Glue Base Coat

Saw a tutorial on using glue as a base coat, so that you can just peel it off when you are ready to change.  It's supposed to make removing glitter a lot easier.  I had other new colors to try today, but used the glue base anyways.

Peel Off Base

The only glue I had handy was Elmer's Craft Bond Fabric and Paper Glue.  It claims to remain flexible after dry, so I'm not sure how well it will work.  I did 1 coat of that, 2 coats of Funky Fingers Like Clockwork, 1 coat of Funky Fingers Teal Scales Crackle, and topped it with Essie Matte About You.  Just have to wait and see how this glue holds up.

New Glitters

Picked up a couple glitters at Walmart last week.  I did Pure Ice Outrageous base topped with 2 coats of Wet-n-Wild Party of Five Glitters.  Looked ok, but was a pain to get off.  The toes were Pure Ice Mint Dream base and 2 coats of NYC Starry Silver Glitter.  The big glitter in that one was pretty sparse, so I wasn't too thrilled.

My Head's in the Clouds

My husband gave me the idea for doing clouds in a blue sky last night.  I used Bon Bon Blue and Jordanna White with Revlon Base and Top Coats.  I think I need to pick up a different white for stamping.  This one isn't quite pigmented enough.  Still a neat look.

Another test

Last night I did another round with stamps.  Base color is Funky Fingers Limelight.  Stamp color is Pure Ice Outrageous.  The stamp color didn't work well with all stamps.  It did better with fuller stamps.  But of course I didn't know that until I started, so I just tried a bunch of different stamps to see how they look.  I like the color combo, so I'll have to try it again after I find a stamp that works really well with that color.

I also learned that an old credit or gift card works better for scraping than the metal scraper that came with my kit.  The card also doesn't scratch the plates like the metal scraper does.

Stamps Round 2

Did another stamping set tonight.  Base coat, 2 coats of Maybelline Express Finish - Passing By Pink, OPI - OP-I Love This Color for the stamp, 2 coats of top coat.  I used Cheeky plate CH12.  Practice makes perfect!

Stamping

Well, I finally received my stamping plates and kit.  I was dying to try it out.  First, I went through all of my polishes and tried a stamp on paper to see how they look.  The polishes that have the most pigment, and/or are the thickest seem to look the best.  Some will look good over light base coats, and some will look good over dark base coats.  At least now I will know before I get too far.

I picked out a couple stamp plates to try, and decided to do a semi-patriotic theme on my thumbs.  I used Pure Ice - Mint Dream for the base coat.  Then, I used Bon Bon Red and Blue for all the stampings.  The thumbs have red stripes with blue stars.  The other fingers have random flowers and hearts.  This was my first ever stamp attempt, so it's not the greatest.  It was a learning experience.

What I learned:

• Don't be afraid to really push hard with the stamper.  You have to in order to get the edge of the nail stamped.
• Sometimes, you have to swipe a couple directions with the scraper before picking up the stamp.
• You can put too many stamps on one nail.  :)
• Using the full finger plates will require a bit of clean-up afterwards.

Dry Marble and Dotting

A while back, I tried the water marble technique, but it didn't work out so well for me.  So when I read about doing the marble without the water, I was all in.  What I did:

1. Get a plastic baggie.
2. Paint stripes closely of the different colors on the baggie.
3. Use a bobby pin end to "swirl" the colors together.
4. Wait until dry.
5. Peel off baggie with tweezers.  (If it's too thin, put top coat on it to thicken.)
6. Put base coat on nail.
7. While base coat is still tacky, place peeled marble piece on top and press down.
8. I used a cuticle scraper to "cut" it out around the edge of the nail.
9. Remove excess marble.
10. Apply top coat.

It was pretty easy to do, but took me a couple tries to get the swirl to look nice.

The other nails I tried to do dotting using a bobby pin. 

1. Put a small area of top coat on the baggie.  
2. Draw a picture with the bobby pin dipped in nail polish.
3. Add a layer of top coat.  
4. Wait until dry, and trim with scissors or cuticle scraper or razor.
5. Peel off baggie.
6. Apply base coat, color, and top coat to nails.
7. While top coat is still tacky, place drawing on nail.
8. Press down to remove any air pockets.
9. Add a layer of top coat.

All in all, this went pretty well.  I wasn't very careful because I knew it was coming off the next day when I got a manicure for a wedding I was in.

Intro

I just started getting creative with my nail polish.  For years, you wouldn't catch me in any polish, and certainly not wild colors or patterns.  Well, times change.  I picked up some neat supplies and I'll try to post as I try them out.  Stay tuned!