The Digit-al Dozen does Decades - Lava Lamps, but 1990s ones (bear with me!)...

Hello everyone! The title here warrants an explanation. There's nothing to say that I can't do the same decade twice, but I really didn't intend to. I had this idea which is pure 70s (as was my paisley mani on Monday) for lava lamps and really wanted to put it in. So seeing as I didn't own a lava lamp until 1995, I'm going to pretend (and hope that you'll all go along with me!) that these are those famous lava lamps from the 1990s! Shhhhhhh! ;)

My stiletto tips gave me a great starting point, and I started by painting them with I'm Never Amberrassed from OPI's Sheer Tints range. I then painted the base and the tips with Nail Essentials Silver Shimmer and a little Ciate Vintage topped with OPI Matte top coat. Once dry, I used LA Colors Moody Red for the "lava", and added detail in using Barry M Gelly Papaya and highlights with Models Own Lemon Meringue. Here's how they turned out :)

So there you have my 70s/90s mani, I have a new decade for you tomorrow and there may even be one from another century before the end of the week (if it comes off, that is!). 

Tomorrow will be a now rare two post day as its Scarlett's 8th birthday and I promised her that she could help me write a post (she also painted my nails), so stayed tuned for those and in the meantime check out all the other fabulous Digit-al Dozen manis via the links below! :)

Sam xx 

An InLinkz Link-up

FingerFood's Theme Buffet - Oriental

Hello everyone! HAving sat out last week, I'm back for the Oriental week of the Theme Buffet. This was suggested by Dawn from SassyLittleNails. I was really excited by this theme and was determined to step out of my Cherry Blossom comfort zone, so instead I bring you some Ming vase inspired nail art :)

Starting with a base of LA Colors French White, I painted on the outlines of the flowers, buds, leaves and other detail using Revlon Royal. I diluted it with a little acetone to get the "wash" effect. I filled in the flowers etc with OPI I Can Teal You Like Me from the Sheer Tints range and then, once dry, I added in the royal blue criss cross patterns with an ultra fine Sharpie. I gave the Sharpie a long time to fully dry before top coating with Seche Vite.

I must admit that I am in love with how these turned out! And using the Sharpie for the detail made life sooooo much easier!

Our theme for next week is something a little different. My daughter Scarlett is going to be 8 on the 15th May so our theme is "For Scarlett". She is already the biggest nail art fan girl so having a theme named after her is the highlight of her year so far! Whether its birthday related, inspired by something she likes (or that little girls like in general), or even just a scarlet mani, she is going to be beyond excited and I am so happy that the ladies in our challenge group are willing to get involved. Thanks gals! :)

Sam xx

An InLinkz Link-up

A stamping obsession - it all starts right here...

Hello everyone! I am tying my Mother's Day nails for FingerFood's Theme Buffet together with my full and frank confession about stamping. Its a vintage floral that my Mum loves and has asked for as her next mani (she will happily let me paint her nails in any colour/pattern combo - despite being at the top end of her seventies!).

I have been painting my nails for years, been down with the whole nail art "thing" for a couple of years and blogging consistently for over a year now, but I have always resisted stamping, despite how much I loved looking at the awesome stamped creation of some of my nail buddies (some named and shamed in this recent post). I had a full set of BM plates that were okay but I've always been more into the idea of honing my freehand skills (at this point, I'm going to mention that this will not change), and got caught up in the idea that stamping is kinda cheating (I know, don't all shout at me at once!).

Anyway, I'm a sucker for a good gimmick and I saw the MoYou London plates and the packaging and immediately fell in love. Then I looked at the images and they caught my interest unlike any other plate had before. Finally I saw this mani by Canadian Nail Fanatic and that was it! I was on that site ordering plates and counting the minutes until they turned up. Yesterday they did - Pro XL plates 03 and 06:

I immediately went for a floral design in the top right corner of the 06 plate as I knew that I Could play with some jelly polishes and my OPI sheer tints. Here's how it came out stamped with Konad black:

I smudged the thumb a bit, but I'm not one for doing things over and figured that most of that would get covered up by the colour. I them added the OPI sheer tints and watered down a few other colours with acetone to add some depth. I Can Teal You Like Me with Color Club Bright Night, Don't Violet Me Down with LA Colors Edgy and I'm Never Amberrassed with a very watered down Barry M Gelly Mango. I used Sinful Colors Exotic Green for the leafy bits and finished with Seche Vite.

So I know it needs improvement, but I am very happy with my first attempt at this leaded light, painted porcelain effect. Plus I have a ton of lovely stamping images to play with to get the technique right.

Sorry to all those I doubted about stamping, I am officially a convert :)

Sam xx

An InLinkz Link-up

The NCC presents "Untrieds" and Polish Party "Spring" with OPI Sheer Tints

Hello everyone! Today I have my final March mani for the Nail Challenge Collaborative and itis "Untried" in more ways than one. I have been resisting getting into stamping for several reasons for a long time, but seeing some of the fabulous manis out there (especially Sarah's over at Penny Pinching Polish, Ali's at Fixin To Faff) and having a chat with the fabulous Rebecca at Lane's Lacquers (who assured me that it was a good idea!) I caved and ordered some MoYou plates. Obviously I couldn't possibly sit and wait patiently for them to arrive, so I dug out some old Bundle Monster plates that I never used and had a go. What I finished up with seemed to perfectly fit the "Spring" theme for the "Polish Party" group that I have just joined on Facebook, so I decided to combine the two :)

I received my big, juicy OPI nail mail and it seemed like a good opportunity to road test the Sheer Tints, so I layered each of the four colours - Be Magentale With Me, I Can Teal You Like Me, I'm Never Amberrassed and Don't Violet Me Down over a white base. I stamped the accent nail with Konad Black polish and then filled in the gaps with the tints :)

I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about the tints, but once I knew that it was best to apply them generously, they were very easy to work with. I'm planning another post when I've had time to explore the nail art options a little more, so there will be some gradient/dotty/floral/abstract goodness featuring the Sheer Tints asap :)

So that's it for "Untrieds" month with the NCC. Next month, our theme is "Music/Movies/TV". I am super excited as I have had some great ideas for these manis - whether I can actually execute them so they look as good on nails as they do in my head is another matter entirely though! The theme for the "Polish Party" will be chosen later in the month (as we post towards the end of the month) so I will update you with that info as soon as I have it :)

Sam xx

An InLinkz Link-up

An InLinkz Link-up