... Too Fancy Lacquer - This Love Is Smokin' Hot ...

A bit of a milestone today! Apart from the fact that I've managed to blog daily for half a month, this is the most I've blogged in a month since October 2012!! WOW!!!

A month or so ago I left a memory card at my husbands work and I've only just rediscovered it. It had this beautiful gem on it which I had to show.

This is "This Love Is Smokin' Hot" by Too Fancy Lacquer and being a big fan of pink polishes, I was in love from the time I pulled it out the mailbox! All these swatches are 3 coats with the HK girl top coat.

So bright and so pretty! Sunshine is sadly lacking here at the moment so I'm so glad that I got a chance to wear this when the sun was out as it looks like it'll be awhile before I see blue skies again in my neighbourhood.

I give it bonus points as it still looked a pretty pink inside. YAY! It's definitely most brightest in full sunlight but the shade that it gives indoors is still adorable for any pink fan.

And I couldn't leave it alone so I stamped over it! Now if someone knows what plate this is from I'd be ever so grateful! I can't seem to find it again and I really want to use it as I love how this looks.

... Piglet Nails ...

Hi! My name is Sarah Claire and I hate using striping tape. There. I said it!! It's something that I just cannot get right and it frustrates me greatly. It's fiddly and it never goes where I want it too. If I ever get it positioned right, it will move or leak under the edges. Ugh! One day I'll work out how to conquer the stripes! I'm determined. So this is todays attempt which I feel is getting better but let's not dwell on the frustration, onto the cuteness!!

So this is Zoya Barbie and Zoya Lara with the cute piglet from the FUN11 stamping plate (yes! Reverse stamped as always. That technique has changed my life!). Zoya Barbie is my #1 most used Zoya as it seems to work for a lot of things. It's the perfect pink!

So even though I'm not happy with my stripes, I still love the cuteness of this and think it's rather awesome. If you haven't invested in some of the plates from the FUN range, then go check them out. So many cute characters for your money and I've had no issues with them not stamping perfectly every time.

Hurrah!  Now I've also been a bit of a busy bee, reorganising polishes and stash lists and I'm starting to clean out polishes again as I am overflowing and space is becoming a real issue. I've put my blogsale back up on the toolbar and am slowly adding things in that need rehoming. Hard work!

... Celestial Cosmetics - Moonlight Glow ...

I'm so happy on how these nails worked out!! YAY! I was recently given a chance to get my hands on this gorgeous polish which is Moonlight Glow by Celestial Cosmetics which is a fantastic pink holo *drools*

Now it's no secret that I love pink but I also love Mario and I thought this pink would be fantastic for a Princess Peach mani! Like many children of the 80s I spent many many hours playing Mario games and even today that's not changed too much as I've been playing a bit of Paper Mario Sticker Star on 3DS.

I've reversed stamped her from the FUN3 plate from Fab Ur Nails and the nude colour is Pink Ribbon by Butter London which I thought turned out fantastic! I have struggled with skin colours in the past as everything is either too brown or too orange but. Ah! So much love!

It's been a long time since I loved a mani so much and this will be a struggle to take off! I love the pink, I love the stamping and I love how the total combo works. 

And I'll leave you with something I've often wondered. I mean Bowser is pretty cool and all and have you ever wondered where Bowser Junior came from?? Hmmmmm

... AN Monday - Australian ...

Bit of a triple whammy today for you!! Firstly I have a review of a beautiful Orly polish, secondly it's Aussie Nail Monday and thirdly like last year, I'm hoping to get into the Aussie spirit and get some Australiana themed manis out there for the week! So make sure you scroll all the way down this post.

So this is Dare To Bare from the latest Orly Blush collection which is described as a musk pink creme and honestly it's a beautiful natural colour.

This is three coats and it's fast drying but you just need to make sure you don't apply too much at once or you'll end up with streaks. So slow and steady!

Now Aussie Nails Mondays theme is "Australian". Aussie Aussie Aussie ... Oi Oi Oi!! To make this into a simple Australia themed mani, I've just gone for a green and gold dot look. I've used acrylic paint for the dots and I think it looks rather striking.

I found Dare to Bare to be such a great base colour for nail art. I need more neutral colours in my helmer!

It's been a long while since I was happy with my dotting attempts. Hoorah! I think it looks great.

The Orly Blush collection consists of 6 pretty colours and you'll be able to find it on Aussie shelves from February 1. This collection is limited edition so don't wait too long to go check them out. To find out your closest stockist or more information, you can visit the Orly Australia website or via Facebook or Twitter.

Polishes were provided for review but all opinions, Aussie humour and dodgy photography are my own!

Wanna see more Aussie Nails? Check out these links or check out #anmonday on Instagram!

Lily Jinks - @lilyandjinks

Ann - Nailovelogy

Tracy - @oliviajade19

Holly - @nails_by_holly

Naomi - @nadeekay and Nananaisnails

Erin Wu -  @erinzi and Erin Zi’s Nails

Elissa -@tenlittlenubs and Ten Little Nubs

Kate - Pimped Out Nails

Astrid - @lovessweetas

Sarah Claire - @shattermeclaire or Shatter me Claire

Julia - Fancy Nails and Cups of Tea

Sylvie - @smudgedpolish

Relle - @lazylacquerista or Lazy Lacquerista

Tammy - @ohmygoshpolish

Christinemay - @xtinemayyy or Nails at 2am

Tash Birch - @tashisdead

Nicki - @celestialcosmetics

Briana -

Loz - Polish Patterns

Kelly - @kellyskolors and Kelly's Kolors!

Tara - @lokislacquer or  Osiris and Loki paint their nails

And want to see more Australia nails in time for Australia Day! Check out the links below or #anausday on Instagram

... piCture pOlish - Abstract Nails ...

Something a bit different from me today. I'm not sure exactly what to call it so I'm just going to go with "abstract"! (If anyone else has a different word that describes them better I'd love to hear it!)

I've used a combo of piCture pOlish polishes for the base including Mellow Yellow, Bright White, Candy, Jade and Mad Magenta.

I kind of dabbed them on in patches of colour which made an interesting effect.  Then on top I've used black polish and the MoYou Artist Collection 03 plate for the design. If you haven't jumped on the MoYou train then I'd highly suggest getting your hands on some! It's worth the wait and definitely worth the money!

The stamping design is a bit of everything. Dots, stripes, patterns and I think it doesn't look too bad against the colourful backdrop of the 5 base colours. It's not something I usually put on my nails but I'm really glad I did as I got quite a few comments on this manicure as it was so striking!

I think I need to use a lot more of these happy summer colours this year. I really liked how they looked against my skin when combined.

... Lilypad Lacquer - Bubble Yummo ...

I've been wanting to try this one out for awhile but haven't gotten around to it before now! Glad I've finally got it on my fingertips!!

This beautiful pink is Bubble Yummo from the creative holographic genius that is Nicole from Lilypad Lacquer *drools*

Now, sadly you'll notice that I'm not holding the beautiful pink holo bottle. That's because I got up to grab my camera after painting and this happened.

For never was a story of more woe, than this of Sarah Claire and her Bubble Yummo.

Yes. I dropped it and snapped the neck with 95% of the contents spilling onto my lounge room floor. Unlike Romeo and Juliet, my tale has a happier ending. A beautiful stranger has offered to replace my bottle which was beyond kind and I am still really quite speechless in expressing my gratitude.

Now back to the polish! Obviously, it's bright pink! These shots are of 3 coats and although the camera shows some Visible Nail Line (VNL)  Bubble Yummo isn't a super strong linear holographic polish but it's still a holo never the less. I thought it was beautiful as I love the pink colour but having a secret hidden rainbow was fantastic! YAY!

... Wave of Polish ... In memory of Charlotte and Bailey xxxx

Something special today and close to my heart.  Loss of a child is something that we don't talk about much as a society even though so many of us have been touched by a life who was taken from the world too soon.

October is International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. Throughout the month we ask that you paint your nails blue and pink. October 15th is Pregnancy and Infant Loss awareness day. Around the world on the 15th October at 7pm people are asked to light a candle. Then throughout the time zones a wave of light is made in memory of the precious lives taken too soon. Let's also make October 15th a wave of polished hands showing support throughout the world

1 in 4 pregnancies will end in loss, leaving behind devastated families. Please show your support and help raise awareness"

Today my nails are in memory of my two beautiful nieces Charlotte and Bailey Anne who sadly passed away shortly after entering the word.

Two Sisters, Two Butterflies. Flying together forever.

The polishes I used are Face of Australia Boys 'n' Berries, Zoya Barbie, Bourjois 06 Rose Cupcake and piCture pOlish Black.

There is currently an international auction for polishes over at Wave of Polish with all money raised going towards the work of Sands Australia who are there to support grieving parents in their time of need. There is also a donation link on the Sands page if you would like to contribute funds towards

If you want to see the wave of polish look at the instagram tag #pregnancyandinfantloss or #waveofpolish or just check out all the links below.

*** ***

... piCture pOlish Blog Fest 2013 ...

... piCture pOlish Blog Fest 2013 ...

Celebrating the Year of the Blogger

Woohoo! I may have vanished temporarily but I had to come back to celebrate the piCture pOlish Blog Fest especially with this time being Year of the Blogger!! *throws confetti in the air* YAY!! I had such fun last year so I knew this year would be great too.

When piCture pOlish said this year it was a nail art challenge they weren't wrong! Challenge is the key word here! We were given 3 polishes and told to put nail art together. So I got my thinking cap on and eventually came up with this.

 
Last week, like many others I saw this post by Nailz Craze. It looks so simple and easy and had many of us thinking "why didn't someone mention this years ago"! While I totally love the idea, I'm not sure if clumsy me can work holding the stamper so it doesn't roll away but it really got me thinking ... "how can I do multiple designs at once"??

I'm just going to refer to it as "reverse stamping" from here in (since instead of doing polish and stamp, you are doing stamp and then polish!) and if someone else has already covered this in detail (or if it has a better name), please let me know as I'd love to give you some credit!!!

So let's get to it! To create this funky cupcake look, you first need some polishes!!

I'm using ...

* piCture pOlish - Frosting by Cosmetic Cupcake
* piCture pOlish - Beige

* piCture pOlish - Candy

You also will need ...

* a black polish [I'm using piCture pOlish black]

* a stamping plate of your choice [I'm using Cheeky Jumbo Plate 7 - Home Sweet Home]

* a stamper and scraper [I prefer a konad double stamper and an old iTunes card]

* a small nail art brush or dotting tool

* a clear top coat

* baking paper [I've been told baking paper is the same thing as parchment paper, cooking paper, bakery paper and wax paper. Hopefully one of those terms is familar to you!]

* and patience!!!! Lots and lots of patience! 

Step 1 -  Tear off a section of baking paper and use the top coat to paint squares anywhere on the paper and wait for them to dry.

Step 2- Choose your stamping design and stamp it directly on the clear squares you painted earlier. [If you can't see where they were, just hold the paper up to the light!]. Then, wait for it to dry.

Step 3 - Grab your colours and decide which part of the stamp you wish to paint first. Unlike regular painting, you want whatever colour on top first. Not the bottom first!! So in this case, Candy for the cupcake liner and the cherry! Dab on your polish instead of using brush strokes. If you don't have a brush, a dotting tool will work the same. Fully paint over the area, including the design. When finished, again wait for it to dry.

Step 4 - Dab the next colour on. I'm using Frosting as it seemed appropriate! Mmmmmmm frosting *homer simpson drool*. Wait til dry again.

Step 5 - Cut out your design! As I only want the cupcake, I'll further trim this to remove the excess stamping before using.

Step 6 - Prepare you nails ready to be cupcaked!  I've painted 2 in Beige and 2 in Frosting.

Step 7 - Carefully peel your polish stamping from the paper. Because of the top coat, this just lifts right off! Then FLIP IT OVER!! The stamping design is right there in all it's glory, with the pretty colours behind it.

Step 8 - Check your polish! If it's still tacky then place the cupcake straight on top! If you polish is dry, add a thin layer of topcoat before placing! Because I have small nails, I've put them slightly on a slant so they fit! Also unlike decals, it does not matter if part of the design hangs over the side of your nail. The entire design is nail polish so we will remove the excess in the next step!

Step 9 - Dip a clean up brush in acetone and run it around the edge of your nail to remove the excess design. It will simply vanish before your eyes. Awesome.

Step 10 - As you flipped the design over, it should be nice and smooth as there is already a top coat holding it on as the new top. If you have loose sections or for piece of mind, just add another coat of clear top coat.

Step 11 - Add more cupcakes!!!  These little ones are from the same stamping plate and I've painted their cute faces in beige and the bottom in candy!

So there you go! While this is time consuming with waiting for polish to dry, you can make your designs a far way in advance. I've personally found polish starts peeling off the baking paper after 3-4 weeks and then it becomes more fragile to store but it's still usable.  I'll definately be reverse stamping again in the future!

You can find piCture pOlish online, on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram, on Pinterest, on YouTube and on Google+

Also, check out their Shipping, Network and Everyday Deals page to find out the best way to get your hands on some pretty polishes! You know you want too!

Polishes were provided for review but all opinions, Aussie humour and dodgy photography are my own!

Want to see more? Check out instagram using the hashtag #ppblogfest2013 or hit the links below. Enjoy!!

... AN Monday - Hearts ...

It's been awhile since I did one of these ...

Todays theme was heart and I've been wanting to try out the hot technique of using a hole punch to make designs. Glad I did. That stuff is addictive!!

So this is 3 coats of the stunning Mellow Yellow from piCture polish with hearts made from piCture pOlish Ocean, Kryptonite and Shocked.

I was really surprised on how simple and easy this was ... and also surprised that no one came up with this sooner!!! Basically I painted 3 coats of polish onto baking paper [parchment paper] and let it dry. Then cut the heart shapes out with my heart hole punch and then stuck them on [the baking paper just falls off when you cut! YAY!]

I'm really please with how it worked out! I'll definitelly be using this one again in the future!

For more pretty Aussie Nails check us out on Instagram using the tag #anmonday or check out the following ladies!

Elissa - Ten Little Nubs

Bec - Nail Gun XS

Marie - Marie’s Manicure Madhouse

Sarah - Shatter Me Claire

Chantelle - A Polished Prance

Teneil -Shades of Phoenix

Nicole - The Epitome of Superficiality

Bec - Lacquer Dreams

Naomi - NananaisNails

Eboni - Enamoured With Enamel

Adelle - Adelle1985 (Instagram)

Kelly - Kelly's Kolors

Rebecca - Polished Peripherals

Rosemarie - Every Little Polish

Melissa - Mel My Issta

Natalie - Walk In My Eyeshadow

Jennifer - JennLojko (Instagram)

Erin - Erinzi’s Nails

Astrid - Lovessweetas (Instagram)

Jasmyn - Jas’ Blingtastic Nails

Kate - Mckfresh (Instagram)

Jessica - Maedaynails (instagram)

Elizabeth - Lili_Bete (Instagram)

Cassandra - The Reluctant Femme

Tammy - Lacquer and Leather

Julia - Messy Mansion

Ann - Nailovelogy

Ronda

Theresa It's All About The Polish

Katie - Pretty Polish Please

Melissa - polished_off (Instagram)

Jennifer - jennersx (Instagram)

Rachael - thepolishedclaw (Instagram)

Julz - Julzperrinails

Caylah

Tash

Jane - Nails In Oz

Jasmine - Nailed By Jasmine

Sylvia - lilyandjinks (Instagram)

Genna - Eternal Dreamer

Tammy - http://ohmygoshpolish.blogspot.com.au/

Stacey - @staceymeldrum (Instagram)

Jess - radjecca (Instagram)

Shannen - shannen_arrowsmith (Instagram)

Sarah - lilyloveslouise.blogspot.com

Tracy

Kate - Pimped Out Nails

Casey - Drama Queen Nails

Holly - nails_by_holly (Instagram)

... Celestial Cosmetics - Part I ...

Time flies when you are having fun the days are all mushed into one big long continuous mess. This post has been a long time in the making and I apologise for that. Some of you may recognise these photos from Instagram last month. Hopefully my blogging mojo will reappear in full soon as I've missed it. I think I've only painted my nails once (and had someone else do them another time). I really do miss myself. Thank you to those who have been looking out for me.

Today I'm showing you some beautiful polishes from an Aussie Indie called Celestial Cosmetics. Honestly this is well worth a look. Australia is pushing out some fantastic Aussie Indies at the moment.

First up is Cosmic Ray. It's what happens when you combine a dark blue jelly with silver bar glitter and white flakes.

Anyone who knows me, knows that bar glitter and myself are not friends. Well I thought not until I met this. OMG I stand corrected. Honestly it blew me away on how much I truely enjoyed this polish. The blue is awesome but having those little glitter pieces shining through ... wow.

Next is Your so W-Earth it ... HA HA HA ... Love the pun!! This is one of those colours that likes to change depending on the sunlight. Sometimes it's more a pastel blue, sometimes its more of a light mint. Tricky! It's also chock full of green, blue and white glitters! They really compliment the base colour.

Mercury Rising is a pretty silver shimmer with a speckle of blue glitter throughout. I don't own anything like this and it was a real treat and it was something different to the rest of my collection. I totally love the shimmer and while I'm here I'll point out that even though there is a lot of little glitters, this was a breeze to remove! I was expecting to find little bits still on my nail days later! But no! Definitely a big plus.

The Pink Planet is a really pretty pink that is more towards red on the colour spectrum. It's packed full of holographic hex and little micro glitter. The world needs more pink! This was very easy on the eyes.

Martians have landed is such a me colour. Mmmmmm metallic! Look at that shine!! In the bottle it's more red but outdoors in full sun, its more purple. Either way I love it so much!  I really want to revisit this colour soon and make it matte!

Currently Nicki doesn't ship outside of Australia but I'm sure if you email and ask nicely something can be worked out [or I'm happy to be the middle man!]   I'll be back soon with Part II

Polishes were provided for review but all opinions, Aussie humour and dodgy photography are my own!