Using Nail Stencils With Nail Art Pens? Why Not!

Having such a lovely metallic polish on my fingers is fun, but I get bored so easily. As I was looking through my polishes trying to figure out what to do to make things more interesting, I realize that I had some stencils that came with my Kiss Nail Artist Nail Paints that I'd never really used. I wondered if they could be used with nail art pens. I decided to experiment.

 

I pulled out my nail art box and started to experiment. I find my box lid makes a great surface to test on, and cleans up easily with a bit of tape. I painted a layer of Wet nWild Shield onto the box, let it dry, then pulled out my Sally Hansen Nail Art pens. I tried silver first, but then realized that silver on gold is basically invisible. I decided not to share the photos of that one... you can use your imagination, it'll be more helpful than the pics!

But I had more luck with the black pen. It went quickly, and I made sure I colored from the stencil into the nail, instead of from my nail out onto the stencil. That way, it didn't force any polish under potentially unsecured edges. Once I pulled up the stencil, I was left with a lovely design! It was time to move on to my nails...

I went with a single design on my ring fingers, just for fun. I was actually surprised at just how easy it was, and just how cute it turned out! Seriously, this was simple!! All I needed to do was add a layer of Seche Vite over it and I was done! However, this design would look adorable with rhinestone accents... I just didn't think to add any at the time!

Keep in mind that if you're using the Sally Hansen nail art pens that they're water soluble and definitely need a topcoat. If you leave them without it, they'll wash off or flake off, which isn't what you want!

Also, make sure that your nail art has dried with the pens or they will smear like crazy into your topcoat. Once they're dry they're fine, as long as you use alight touch with the topcoat. Once that's dry, they're all sealed in and ready to go!

So remember, the next time you pick up some Kiss Nail Artist Nail Paints to hold on to the stencils, because you can use them with any polishes you like!

Kiss products and Sally Hansen products were provided by the companies for evaluation.

Wet n Wild Craze- Shield

I've whined a good bit about Wet n Wild's basic polishes here. Maybe it's my base coat, maybe it's my application, maybe I got a couple of bad bottles, or maybe it's my chemistry. I have no idea. But I've finally found one that I absolutely adore...

Shield is a desaturated metallic gold that applied like a dream. The brush is very short and squatty, but I found that I had no problem with control, or with reaching the polish in the bottle (like the problem I've had with other bottles). This polish went on smooth and gorgeous and I had almost no need for cleanup, which is odd for me!


I'm also oddly amused by the bottle design. The swirly paisley on the cap makes me smile, and I think the bottle is just adorable. It's not really elegant, but it's cute as can be which also works for me!

I'm not sure why, but I'm often drawn to metallic polishes. It's sad, because they almost never look good on me! Golds are too yellow and make me look sickly, silvers are too cold and just look odd. But this? This is the perfect metallic tone for my skin, in my opinion, and happily I don't cringe when I see it on my fingers!

Unfortunately, I forgot one of the main things I've been testing when I use a new polish- I forgot the stample! I feel so silly, but there's no doubt in my mind that this would stamp beautifully, especially over black. Can't you just see it now...?

Making Faces With My Husband

Let me start by saying my husband rarely shows any interest in my nails. He thinks nail art is kind of silly, but he loves how much fun I have with my nail art and my blog. But recently he happened to be looking over my shoulder while I was cropping some pictures. Things got interesting then...

I was working on these photos of the stamped Bordello nails with a coat of Maybelline's Matte Maker. The matte topcoat did something interesting to Bordello- the satin finish somehow highlighted the shimmer in it, causing it to have a sheen almost like fabric. It's almost magical, really, seeing the change it made. I think I'll be using this Matte Maker again, perhaps to highlight areas on a nail design instead of over the entire nail.

Whew, that was long-winded! Anyway, so I'm working on a closeup of my thumbnail to show the pattern when my husband said, "That looks like a face!"

I turned to him, raised an eyebrow and said, "... wait, what?"

"A face," he continued. "You know, the eyes would go there, and the mouth..." He gestured with his hands, pointing in the general direction of my thumbnail photo.

I didn't know what to say, really. "I love you baby, but you're kinda weird," I said to him, giggling.

For some reason, he wouldn't take no for an answer. "No, really! Do it! Draw a face!"

So I did. He sat with me and told me where to put what, what colors to choose, even where to put the highlight in the eyes. It was cute, and I had to share. I had to tell him that it wasn't exactly what i would have drawn, though. Then he told me fine, to draw my own...

And so I did.

Mine was girlier. I think she could use some hair, too, but overall I think you get the idea. He liked my drawing too, and said she was cuter than his.

Then he dared me to post it to my blog. How could I say no? Besides, I thought it might make someone giggle...

Right?

Anyone?

Please tell me I haven't lost my mind. Please? :D

Manicure is done with Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's Claw Polish in Bordello, Maybelline  Matte Gold stamped using Konad image plate m79, topped with a coat of Seche Vite, then a coat of Maybelline's Matte Maker top coat. BPAL's Bordello was provided by the company for evaluation.

Stamping the BPAL Bordello...

Once I got that luscious bunch of BPAL Claw Polish, I couldn't stop at swatching. I had to wear at least one as a manicure, and Bordello totally stole my heart. Something about the shimmery sparkly depth of it called to me, and I won't lie- I didn't fight it. I wore it plain for a couple of days, then decided to stamp it using one of the polishes from my recent Dollar Store haul- Maybelline Matte Gold.

It was really pretty, if I do say so myself. I went with a pattern I've used before, simply because I like it. For some reason, of all the image plates I have (hee, not that many), I tend to gravitate toward m79. I love the netted pattern, and although I keep wanting to use others, this one draws me in often.

This time, I found that the pattern stamped in gold played well with the shimmer in Bordello, really capturing the essence of the description of the polish. Black Phoenix Trading Post describes Bordello as "the bright raspberry of Dance Hall flocked wallpaper," and the subtle repeating print mixed with the shimmer really brought to mind aged dance hall patterns.

Because I had a coat of Seche Vite between the base polish and the stamp, there was a subtle depth to the finished look that I loved. The interplay between the shimmers was interesting, and although I finished with another coat of Seche Vite, they almost looked as if they should feel velvety, as if you could reach out and pet them and feel them soft and fuzzy under your fingertips. It was fascinating, and I couldn't stop looking at my nails, shifting them in the light, loving the look of it all.

Of course, the next step would be to paint a matte topcoat over this look, but that's tomorrow's blog. :D

I tried to capture this in a photograph and failed miserably. I wish I could take video of this, show you just how downright magical it looked, the silver shimmer in the Bordello shining up through the raspberry polish, and dancing with the gold stamp. Unfortunately, I failed as a photographer, and am left with only this single image. Sad, isn't it?

But you can imagine with me the sound of the dance hall piano, the laughter of the people inside...

BPAL's Bordello was provided by the company for evaluation.

BPAL has NAILPOLISH now!! Really!

For years, I've watched my friends geek out over BPAL. They get to into it, and it's almost like they've joined a cult with its own language, its own practices. They organize everything into spreadsheets, imps and wish lists, things to keep and things to trade, and elaborate discussions of dry down and top notes and things that I just don't understand. It's smelly stuff, how could it be that awesome?

I stayed away from the mania contently, without feeling the pull. It was easy, because I knew I didn't have the money to get involved, so I'd just watch amusedly from afar, never getting too close lest I be sucked in. That is, I stayed away easily until last week.

Last week, BPAL reached out and grabbed my heart in a sudden, unexpected gesture, and my life will never be the same again. After seeing Magic Maid's post all about the new BPAL Claw Polish, I found myself drawn in against my control. They looked so lush, so beautiful. I found myself at the Black Phoenix Trading Post looking at each polish and its description, swooning. I sent an email to them, congratulating them on their new line, expressing my pleasure at seeing them have such a lovely, expressive line of colors for their first nail polishes, and a request to be aded to their PR list for future information.

I was surprised to hear back from an absolutely wonderful person named Puddin. We had a fun email exchange, but most of all he told me to expect a little package from them. I was ecstatic! But when it got here, I was absolutely dumbfounded! That lovely man had sent me 9 polishes from the line that seemed absolutely perfectly chosen for me. I'm not sure how he did it, just that he did, and I couldn't wait to swatch them all... I interrupted the post I was making just to swatch and photo. Finally, I'm ready to post the results!

First I painted them onto my nails in a sort of blood-related skittles mani. It actually worked well, showing the relation of the colors and how they're subtly different from each other. Photographing these was almost impossible, because flash severely altered the colors, but shooting manual made the colors have an incredibly orange cast to them. However, with a bit of photoshop I was able to rescue the manual shots into something that's almost accurate.

These polishes are decadent. I mean that... they go on silky smooth, creamy as ... the creamiest thing imaginable. I struggle for words. The colors are divinely pigmented, ranging from the deep dark blood-colored Blood Countess, to the dried-blood shade of Lady Macbeth, and ending with the color of fresh arterial spray in Mme Moriarty. These shots aren't 100% accurate- Mme Moriarty truly is the color of fresh blood, deep red and thick and absolutely beautiful on the skin. Sed Non Satiata is a more pink shade, described by BPAL as being "Lust captured: pulsating deep burgundy." They're all absolutely gorgeous creme polishes that I am thrilled to have.

Moving on, there is the other four, which are less blood oriented: Maiden is a very sheer, pale pink that would probably be good for french manicures or for people who want a touch a color, but not a lot. Opium poppy is a vivid  pink for those who love color, a bright hot pink that commands attention. Bordello is my favorite- a silver shimmer in this deep pink that is simply stunning on the nail. One coat of this is sufficient, but I chose to do two coats for every polish. The last polish on this hand is Midnight on the Midway, a plum frost that is my least favorite of the bunch. It's not bad, by any stretch of the imagination, it simply appears slightly dated compared to the other shades. However, it's still lush and beautiful, covering generously with one coat.

The final polish in the bunch is Embalming Fluid, a gorgeous lime green in the bottle that applies sheer and glittery over any polish you put it over. Unfortunately, I seem to have neglected to get any photos of it!! I'll hopefully remedy that soon, and do an update on it.

Of course, by this point, there was only one thing to do:  I had to test the stampability of these polishes! I used my new method of stamping onto a white sticker that I then apply onto the bottle, so that I know just how well it stamps without having to jump into my spreadsheet to check it! My husband and I came up with the perfect word for these- STAMPLES! As you can see, they're all extremely good for stamping except for Maiden and Embalming Fluid, which left the page basically blank and are simply too sheer to stamp with.

I highly recommend enlarging this one to see the stample details!

And so we reach the conclusion of my epic swatchathon. These polishes are available at the BPAL Trading Post for $9 each, are big 3 free, and in my opinion are at least equal in quality with my Deborah Lippman polishes. Add in the amazing customer service and you cannot go wrong with any of these polishes. I think they are absolutely amazing, and I ended up wearing Bordello as my nail of the day for a full week! It stayed on until I took a very leisurely hour-long bath, which soaked the polish off several of my nails. But any polish would have done the same, so I'm not complaining about that at all!

So- if you're at all interested in these shades (and I do so hope that you are), when you head over to the Trading Post, be sure to tell Puddin you read about them here!

Would You "Marry Me?" Giveaway at Tuli's Nails!

Sorry for the cheesy title, but I couldn't resist. Tuli (over at Tuli's Nails) is hosting a giveaway to celebrate being chosen part of the 50 top nail blogs! She's giving away a bottle of Lanvin Marry Me Eau De Parfum! This scent has such an interesting description:

The composition is based on luminous tonic mixed of bitter Tunisian orange and sensual essences of Sambac jasmine. This surprising combination is wrapped in sweet zest of peach and sophisticated jasmine tea aromas. A sensual heart is painted with jasmine enhanced with magnolia blossom and romantic, non-chalant rose petals. Union of white flowers and fruit zest melts in juiciness and warmth of powerful hot amber and musky trail.

-Lanvin press release

If you're the lucky winner, you will receive your very own bottle of this scent! Even if it's not a scent you'd particularly like to wear, the bottle would look absolutely lovely on your vanity. I like the clean lines of the bottle, and the pink ribbon gives it a cute kick! So what do you have to do to win this?


It's easy as can be: simply head over to Tuli's and fill out her entry form- that's it! The winner will be chosen at random on  September 24, so you don't have a lot of time. What are you waiting for- scoot on over and sign up! Tell her Laynie sent you! ;)

Image court of Tuli's Nails and Lanvin Press Release

New Discoveries- Candy Foil Nails

I have a problem, I think- I'm always looking at things and thinking, "I could use this for something." I have several boxes of craft goodies that I'm holding on to, knowing that I'll use them for something one of these days. Sure, some people call it hoarding- I call it recycling! ;)

Seriously, though, I've had three Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Minis wrappers in my nail art box for several months now. At the time I saved them, my family thought I had totally lost my mind! I wasn't sure what I would use them for, I just knew that I would use them. Then a couple of weeks ago I got an invitation to be part of the BzzCampaign for Elmer's CraftBond adhesives and X-ACTO cutting tools.

I cannot even begin to tell you how quickly I hopped over to sign up. I was giddy, and couldn't wait to see what they would send. Well, I wound up receiving my package yesterday, and boy, was it fun! Included were two pairs of decorative edged scissors, a corner rounder, and various adhesives. But the scissors are what excited me. As I opened the package, I was hit by a moment of inspiration. Suddenly, I knew what I would be doing with those candy wrappers... they were going to become foil strips for my nails!

The first thing I did was smooth out the foil wrapper as smooth as I could. That worked nicely, and I was left with a slightly-crinkled foil that was really pretty. Then I tried to cut the wrapper with the scissors- it didn't do well. It sort of shredded the foil into things that wouldn't be very useful. However...

I remembered that in sewing, sometimes you have to reinforce a delicate fabric with a sturdy paper backing to stitch on it. I figured why not try it for cutting? I got a piece of plain typing paper, cut it slightly larger than the piece of  wrapper I was working with, and tried again to cut. SUCCESS! I had perfect cuts, making small slivers of foil I could then apply to my nails! I was excited and cut a lot of strips from half of a wrapper.

I also cut a few wider ones with one straight edge and one wavy edge. I applied one to a false nail with a thin thin coat of base coat, then used a small piece of plastic bag to smooth it down. This way I didn't get polish on my fingertips! The foil tended to slip a lot, so it might be better to wait for the base coat to get tacky.

Once it was tacked down nicely, I used an emery board to remove the edges of the foil by gently filing downward, cutting through the foil and leaving a smooth edge. I don't know how you could achieve the same look on natural nails, unfortunately.

Finally, I put a single coat of Seche Vite over it, and within 10 minutes or so I had a beautifully smooth nail with a gold foil applique. If you attempt this, be sure to wrap the tips, so that your foil won't try and peel up. I didn't have that problem, but better safe than sorry, right?

So there you have it- Candy Nails! I love the look, and will be putting some foil strips on my own nails soon enough. Currently, the strips are stored in small ziplock bags, with scraps in a separate bag. I think it could be fun to patch together tiny pieces of foil to make a fully-foil-covered nail! Besides, how many nail art techniques let you eat chocolate as part of it? Remember, if you try this, send me a picture, I wanna see it!

     ♥ Laynie

Elmer's CraftBond adhesives and X-ACTO cutting tools image provided by BzzAgent.com.