Easy Halloween Nail Stamping Manicure

Hey guys! Heads up, video tutorial below...

Ok, so it's Halloween and there are so many nail art options, but I wanted to keep this one simple and cute. I posted a more involved Halloween look earlier this month, but this is more my speed. This is also my first time stamping my ring finger with a different image than the rest of my nails creating an accent nail...I like it.  It makes me feel like my entire hand helps create a panoramic image.

 Here's my end result:

Manicure:
Perfect Formula Gel Coat
2 coats Julep Lisa
Using Bundle Monster BM 213 and BM 305 (Stamped with Kleancolor Black)
Dotting tool with Sinful Colors Firefly (for the windows)
1 coat Sally Hansen Hard as Wraps Hard as Nails
1 coat Dazzle Dry Top Coat

Here are the polishes I used for this scene:

This is Lisa by herself, a beauty in her own right:

Lisa came in my October Julep Maven box.  Julep Maven, for those of you who haven't heard about it, is a monthly nail polish subscription program.  Usually new members can sign up for as little as a penny depending on the promotion going on that month.

Here is a link where you can join the Julep Maven program along with a coupon code.  I would suggest that if the code doesn't let you join for 1 cent try searching online for a 1 cent coupon code and go through the julep.com website...

http://www.julep.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/5805/
Code: 446985

I love this program because it allows you to skip a month, send a month to a girlfriend, donates a portion of the proceeds to different charities geared toward helping women, and the packaging is always amazing and thoughtful.

I am trying out a new video setup, so we'll see how it goes.  Hope you enjoy the video.

What are you doing for your Halloween manicure?

Wishing you amazing manicures,

Bevy of Nails

Nails Inc After Party and Zoya Storm Swatches/Review

Hey guys.

Today I don't have a nail tutorial for you, but I do have a review and swatches of the new glitter nail polishes released by Nails Inc on sephora.com.

Available here.

After a couple of weeks with no video, I decided that glitter is best translated when you can see it glisten and shine when there is movement.

Without further ado:

Do you like the glitter trend?  Do you think you'll buy these?

Wishing you amazing manicures,

Bevy of Nails

My First Halloween Stamping Manicure - Bundle Monster Fright Night

Hey guys!

The company that manufactures the images I use for stamping, Bundle Monster, recently held a Halloween Nail Art competition.  This was my entry.

Manicure:
Actually let's take this one step at a time since this is one of the most involved manicures I've done.

First, I wanted the nail to have a dingy look so I added about 8 drops of Wet N Wild Black Creme to an Essence clear top coat for a gray tinge.

Second, I applied 3 coats to get the desired "dinginess".

 

Third, I used Bundle Monster BM 201(Kleancolor Black) as my cobweb base, and used Mash 38 for the icky spider (Sally Hansen Insta Dri Silver Sweep).

 

Fourth, I used Nails Inc Black Taxi (my favorite black) to add an asymmetrical french tip, added dots of metallic nail polish for blood, and added one coat of Dazzle Dry Top Coat.

This was my first foray into multiple stamps and Halloween manicures.  I have a much simpler one planned for next week, but I thought this was a neat design that needed to be shared with others.  So this is me, sharing with you...

Unfortunately, I didn't make the finals of the Fright Night contest, but there are so many beautiful manicures I urge you to check them out here.  It was a lot of fun trying to come up with something new and different.

I hope you liked this one.

Wishing you amazing manicures,

Bevy of Nails

Pink/Brown Argyle using Cheeky XL plates

Hey guys,

This post is a little early, but it turned into one of my favorite designs to date. This is definitely a repeater and I can't wait to try different color combinations.

Here it is:

Manicure:
 Keeping with the pink theme this month,
1 coat Perfect Formula Gel Coat
2 coats Zoya Mia
Stamping polish is Sally Hansen Insta dri Cocoa-a-go-go (Cheeky XL plate A)
which you can purchase in the set I bought from Amazon here.
1 coat Sally Hansen Hard as Wraps Hard as Nails top coat
1 coat Dazzle Dry top coat

I love the combination of pink and brown together.  Who would think that an argyle pattern on your nails could be considered neutral?  It totally is with my skin tone.  I love this one so much!

Zoya is definitely in my top 4 nail polish brands (along with Dazzle Dry, Nails Inc, and Julep).  The formula is usually very good to work with and most are available at Sephora or ULTA.  This is the first time I have used either of these colors and I am so glad I did.

This color is beautiful in its own right, but the pop of the metallic brown stamping is gorgeous.

 I need this manicure to last at least 8 days since I won't have a chance to do them again this weekend.  I will add an updated picture after that time to see how this manicure held up.  Keep your fingers crossed.

*UPDATE*

I love how well Zoya nail polish wears.  This is after 7 days. There is minimal tip wear only.

Wishing you amazing manicures,

Bevy of Nails

Pinkish Camouflage Nail Stamping

Hey guys,

Today we're going to talk about hits and misses.  Sometimes manicures don't come out the way we envision them in our heads.  We think, "What did I do wrong?"  Well the truth is...nothing.  Sometimes combos don't work the way we think they will and we need to adjust the colors, the amount of color, or the stamped image. Please don't let this stop you from trying out new things and new colors because one miss means that there's a hit right around the corner.

 Today, I think I need to adjust the color.

Manicure:
1 coat of Perfect Formula Gel Coat
2 coats Nails Inc Porchester Square
Blobs (yes, blobs) of Sally Hansen Insta Dri in Presto Pink
Stamped with Mash 38 (Sally Hansen Insta Dri in Flashy Fuschia
1 coat Sally Hansen Hard as Wraps Hard as Nails Top Coat
1 coat Dazzle Dry Top Coat.

 First off, this manicure was inspired by a soguesswhat11 nail tutorial with step-by-step directions.  Click Here.  I think it would just have been rude to make a video just like hers, not to mention she's really good about explaining the steps so you are in good hands.  She used a light pink base and I just couldn't follow directions.  I thought the gray would add a subtle darkness to this design, but now I think it just muddied the waters, so to speak.

Porchester Square by itself is a beauty.  A nude that, while IMO is a little light for me to wear alone, can be a great neutral and a great base for stamping.

This is two coats even though one coat was opaque.

I then added blobs (technical term meaning any size of misshapen color you want) of Presto Pink for the mid-tone color in this design.

I then waited for this to dry before stamping.

The moral of the story:
I think this design will work best if all the colors (light, medium, and darker) are in the same color family.

Wishing you amazing manicures,

Bevy of Nails

Breast Cancer Awareness Stamping Manicure

Hey All,

Breast Cancer is something that has touched so many of us.  To embrace the spirit of this month I have used the new Bundle Monster BM 321 plate I am soooo excited was in the 2012 collection.

Here's the finished look:

This Manicure:
Base Coat: Perfect Formula Gel Coat
2 coats Nails Inc Lowndes Square
Stamping polish: Sally Hansen Insta-dri Presto Pink
Top Coats:
Sally Hansen Hard as Wraps Hard as Nails
Dazzle Dry Top Coat

There will be a video tutorial at the end of this post. 

This is a subtle stamping that was inspired by a blog post by Polish Art Addiction click here.  She used a lighter base color but I didn't have a purple that light.  It is a little brighter in person, though.

Lowndes Square was the closest I could come up with.  I love this color.  It's also currently on sale at Sephora.com, when it's in stock, for $5.

There was one issue I had with this manicure.  I find that some Sally Hansen Inst-dris (Lickety Split Lime and Presto Pink so far for me) must be left to dry for at least 5 minutes after stamping or the top coat will eat through the design making it see-through.  I noticed this happening on my left hand, so I waited longer before putting top coat over my right hand.

     Left Hand                                        Right Hand

You can see the difference between how solid the pink ribbons are on the right hand vs. the left if you zoom in on the photos.

Regardless, I am happy and will sport this mani with pride.  Please check out the video if you're interested in the step-by-step process.

Wishing you amazing manicures,

Bevy of Nails