickey base coat.

The deeper blue base color is two coats of Catrice Cosmetics Blue Cara Ciao (what a mouthful!), a versatile blue creme.

Catrice Cosmetics Blue Cara Ciao

I stamped the puzzle pattern using baby blue Konad Special Polish.

I finished with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

I really like how the baby blue stamped pattern complement the deeper blue of the base polish. It's a good example of how complementary colors can sometimes be used for stamping and still have a "pop"; you don't always need sharp contrast to make your look stand out.

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Fishnet Tips

This is one of the first looks I tried out when I began nail stamping about a year ago, and it's still one of my favorites. Sexy, fun, but not over the top. I used Konad stampling plate M45 for the fishnet pattern on my tips.

To create this look, I started with a coat of CND Stickey Base Coat.

The base color is two coats of Essie Overnight, which has been discontinued, but any pale, sheer color would work for this. 

To stamp the tips I used black Konad Special Polish.

I finished with a coat of Seche Vite.

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Medici Manicure Stamped Nails

I've been on vacation for the past few weeks, so apologies for the lack of posts, but after all that relaxation (and amazing food and wine!) in gorgeous Tuscany, I was ready to indulge in one of my favorite comforts at home...doing my nails, of course!

I call this the Medici Manicure because Tuscany exploded in growth during the Renaissance. The Medici Family ruled the region and their power, money and influence not only reached to surrounding countries such as France, but also helped to fund some of the greatest artworks known to humankind through their generous patronage of the arts. Their palaces were numerous and, as one can imagine, very opulent.

My inspiration was this portrait of Catherine de Medici, who was born in Florence but went on to become Queen of France as wife of King Henry II. While her politics are still controversial, there's little doubt that she was a fabulous dresser back in her day.

Catherine de Medici as a young woman

The pattern of this stamped mani is inspired by the luxurious fabric and print of Catherine's gown, and the cream background tones down the gold a bit.

To create this look I started with a coat of CND Stickey.

The base color was two coats of Essie Case Study.

I used a no-name gold stamping polish for the pattern.

I sealed it in with one coat of Seche Vite topcoat.

I hope you enjoyed the manicure and the short history lesson that went along with it. Thanks for visiting!

Mint Green and Gold

I love the color combination of mint green and gold. There's something about it that conveys a discreet sophistication to me. It might have to do with my boundless adoration for Ladurée, the French pastry shop that I fell in love with on one my earlier trips to Paris. Every trip I've made back since then, I've stopped by for a box of their macaroons. If you think, as I once did, that macaroons are always these crumbly, dry hockey pucks that taste like tanning lotion smells (coconut and, well, who knows what else...) there's a whole other world out there.

The macaroons at Ladurée are light little merengue jewels, with flavors as varied as dark chocolate, rose (yes, they really taste like roses smell!), blackberry, pistachio and a vanilla that's far from boring.

Image Credit: letartinegourmand.com

So notice the packaging behind those little sweet morsels of heaven? Mint green and gold are Ladurée's signature colors. When I bought a bottle of Essie's Navigate Her I knew the shade reminded me of something I really liked, although at first I couldn't quite remember what. Then once I got it home and played with it a bit I whipped this up:



To create this look, I started with my usual coat of CND Stickey Base Coat.  
I then applied two coats of Essie Navigate Her, the mint green background color.
I stamped the wave pattern using a generic gold stamping polish.
I finished off this manicure by using Essence Matt topcoat to mute the effect a bit.

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The Megan Draper Mani

I'm a huge fan of "Mad Men". Have been since the first season. While playing with a beautiful new green ANNY polish I got a few days ago I did this stamped mani.

So why am I calling it the Megan Draper Mani? The deep green creme polish stamped with a shimmering gold in a somewhat Mod pattern that likely would have been popular in the second half of the 60's is a look the young and fashion-forward new Mrs. Draper could appreciate. I like to think it's perhaps how she would've done her nails when she sang "Zou Bisou Bisou" to her husband at his birthday party...if nail stamping was around in 1966, of course.

For this look, I started off with a coat of CND Stickey Base Coat and applied two coats of ANNY Green Racing Drag. The ANNY polishes, by the way, are fantastic. Huge range of shades, highly pigmented and they apply like silk. I also have very few tipwear issues with their colors.

I then used a no-name generic gold stamping polish to stamp the full nail design shown.

I finished up by sealing it with a coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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First Manicure Post!

Ever since I discovered nail stamping almost a year ago, I've just completely fallen in love with it. I love what seems to be an endless range of color combinations and designs you can play with on those ten little canvases that are literally right at your fingertips.

To create this look, I started with CND Stickey Base Coat, then applied two coats of Chanel Vendetta (a very dark bluish purple with a subtle fine shimmer) for the background color.

For the stamping polish, I used Essence Silver Stampy Polish on an XL nail plate and chose the full nail design you see in the photo.

I then sealed it with a coat of Seche Vite top coat.

The design reminds me in some ways of traditional Japanese woodcuts or textiles.

Thanks for visiting!