Striped Nails for the #31DC2018Weekly

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I am almost caught up!  Today, I have my striped nails to share with you for Week 12 of my weekly version of the 31 Day Nail Art Challenge.  I chose of calming colors and a little image of a succulent for this mani.  I have been obsessed with succulents over the past few years.  I am a brown thumb but my mother can make any plant thrive.  So, for Mother's Day this month, I got her a few succulents to start her rock garden off right.  Hopefully, I can watch her grow these beauties now!  My manicure today combines regular stamping with a little reverse stamping.  I think it all ties in well together!

Violet Nails for the #31DC2018Weekly

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For the sixth prompt of my weekly version of the 31 Day Nail art Challenge, we are doing purple nails!  I buy a lot of purple polish but I feel like I don't actually wear it that often.  I need to change that because purple nails are gorgeous!  For this week, I used one my of favorite Zoya Pixie Dust polishes and stamped over it.  I am always shocked at how detailed stamping looks over a textured polish.  You would think it would look bumpy and the image would not be crisp.  But it almost always looks perfect!  My stamping is a little more subtle in this look but I hope you like it. :)

Blue Nails for the #31DC2018Weekly

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It only took 5 weeks before I broke out my old standard, the skittlette.  This have been one of my most favorite nail art ideas of all time.  I generally do my skittlette manicures with two plain nails, two nails with nail art on them and then a textured accent nail.  You can do them in any way that you like as long at two nails are the same.  For the blue prompt this week, I combined light blue and pink together with some unicorn fun.  Let's take a look!

Inspired by a Pattern for the #31DC2017Weekly

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I hope all my fellow Floridians are weathering this storm well.  It's a doozy!  I have another look for you all as I try to quickly catch up with the #31DC2017Weekly.  I did some plaid nails!  I love stamping now I know why I stay away from straight lined designs.  They are difficult to line up correctly.  Especially if you can't get a clear jelly stamper to work for you.  Some of these are a little but I don't think it is noticeable much in real life.

Inspired by Fashion for the #31DC2017Weekly

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Happy Labor Day to all my American friends!  I hope you didn't have to work today.  Even though I did not have to work today, I am spending the day catching up on work.  It never ends!  I am also catching up on the #31DC2017Weekly.  Today, I have a nail art look inspired by fashion.  Specifically, fashion outfits worn by Kit Harington and Rose Leslie at the Season 7 premier of Game of Thrones this summer.  I love Game of Thrones so much and was in a bit of a depression this weekend because the season is over.  So what better way to deal with it than to do some nail art inspired by the series.  Kit and Rose are a real life couple that met on set playing love interests.  How cute is that!?!?  And...they looked great together a the premier.  My manicure is a skittlette that brings both of their outfits together as one.

Celestial Cosmetics and Color4Nails Stamping polishes

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Celestial Cosmetics has teamed up with Color4Nails to create a line of stamping polishes.  They have already released a set of creme shades and now have come out with a few holographic options.  I have the 5 new holographic shades to share with you today.  I will be showing you each color stamped over a light and dark base as well at the stamping polish used on it's own.  Overall, there polishes stamped well but you have to be selective on what color based to use them over.  They all showed up nicely over light bases but were iffy over the darker bases.  These new holo shades released on Friday, so let's get into the colors!

Watermarble Nails for the #31DC2017 Weekly

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I am just getting in my challenge nails for the week by the skin of my teeth!  For the 20th week of the #31DC2017Weekly, we are doing Watermarbles.  Everyone's favorite nail art technique.  Haha!  Some people love doing this technique while others continuously struggle.  I am just average at it.  I mess it ip a bunch of times before I get something that I like.  I do prefer using jelly polishes for watermarbles, they just seem to spread better for me than cremes or shimmers. This week, I did a design that I haven't really done before.  More of a striped look that a classic flower design.  And then I stamped over it!  Crazy times, yo.

Delicate Print Nails for the #31DC2017Weekly

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I am loving my mani for this week's challenge prompt!  Usually, I end up picking some delicate floral design to stamp on my nails for this theme.  Which I originally did but hated the way the manicure photographed and decided to redo it.  I am glad I chose an edgier delicate print the second time around!  My mani is inspired by motherboards.  They are neat little items.  They are very structured and precise but all of the teeny tiny parts welded together in an intricate detailed pattern make it quite delicate.  Do you agree?

Flower Nails for the #31DC2017Weekly

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This week, we are all going floral nails for the weekly version of the 31 Day Nail Art Challenge.  I decided it was time to do more advanced stamping and made some cute flower decals.  For this skittlette mani, I used all Zoya polishes again.  Most of them I had not tried before and I really enjoyed all of the shimmer.

Yellow Nails for the #31DC2017Weekly!

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It's time for more nail art!  This week, for the weekly version of the 31 Day Nail Art Challenge, we are using yellow in our manicures.  My manicure this week is very simple but they typically get more complicated as the weeks go on.  Just some simple stamping and gems on a pretty yellow base.  I used another Zoya polish for this look.  I swear I will be using more than just Zoya polishes for the challenge.  I just love the brand so much and have so many of them that want to be worn!  Maybe that could be an additional challenge to the challenge, use a Zoya in every look?  Let me know what you think about that.

Glisten and Glow - Oh, The Places You'll Go Collection

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Today, I  have a fun little collection of cremes and shimmer toppers to share with you all from Glisten and Glow.  This collection is inspired by the Dr. Seuss book 'Oh, The Places You'll Go' which is something many of us got as a graduation gift because it is inspiring and encouraging.  The cremes in this collection match the book's color palette perfectly!  Glisten and Glow is known not only for their amazing top coat but they do amazing cremes and holos as well.  Along with this collection, G&G has released a new matte top coat.  And it is great!  I will be showing you all of the manicures in both glossy and matte versions using Glisten and Glow's top coats.  Let's take a look!

Inspired by the Supernatural for the #31DC2016Weekly

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I know I am a little late on this week's prompt, but at least I have it for you now!  Being out of town on the weekends really messes with my blogging schedule.  For this prompt, I went with a classic supernatural being, the mermaid.  Everyone loves mermaids.  Mermaid nails, mermaid hair, mermaid fin blankets and pool gear...we see them all.  Who doesn't love The Little Mermaid?  Nobody because it's an awesome Disney classic.  For my mermaid inspired nails, I decided to go with a teal mermaid tail design.

Masura - Mint and Bazil

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Today, I have another mesmerizing magnetic manicure to share with you.  Masura is a Russian nail polish brand that creates some amazing magnetic polishes.  I just love how cool these polishes look.  The super strong neodymium magnet is key to achieving a strong magnetic effect.  I used the magnet from Masura for this mani.

Click through for more photos!

Takko Tuesday! - Tea and Cakes

Happy Takko Tuesday!

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Today, we are looking at another beautiful creme polish from Takko Lacquer.  This is part of the Curiosities and Exquisites Collection which is an ongoing collection of cremes and toppers that will be added to throughout the year.  I have shared many of the cremes from this collection and they are all great.  "Tea and Cakes" is a pink leaning lavender creme with an opaque formula.  I almost got away with one thick coat but did two for this swatch.  A glossy top coat is recommended to give that high shine as Takko Lacquer's vitamin E infused vegan formula can dry a little dull.

I wanted to add a little easy stamping to this purple base.  I used my MoYou London Sailor 03 plate and Takko Lacquer's Druzy Quartz to swirly cloud/wave manicure.  Simple but fun!

Takko Lacquer stocks the Curiosities and Exquisites collection regularly.  Tea and Cakes is available now from the Takko store for $12.  Here is where you can stalk Takko Lacquer!

Takko Lacquer Instagram and Twitter

Takko Lacquer stockists: Color4Nails, Mei Mei Signatures, Femme Fatale


Smooches!
 - Amy McPolish McG

*polishes provided by the maker for honest review*

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Inspired by a Pattern for the #31DC2016Weekly

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For this week's prompt for the #31DC2016Weekly, we are all doing manicures inspired by a pattern.  There are an infinite number of patterns to chose from.  Classic prints, fabric patterns, patterns used in art, patterns seen in nature, modern and ancient architecture...the sources are endless!  I was inspired by Damask patterns.  These are intricate prints that usually have some floral elements to it.  It looks classic and expensive.  I chose a bold Damask inspired image from the UberChic 7-03 plate to create this look.  I started with an alternating base of silver and black the stamped over that base with the opposing color.

The black polish I used was Cult Nails Nevermore and the silver metallic was Sally Hansen Silver Sweep.  Both of these were once coaters and stamped beautifully.  I think I like the silver stamp over black the best but they are both give a nice effect.  I did top this with a glossy top coat.  It would have looked amazing with a matte top coat as well.  Unfortunately, the matte top coat I used absolutely trashed this mani.  So mad.  I should do a matte top coat comparison for you all.  Would you be interested in something like that?

I hope you liked this manicure as much as I did!  It's simple but very pretty.  Be sure to check out the other participants doing the weekly challenge using the #31DC2016Weekly tag on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.  Next week, the traditional daily version of this challenge begins.  See Sarah's post about the daily challenge here.  So you will be seeing tons of people posting about these same nail art themes all month long.  My challenge will end on the same day at the daily challenge so we can all celebrate completion together!  Yay!


Thanks for stopping by!
 - Amy McG (McPolish)

*products purchased by me*

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Takko Tuesday! - Sakura

Happy Takko Tuesday!

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Today, we are looking at another one of the new creme polishes from Takko Lacquer.  They have created a new collection that will be constantly added to as time goes on.  It is The Curiosity and Exquisites Collection that will include creme polishes and top coats.  "Sakura" is a creme from the initial launch of this collection released this summer.  She is a soft bubblegum pink creme.  This color is super girly and sure to be a hit this summer.  The formula was a little streaky and I needed three coats to even everything out.  A glossy top coat really smooths out the slightly satin finish.  Takko Lacquer uses Vitamin E infused base for their vegan, cruelty-free polishes and it makes them dry a little dull on their own.  Here is what "Sakura" looks like on my way too long nails.

I added a little floral stamping using an Uber Chic plate and Takko Lacquer "Irezumi".  I like the contrast of the soft pink and the bold blue.

Takko Lacquer just had a restock of this color last week and it is still available in the shop!  These creme colors should be continually restocked, so if you miss out on it now it will be back.  Also, there are always the stockist sites you can try your luck at.  Here is all the info on Takko Lacquer!

Takko Lacquer Instagram and Twitter

Takko Lacquer stockists: Color4Nails, Mei Mei Signatures, Femme Fatale

Thanks for stopping by!
 - Amy McG aka McPolish

*products provided by the maker for honest review*

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Geometric Nails for the #31DC2016Weekly

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It is week 16 of the #31DC2016Weekly and we are doing nails inspired by geometric patterns.  I decided to use a fun stamping image from UberChic that is sheet of triangles.  Triangles are my favorite shape, three points where two lines meet (bonus points if you know that lyric, if not you can check it out here).  I really liked how this mani turned out except for one thing.  I should have used a black base under my stamping instead of white. You can see the small defects up close but in real life it isn't obvious.  Check out my little mini advanced stamping tutorial at the end of this post!

Click through for more photos!

Delicate Print Nails for the #31DC2016Weekly

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For this week's prompt, we are doing nail art using delicate print.  Typically, I have always some kind of stamping with a delicate floral design.  But this year, I decided to go more literal.  I used a stamping image from the UberChic Far East 01 plate that was delicate Japanese writing.  So it's the delicate printed word of a pretty language.  I am about 50% sure that the writing on my nails is Japanese.  And I am pretty sure that I stamped them upside down.  So, if it is not Japanese then is must be Chinese.  There are both Japanese and Chinese elements on this plate, so I am unsure.  I'm sorry.   But I think it looks pretty damn cool!

The true star of this mani is the base.  I started with a layer of Essie "Adore-a-ball" which is a sheer off-white jelly.  Then I topped it with two layers of Digital Nails "Crotch Ice" and one layer of Digital Nails "Crush Leaves, Not Dreams".  Both of these are shifty flakie toppers with amazing shifty shimmer.  Crotch Ice is more blue/green and Crush Leaves is more orange/copper.  Both are beautiful and look like magic on the nails.

After stamping over the flakie base with black polish on the UberChic image, I tried both a glossy and then a matte top coat.  You know I have to MATTE ALL THE FLAKIES!  Some of these photos I took under two lights to show off the shiftiness of the flakies.  I also tried to do a black frame around the nail and it just turned out crappy.  But if I had done it correctly, it would have looked bomb.  Oh well!

So what do you think of these nails?  I thoroughly enjoyed them.  Even if the stamp is upside down.  We are just about half way through the #31DC2016Weekly.  The prompts will be getting much more challenging as the weeks go on.  Are you enjoying this series?  Let me know!  And be sure to check out all of the other participants manicures by veiwing the #31DC2106Weekly tag on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.  Join in anytime you would like!

Thanks for stopping by!

*one of the polishes used in this mani was provided for review*

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Takko Tuesday! - Guava

Happy Takko Tuesday!

Press Sample

Were you able to snag all of the pretty Takkitos at the pre-order last week?  I think it was a huge hit and Takko Lacquer will likely do more of them.  If you were not able to take advantage of the pre-order, don't worry.  There will be a regular restock at the end of June as well as stock going out to the stockist.  Today, I am sharing with you another one of the awesome new cremes.  Takko has decided to make and ongoing collection of cremes and toppers that will be continuously be added to as time goes on.  It's called the Collection of Curiosities and Exquisites.  I have already shown you a few from this collection (here and here) but I realized that I didn't talk about the collection as a whole yet.  Hopefully, we will see an enormous selection of amazing creme colors from Takko over the year!

"Guava" is a peachy creme with a slight coral feel.  I really love the color of this polish.  It is soft but bright at the same time.  This was the least opaque of all of the cremes in this inaugural collection.  I did three thin coats topped with a glossy top coat.  It was a little streaky on the first two coats but evened out nicely on the third.

The black and white cremes in this collection stamped to beautifully so I wanted to see if Guava would, too.  And it did!  I created this soft, floral mani using Vice as a base (see my review here) and stamped over it with a rose design from the Pueen SE01A plate.  It is very subtle but I really liked how this turned out.  It reminds me of antique upholstery.  This light colored polish stamped well!

There has not been any specific dates and times for the next launch but I will keep you up to date once I find out.  You can follow Takko Lacquer on their social media outlets to get the latest news as it happens.

Takko Lacquer shop and restock info

Takko Lacquer Instagram and Twitter

Takko Lacquer stockists: Color4Nails, Mei Mei Signatures, Femme Fatale


Thanks for stopping by!
 - Amy McG aka McPolish

*products provided by the maker for honest review*

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Animal Print for the #31DC2016Weekly

Hello!

Press Sample

Holy moly...I am so excited to share my #31DC2016Weekly mani with you all.  I played around with some Masura magnetic polishes again and I am in awe at just how freaking cool my manicure turned out.  I am going to apologize in advance for the large amount of photos of this one mani but you need to see it.  I was inspired by a nail artist I found on Instagram through some shares on the Masura page.  The user @deryabinayulia (this is just an example of her work, you must look through ther account!) does these crazy, amazing looking snake/alligator/reptile skin manicures with gel polishes (I am pretty sure they are gel, I don't read Russian).  I am mesmerized by them.  So I tried to do my own version using magnetic polish and stamping.  I am am tickled pink with my results!

Lots of pics to come!