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Category: Stamping

Of Life and Lacquer > Stamping

China Glaze On Your Knees!

Posted on 12 October, 201211 October, 2012 by Cynthia

Is it just me, or were polish names a little more risqué in the past? I seem to keep running across a lot of older polishes with very interesting names, and today I have another oldie but goodie. China Glaze On Your Knees! was part of the 2002 Winter collection called Crown Jewels. Lately I have been on a total old polish buying binge–the older they are, the more excited I get. You can blame all the dusties in my area for my recent obsession with older polishes.

Behold the Fall beauty of China Glaze On Your Knees!

This polish has a glowing cinnamon aspect to it so it reminds me a little bit of Jessica’s Cinnamon Kiss. This polish is definitely not 3-free and I found the formula dreamy: it is a little sheer but it’s super easy to control and apply. These are the type of colors that I look forward to wearing every fall and winter.

And because I’ve missed my stamping…

I really don’t like the Essie Mirror Metallics as regular polish, but I love them for stamping. Look how gorgeously crisp the stamping is with As Good As Gold! I used a design from Mash plate 41 for this design in case you were wondering. Doesn’t it remind you of a chain link fence?

I might have asked this before, but does it annoy you when I feature polishes that are discontinued and are probably hard to find? I have found so many amazing polishes (some even pre-2000) lately so I’m super excited to share them on here. Let me know what you think about this and about my latest mani. I love hearing all your opinions. Thanks again for stopping by–your feedback keeps this blog fun for me. 🙂

31 Inspired Days of Nail Art – Day 3 : Yellow

Posted on 16 September, 2012 by Cynthia

I apologize in advance for what I am about to show you. I actually think my nails look hideous which sucks because I was really looking forward to using this yellow polish. I’d like to say that I do like the yellow polish on its own, but the stamp just looks…barf-worthy. My third submission for the 31 Inspired Days of Nail Art is a big fat fail. Here we go….

This is Nails Inc. Carnaby Street:

It’s no secret that I love Nails Inc. because they have the best creme formula on the planet as far as I’m concerned. Unfortunately, Carnaby Street fell prey to the usual trapping of yellow polish: it was patchy and kind of annoying to work with. It took 3 coats for me to be able to cover up all the bald spots which is unheard of in my Nails Inc. experience. I should have left well enough alone, but noooooooooooooooo. I had to stamp over this…

I used a design from Cheeky plate CH 48. While the design isn’t ugly, per se, the color combo just looks UGLY. Please join me in hating this final look.

I’m late to posting this because I went nuts and removed this immediately: that’s how much I hated it. I guess I can’t always have a nail win.

Don’t forget to check out the looks created by the other ladies participating in the challenge. I’m sure their submissions will be much more interesting–can’t be as ugly as mine…that’s for sure!

Thanks for stopping by and until next time!

China Glaze Deviantly Daring

Posted on 15 September, 2012 by Cynthia

I realize I’m late to the New Bohemian party but I still ended up getting a couple of polishes from the China Glaze New Bohemian Collection. China Glaze Deviantly Daring is probably the only color that really interested me from this collection after I saw what a duochrome fail the whole collection turned out to be. I think that the colors are pretty, but I was so incredibly let down once swatches started popping up online that I just decided to pass on the whole collection when it first came out.I came across some of the polishes at one of my dusties for dirt cheap so I picked up this color and No Plain Jane.

China Glaze Deviantly Daring is a described as an “adventurously bold peacock teal” and I think that description suits it just fine. I am always a huge fun of teal polishes so I am happy that I decided to pick this one up. I thought the formula was pretty darn perfect. It was easy to control and it was opaque in two coats.

Something weird happened when I applied my top coat of Seche Vite: I found that the duochrome showed up a lot better. I could really see the darker blue flash on the tips and edges of my nails! It’s still not as majestic as I had hoped when I saw bottle shots, but it’s pretty. Brush strokes are one of my most hated polish issues and unfortunately, there were some visible brush strokes: not enough to make me hate the polish but enough to let me they are there–teasing me.

Since I’ve been on a star kick lately, I decided to use another star stamp over Deviantly Daring.

This star pattern is from Cheeky plate CH52.

What do you think? I think that if I find more of these New Bohemian polishes for cheap, I will purchase them. Did you get any of these polishes? What did you think of them?

Thanks for stopping by and catching up. Stay cool and until next time!

Cheeky Stamping Plates – Summer Collection 2012

Posted on 14 September, 2012 by Cynthia

I am a true stamping fiend so I was really excited when I heard that Cheeky was releasing a new stamp collection. The Cheeky Stamping Plates Summer Collection 2012 consists of 26 image plates with over 150 individual designs so you definitely get a lot to play around with. When I first started using image plates, I was a snob and only purchased Konad plates but I soon discovered that other brands were putting out

Now, here is a size comparison between Cheeky stamping plates and my MASH plates.

At first I was pretty annoyed at the size difference because all my MASH, Konad and Bundle Monster plates are the same size and I thought maybe the Cheeky plates wouldn’t fit in my card/plate holders. This would have been a huge annoyance because I want to keep all my plates in the same place. The Cheeky plates did end up fitting but just barely.

I already used one of the plates for a nail look I did yesterday and you can see it here. The plate worked perfectly, and I have no complaints about the quality of the plate because it did just what it’s supposed to do: it transferred a clear and precise image. I did notice that when I removed the clear plastic covering on the face of the plates, a lot of them already had some minor scratches. I’m not cool with that especially since they are brand new. Now, this is where my rant will start…

I ordered the Cheeky Stamping Plates the second they were available which was on August 14th. My plates arrived on 9/13. I understand that they were being shipped from China, but that’s just a little ridiculous to me. I buy A LOT of nail supplies that come from China and nothing has ever taken this long to arrive. Even though they offered free shipping, I would have gladly paid for shipping if it meant that I would be getting my items in a timely manner. I do not think that it is unreasonable to expect to receive your items in a timely fashion: if you take my money right away, give me my products right away. Simple as that. I think the annoyance of shipping has definitely soured me on the prospect of purchasing anything else directly from Cheeky. I will look into how quickly Amazon dispatches the items if I buy from them instead of from Cheeky directly so maybe I will just always wait to buy from Amazon if they have something that catches my attention.

I guess that if you don’t mind waiting for eons for your plates, these are a pretty good investment. I paid $24.99 for my set with free shipping. It looks like prices are different on Amazon, but I haven’t looked into it yet. While not all the images are that original, I do like the variety and quality. I also have to give them major props for their packaging. The little box they come in is adorable and so is the little card that comes with it (that can also be used as a scraper!)

Will you be getting this new Cheeky stamping plates set for Summer 2012? Let me know which plate you like the most. I will be using an image from one of these plates for day 3 of the 31 Inspired Days of Nailr Art Challenge which will revolve around the color yellow. Thanks for stopping by and until next time!

31 Inspired Days Of Nail Art – Day 2: Orange

Posted on 13 September, 2012 by Cynthia

Are you ready for Day 2 of the 31 Inspired Days of Nail Art Challenge?!?!?! I am and today I have something that came out kind of awesomely strange. I’ve been seriously loving Bourjois Grenadine Tonic that the lovely Julie sent to me a while ago and I never miss a chance to use it. I absolutely adore how it’s unlike anything I have ever used. It’s like an orange high gloss polish that easily builds up to a vibrant orange with some red to boot. I guess you could call it tomato orange. I’ve used this polish for a NOTD before and you can see my results here.

Let me wow you with my orange jello nails!

This is three coats of the lovely Grenadine Tonic.

This is my first use of the Cheeky plates that I received today. I used plate CH51 for this design and I think the design is pretty cute. I know Vienna would love this since she loves stars so much. 😉 I applied one coat of Grenadine Tonic after I stamped the design using Konad special white polish.

So overall, I kind of really like this whole look. It reminds me of Jello (and you know there’s always room for J-E-L-L-O!) in a weird way. Now, if you’re a Jello hater, move along. Let me know what you think of my Day 2 creation. I’m usually pretty hard on myself when it comes to creativity and execution, but like I said earlier, I’m really diggin’ this. Can you dig it?

Don’t forget to check out the blogs of the other ladies participating in the 31 Inspired Days of Nail Art Challenge! Our next challenge will involve yellow which is my color obsession du jour. It will give me an excuse to finally use the crazy Nails Inc. yellow that I purchased a while ago. Woo hoo!

Thanks for stopping by and until next time!

September is PCOS Awareness Month

Posted on 1 September, 2012 by Cynthia

As I was catching up on twitter this morning, I cam across a few posts from a few ladies talking about September being PCOS Awareness Month–I had no idea! I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2007 and have been dealing with all the problems that accompany it. For those of you who may not be aware of what PCOS is, here is an overview from the Mayo Clinic:

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal disorder among women of reproductive age. The name of the condition comes from the appearance of the ovaries in most, but not all, women with the disorder — enlarged and containing numerous small cysts located along the outer edge of each ovary (polycystic appearance).

Infrequent or prolonged menstrual periods, excess hair growth, acne and obesity can all occur in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. In adolescents, infrequent or absent menstruation may signal the condition. In women past adolescence, difficulty becoming pregnant or unexplained weight gain may be the first sign.

The exact cause of polycystic ovary syndrome is unknown. Early diagnosis and treatment may reduce the risk of long-term complications, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Being diagnosed was a whole process since one of my doctors scared me into thinking I possibly had endometrial cancer after seeing my ultrasound results. Needless to say, that was a stressful time. Dealing with PCOS is a kind of a roller coaster ride because it’s manageable but sometimes completely throws your body into the gutter. I was surprised to find out that not many people know about PCOS even though it is a common disorder. I try to look at the bright side: since it is hormonal, at least I have an excuse when I am a raging hormonal bitch…right? RIGHT?!

I started out with Zoya Charla:

This is three coats of Charla. This is the first time I wear this polish and it’s goygeous.

I used plate BM 321 for the design and I frankened my own stamping polish with a mix of some stamping polishes and some regular polishes. It turned out pretty good! I like that the ribbons aren’t super noticeable but you can really see them up close.

Look what happened to my bottle of Charla:

I am lucky that it didn’t completely shatter, but now I’m worried that maybe it will break at some random time because the glass is so thin on the side. Poor Charla! 🙁 I can’t believe that it’s still ok despite me dropping it down the stairs.

So besides the disgusting heat, I hope you enjoy your weekend. Till next time!

Kiko #336 Blu Elettrico

Posted on 29 August, 2012 by Cynthia

Last week I was checking out my favorite blogs and Jess from Once Upon A Polish had posted her review of Nails Inc. Baker Street. Being the Nails Inc. fan that I am, I was drooling over her swatches. I had seen this polish so many times and I kept putting off purchasing it. Why? I don’t know!!! I guess I’m crazy. I actually wanted to purchase Illamasqua Force but I have read on multiple blogs how it changes color and becomes a weird dusty murky medium blue!!! What?! I love Illamasqua, but I don’t want a polish that changes color as it ages. Look at what happened to it here on Scrangie’s blue comparison. So when I received this Kiko beauty, I knew I could pass on Baker Street (for now…ha!)

Kiko is a brand that is 100% new to me, and I was fortunate enough to receive this polish from my polish dealer, Sabrina, from Polish in Paris. Let me tell you first that I am in freaking love with this brand. I like the formula, I like the brush…I like everything!

How beautiful is this blue? Seriously?

I used Bundle Monster plate 322 for this houndstooth design and I much prefer this larger design than the one on my Konad plate. I don’t know what’s wrong with all the white special polishes I have purchased lately: they are not as vibrant and opaque as the first Konad special polish I bought and I’ve purchased them from the same seller so I know it’s not like I’m getting a fake product–at least I hope not! They also haven’t been as thick as my other special polishes so I am thinking of maybe leaving them open to see if they will thicken up a bit.

It has been crazy hot here in the last couple of weeks and I’ve been sweating like a whore in church. I’ve been trying to clean out my closet AND start making room for my 4th melmer since I have outgrown my polish storage once again. I have managed to clear out a lot of stuff that I just don’t need and got some new bedding. I think the pattern is kind of too busy for me since I like pristine white bedding, but I kind of fell in love with the colors and kept thinking of some stamping plates that are similar to the patterns on my comforter.

All in all, I am super happy with this truly electric blue polish, and I adore the blue/white stamping combination. I have already tried out the other Kiko beauty I received so I will be sharing that with you shortly. It’s a gorgeous duochrome! I hope you are staying cool in this crazy hot weather. Also, keep those in the path of hurricane Issac in your thoughts. Please stay safe if you are in the affected areas.

Thanks for stopping by and until next time!

Stamping Sunday: Pulsating Pink And Purple

Posted on 26 August, 2012 by Cynthia

I feel like I have been in a total funk lately so when I remembered the Sunday Stamping theme, I had absolutely no idea what to do. I took out a bunch of pink and purple polishes and it came down to Sation Shock Me Twice Pink and Sation Power To The Purple. I thought about combining the two, but changed my mind. So I went with two coats of Shock Me Twice pink over a base of China Glaze White Out.

I really like Shock Me Twice Pink because it’s neon but still delicate. It has a really pretty shimmer that shows up unexpectedly at certain angles.

I then used stamp Mash 48 and Wet N Wild’s I Can’t Stand Up Straight for the design.

Since I still wanted some kind of purple accent, I used these purple rhinestones on my design. I always think rhinestones will look better than they end up looking once I glue them on my nails. I should just give up on rhinestones already!

So how was your weekend? I hope you had fun. Thanks for stopping by despite my uninspired nails as of late. I hope this coming week finds me in a better frame of mind. I actually have another post coming soon and it is one spicy tamale full of glitter goodness. I hope you will enjoy it!

Stamping Sunday: Can’t Wait For Fall

Posted on 19 August, 2012 by Cynthia

I am a fall person. I can’t help it. I was born during the Autumnal Equinox, and I always found something poetic about it because I’ve always felt like I was an old soul with a darker disposition. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why I hate summer so much!

This Sunday, our theme is “Can’t Wait For Fall” and it couldn’t be more appropriate for me. Today I’m teasing you with Pumpkin Delight, a color from the Jessica Spicy Dream collection that is not available just yet. It should be available this month so keep an eye out for it if you love dark, spicy and rich fall colors. If you would like to see swatches of the whole collection, you can click here.

I started out with 2 coats of Pumpkin Delight:

Then I used stamp BM 309 for this design. I’ve got to admit that I hate birds. They freak me out so this was a big step for me to actually have birds on my nails even if they are supposed to be cute owls.

So what do you think of this look? I wasn’t feeling super inspired today. This was actually my second mani for Stamping Sunday; the first one was a complete fail that I didn’t even photograph before taking it off. Don’t you hate it when things don’t work out at all the way you pictured them in your mind?

I hope this weekend has been nice and relaxing for you. The heat has not eased up here in So Cal so I’m beyond grouchy at this point. All I have to say is that next week better be cooler or else…

Stamping Sunday: Using Two Stamps In One Manicure

Posted on 12 August, 2012 by Cynthia

This is my third week participating in Stamping Sundays, and I think I finally like how my manicure turned out. First of all, I want to complain a little bit about how disgustingly hot it has been in Southern California. I spent hours in the pool yesterday which was the only way I thought I would get any relief. It doesn’t look like it’s going to get cooler any time soon so I’m going to have to just deal with it.

This is the first time I use Deborah Lippmann Dancing In The Sheets and I really like it. Orly Mysterious Curse, which I love, appears to be a very close dupe.

I finally decided to use my bottle of Max Factor Fantasy Fire, and it is all my little lacquered heart had ever hoped for. Look how gorgeous this looks with just one coat! I can’t even imagine what it will look like layered over different colors.

And lastly, I used stamp BM 310 and Wet N Wild I Can’t Stand Up Straight. We weren’t obligated to use two stamps on each nail so I decided to just alternate these two stamps. I like how this came out but it almost pained me to cover up the Fantasy Fire goodness.

What do you think of my effort today? I hope you like it as much as I do. Thanks for stopping by and keep cool!