Welcome to another edition of Stamping Saturdays! Let me ask you: have you done your stamping mani? We would love to see what you come up with so join us by linking your mani at the end of this post. Stamping is probably the very first nail art-y thing that I ever did when nail polish became my #1 obsession so it’s something that will always be fun for me. I hope that it’s fun for you too–fun enough to join us, that is. Ha! Anyway, today I am feeling kinda blah (not mentally, but physically) so I’m being a bum. I think I just ate some questionable things like the “Le Burger de Madame” at Mimi’s Cafe. My first mistake was even going to Mimi’s cause that place is pretty barftastic. I’m sure that it shaved off at least a day of my life considering the amount of fat and calories that this buttery bovine behemoth contains. (Buttery bovine behemoth–alliteration at its finest or at its worst?) I also watched the newest Captain America movie and I did enjoy it despite the shitty reviews. To be honest, I will pretty much enjoy any action movie and can’t even think of one that I have hated off the top of my head. I really liked watching Alien vs. Predator which was universally despised, so I should stop talking about movies since I clearly have no taste. By the way, why didn’t I know that Robert Redford was in this movie??? He’s one of the pillars of my childhood crush trifecta: Robert Redford, Harrison Ford and Sean Connery.
I was definitely a weird kid…you don’t have to say it! But come on! Sean Connery was always at the top–it must have been the accent. Harrison Ford was a hot archeologist/professor (and we all know how I feel about professors). Enough said. And Hubbell, I mean Robert was just…Robert Redford. Wait, wasn’t this post supposed to be about nail polish and stamping? Oh yeah, duh…
The polish I decided to use as my base is China Glaze Social Animal. This is one of those ancient polishes that I love hunting for at dusties. Social Animal is from the Fashion Lounge Collection that came out sometime in 2004. It’s a sheer red with lots of shimmer, and I quite liked it despite needing three coats.
I then used an image from Bundle Monster plate BM 322 and Pure Ice Silver Mercedes. I’m feeling a little meh about the design because it was so hard to line it up correctly. You can see that the design on my pinky nail isn’t centered, but whatever–it can’t always be perfect.
Before I forget to mention it, I got a chance to meet Robert Redford like 10 years ago when I was working at the airport as a ticket agent. I may have lost my ability to speak momentarily or maybe I burst into a heartfelt rendition of “The Way We Were.” Who can remember that far back anyway? So, what do you think about this mani? Yay or nay? Please weigh in below and don’t forget to check out all the other Stamping Saturdays manis. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.
P.S. I’m really not crazy. I’m just passionate. At least that is what I tell myself…
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OMG!!!! I love Sean Connery!!! Nice mani. I’m still new to stamping. I practice a lot on paper. lol
When I first started stamping, I also practiced a lot on paper. I think that’s the best way to get the hang of it.
Cynthia recently posted..KBShimmer Summer 2014 Collection
I actually did a stamped mani yesterday to celebrate finishing my two most stressful finals!
http://sleepycatnails.tumblr.com/post/85317001745/new-polish-design-3-it-didnt-turn-out-exactly
Im still getting used to stamping. This is the better of the two hands but I at least like the design, even if it’s not very technically good xD yours still amaze me!
That was such a pretty mani–you should be proud of it and also congrats on finishing your finals!
Cynthia recently posted..KBShimmer Summer 2014 Collection
Man, that Pure Ice color looks amazing stamped here!
Lisa N. recently posted..Memebox Luckybox #3 Unboxing
It’s one of my favorite stamping polishes for sure.
Cynthia recently posted..KBShimmer Summer 2014 Collection
You and your old men…. 😉
I like this stamp but haven’t used it for the reason that it has a definite center and it’s hard to line up the designs on your nails!! Yours looks good though. I don’t think anyone but us would even notice. And I like the color combo. 🙂
Nicole recently posted..Stamping Saturday- Leadlighting Attempt
OLDER!!! lol
Cynthia recently posted..KBShimmer Summer 2014 Collection
Hm. I’m kind of on the fence about this. I think maybe I’d like it better if the design was gold rather than silver. Dark reds/burgundys and golds are one of my favorite color combos.
As for getting the design centered, that’s one of the major reasons I never stamp directly onto my nail. I use the decal method where you paint clear top coat on a Ziploc bag, let it dry, then stamp on that… you can peel it off and stick it onto your nail, and that way you can ensure that it’s positioned exactly how you want it, and also that the design is fully transferred and covers the entire nail (that’s the other main reason I use the decal method… I always manage to screw up stamping right on my nail art parts of the design are missing or it cuts off at the edges because my nail is so curved). It’s also great for when you want to stamp over a special polish (rare, expensive, indie, limited edition, etc.) – that way you totally avoid any possible stamping mistakes, meaning you won’t have to remove the base color and start over again if you really screw up, which of course means you save on polish. 🙂
I’ve never heard of the decal method but it sounds interesting. I think that would be way too much for me. I’m all about the quick nail looks which is probably why I don’t do much freehand nail art. 🙂
Cynthia recently posted..KBShimmer Summer 2014 Collection
It’s actually not all that complicated, and though obviously it does take a bit more time than stamping regularly, but it saves me on polish so much since it ensures I don’t screw up the stamp (and I’m a perfectionist, so even just having the edges missing drives me nuts). I’ve found the best thing to do is paint your top coat (use a cheap one – thick ones like Seche Vite will dry too hard and won’t be flexible enough) onto the Ziploc the night before and let it dry overnight, but of course you can just do it an hour or two ahead of time, I just find it easier to peel off when I’m totally sure it’s 100% dry, and I have a tendency to plan my nail art out at least a day before I do it. (I actually mostly do freehand nail art, so I suppose I have a lot more patience for that part as well. And protip: the Ziploc bag method can be used to make little decals/nail stickers out of nail polish to make nail art easier… the first time I did it I painted little Pokéballs, and they turned out awesome.) You could also paint a layer of your base color on the bag instead of clear top coat, but it winds up wasting a lot of polish that way, plus if you use top coat you can place the design over gradients and the like. That’s probably my number one reason to use stamping decals, because sponging on gradients can take a little while and a lot of polish so if I mess up the stamp and have to start all over again that’s especially frustrating. Also, with the decal method, you can easily color in parts of the stamp, underneath the actual stamp so you don’t have to worry as much about being perfectly inside the lines, which is really cool, because there are a lot of stamping designs out there that don’t necessarily look great without being colored in. Lucy of Lucy’s Stash has video tutorials for three different ways of doing it, which you can find on her channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/LucisekBeluha/videos
Flawless!!
Bailey recently posted..Nails Inspired By Emma Stone’s Met Gala Outfit
Thanks, Bailey!
Cynthia recently posted..KBShimmer Summer 2014 Collection
Your stamping skillz are awesome. If you have some tips and tricks to share how to line up correctly, etc. I am sure all of us would love to hear. Great job!
I basically line it up and hope for the best. lol That’s why I rarely use stamps that require lining up such as this one.
Cynthia recently posted..KBShimmer Summer 2014 Collection
Okay… My favorite Sex in the City episode because of one word, “Hubbell.”
“One word: Hubbell.
Hubbell.
Oh, my god. Hubbell.
It is so Hubbell.
Who’s Hubbell?
Hubbell!
Robert “Hubbell” Redford in The Way We Were.”
Tee hee hee….
I LOVE THAT EPISODE TOO!!!!! Remember that scene where she gets the engagement announcement and she puts it on her bed, scoots back and slowly pushes it off the bed with her foot? Damn, that show was good.
Cynthia recently posted..KBShimmer Summer 2014 Collection
i will keep posting this like a SPAMMER in your comments..
people is asking to a multicolor gradient stampingggg…
I LOVE This stamp, and absolutely love even more the contrast between these colors.. Hopefully I will like something on my nails this week to be able to participate. I literally cried because it had split so far down 🙁 Still super short but less bloody lol
Amanda Mae recently posted..Stamping Saturdays
stunning as always my love
Alien Vs. Predator, huh? Hahaha.
The “I love you?” triangle made me LOL. Please tell me that you actually sang “The Way We Were” to Robert Redford, hahaha.
I feel like the deep red was an appropriate choice for a celebrity-crush themed post, haha.
I probably would have gotten fired. lol Even though he was old, he was still kinda dreamy.