Nail Crazies Unite - Ugly Sweater

Hey there!  This week the Nail Crazies Unite prompt is Ugly Sweaters.  Since Christmas is officially over I wanted to do a sweater pattern in something other than Christmas colors.  A couple weeks ago I saw @loveslacquer do a sweater pattern with some bright Picture Polish colors and I fell in love.  I was so inspired that I did my own pastel nordic pattern.  Is it still considered an ugly sweater when I think it's pretty darn cute?

The Digit-al Dozen does Birthdays - December 2016

Hey there!  In December, 3 of the Digit-al Dozen ladies have their birthdays so, as a group, we celebrate by doing nail art inspired by a picture they've chosen.  This month, Cathy of More Nail Polish, Kerry of Painted Fingertips and Kristi from Let's Begin Nails have picked a wild photo of a rainbow computer chip that you can see after the jump.

Last Minute Christmas Stamping

Hey there!  Only one more sleep until the big day!  I'm such a big kid!  Today I have one last Christmas nail art look to post which may or may not be my actual Christmas nails (I'm typing this on Friday since I know I'll be busy on Christmas Eve).  These are on my nails right now but they're looking a bit worn.  But I like them enough that I won't be too upset if this ends up on my nails for the next few days.  I know I already did a wrapping paper look this year and I did something almost identical last year but I guess I really like this kind of look so I'm a-okay with wearing it again!

26 Great Nail Art Ideas - Pastel Christmas

Hey there!  It's the last 26 Great Nail Art Ideas post of 2016.  Is everyone all prepared for the upcoming festivities?  I think I'm pretty much ready to go.  Anyway our nail art theme for the week is Pastel Christmas.  I thought this could end up super pretty and really cute - I tried to go the cute direction.  Unfortunately my pastels got so washed out that it looks more like "off white Christmas".  But they're still cute!

Simple Snowflake Stamping

Hey there!  My work week is definitely winding down but I still have a couple more blog posts to do before Christmas, since after Christmas, they'll be completely non-seasonal.  Today's is a quick and easy one that I wore a couple weeks ago.  I've been super busy lately (like pretty much everybody) so I haven't had much time for anything complicated.  Luckily I'm a-okay with a simple one-color with single color stamping.

UberChic Beauty Collection 13 and Holographic Plate Storage Folder

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Hey there!  Anybody need a little break from Christmas nails?  If you do, this is the post for you!  Today I wanted to share a couple of the newest products from UberChic Beauty - Collection 13 and the most beautiful plate holder you will ever see!  To test out the collection, I've done 2 designs with each plate.  This collection includes quite a few layering images so I was sure to try out one of those.  I know Brittany works really hard on the layering images since she wants each images to also be able to be used on its own so it takes extra creativity!  Keep reading to see more about my manis and to check out the holographic plate holder.

Winstonia Christmas Stamping Plates Review

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Hey there!  It's exactly one week until Christmas and I still have a few festive designs to share with you guys, starting with these that were done using this year's Winstonia Christmas Special plates.  I've been using Winstonia's plates since I first heard about them around 2013.  Since then I've purchased every set and quite a few of their individual plates because I've always enjoyed the quality and the images that they come up with.  So when they asked if I'd review a few of their holidays plates, I certainly couldn't say no.  Even if you don't think you could receive these plates in time for the big day, fear not, there's plenty of images that can (and will) be used throughout the entire winter season...which, where I am, is pretty darn long!  Here's the manis I've done using these plates and the jumbo clear stamper.  At the end of this post, there will be a coupon code to use on any regular priced items in the Winstonia shop so keep reading...

Mrs. P's Potions Vixen Selection ONEders and Glitterati Collection

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Hey there!  Today's post is all about a couple of upcoming collections from Mrs. P's Potions - the latest ONEders and the Glitterati collection.  Both of these collections will be released this Sunday, December 18th at 12 pm MST.  The ONEders are formulated to be one-coaters which can double as stamping polishes.  The Glitterati's are aptly named - they are chock full of glitter.  Some have a clear base, some have coloured bases but they are all sparkly beauty.  Keep reading to hear all my thoughts.

The Digit-al Dozen does December/Nail Crazies Unite Candy Cane

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Hey there!  It's the end of this month's Digit-al Dozen theme of "December".  It also happens to be the day for the Nail Crazies Unite theme of Candy Canes and what's more December than candy canes?  So I've combined the prompts into one post with some candy cane stripes and stamping.  My stripes streaked a bit but I do quite like the glitter-y red and white look.  I wish I had a photo of the first time I tried this.  This isn't perfect but it's definitely an improvement.

The Digit-al Dozen does December - Winter Trees

Hey there!  We're still going with The Digit-al Dozen's December theme and I have another chilly-looking design to share today.  On Monday I posted another outdoor scene but one that looked pretty and sparkly.  Today's mani is more like what December has actually been looking like here lately - cold and foggy.  It's been a funny winter so far.  Usually Edmonton is nothing but big, blue skies (albeit, pretty cold skies) but this year we've had a lot of really foggy mornings.  Since I cross the river on my way to work, I've gotten to see all the frosty river valley trees in the fog which inspired me to do these nails.  It's not the warmest looking mani ever but this hasn't been the warmest December either.

The Digit-al Dozen does December: Christmas Splatter

Hey there!  For the middle of The Digit-al Dozen's December-themed week, I've got another Christmas mani to share.  I guess it's not really a Christmas design since it's just splatter stamping but I would say I can't see these colors together without thinking of the holidays so I think it fits the theme.  To be honest, I just wanted to try out my very first Vapid polish and I thought it'd make a nice base here.

The Digit-al Dozen does December: Clear Jelly Stamper Christmas Plates

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Hey there!  Welcome to day 2 of The Digit-al Dozen's December theme.  Last week I showed you guys a few of Clear Jelly Stamper's stamping polishes.  When emailing with Debbie about the polishes, she asked me if there were any plates I wanted to order since she was already shipping something so I grabbed a few of the Christmas/winter plates.  She was kind enough to include a few extras and I thought these would go along nicely with our December prompt this month so today you get four December designs instead of just one.

The Digit-al Dozen does December: Winter Deer Stamping

Hey there!  It's time for this month's Digit-al Dozen theme, always one of my favourite weeks of the month.  For December, we're doing just that - December!  December means two things to me: Christmas and cold so that's what all of my designs this week focus on.  My first design makes winter look quite pretty.  In reality, I'm not one of those people who loves the outdoors in winter and I'm particularly bitter this week since we've been in a cold snap with temperatures in the -30s.  I certainly haven't gone outside more than I've had to!  But a frozen river with some deer would be lovely to see...from the window of a warm cabin, haha!

Kokie Cosmetics Nail Polish Review

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Hey there!  Kokie Cosmetics is a brand that was started in 2015 by the founder and CEO of Sinful Colors, before Sinful was bought by Revlon.  I've only heard about it in the past few months.  I'm not sure if that means they only officially launched recently or if they've just started become a social media presence recently.  Either way, my first impressions of the brand are favourable.  There are two separate lines of polish, the first being a RapidGel line (don't worry, it's not actually gel) that is composed of creme polishes that are meant to give you 7 day wear (more on this below) when combined with the top coat and the second being a traditional polish line.  The traditional line has a monstrously huge selection already so the 8 I've swatched is just a taste of what is available.  Keep reading for a whole bunch of swatch photos, a bit of nail art AND a couple other nail products that Kokie has available.
 

26 Great Nail Art Ideas - Christmas Preparations

Hey there!  It's time for a new 26 Great Nail Art Ideas theme.  This week we're doing Christmas Preparations.  As much as I love Christmas, I really don't do much to prepare for it.  I'm not a baker, I don't decorate.  Mostly I just buy and wrap presents and look forward to having a week off work!  So that's what I've tried to get onto my nails...wrapping paper.  Honestly I'm the world's most terrible gift wrapper so there's some level of irony on me choosing to do this as nail art...and doing a pretty good job if I do say so myself!

Clear Jelly Stamper Big Bling Boxed Kit and Stamping Polish Review

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Hey there!  Today I have a few products from Clear Jelly Stamper to share with you guys.  CJS is the original inventor of the clear stamper so most of us probably feel some gratitude towards her.  I had emailed her asking if there were any reviews of her stamping polish out there on the internet after a reader had asked me.  She offered to send me a few to try out and, as someone who is always on the lookout for great new stamping polishes, I couldn't refuse.  She was also kind enough to send me a beautiful box that would be a great gift idea for the stamper in your life - The Big Bling Boxed Kit, as well as her cuticle protector.  Follow the jump to hear all my thoughts.  

Cici & Sisi Acrylic Stamping Plate Review

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Hey there!  Today I'm reviewing a product that I've never tried before - the acrylic stamping plates from Cici & Sisi.  I first purchased from Cici & Sisi years and years ago when I bought their first two collections.  Even back then, their quality was on point so I was excited to try these acrylic plates out.      And they've also ventured into the world of layered stamping images which are always fun.  In today's review I have two of these layered stamping plates (Flowers 02 and Mandala 01) and one regular plate (Wedding Season 02).

Nail Crazies Unite - Holiday Movie

Hey there!  This week's Nail Crazies Unite theme is Holiday Movie.  Honestly, the only holiday movie that I really know and love is Love Actually.  But I've tried a Love Actually mani before and it wasn't good.  It was so bad that I won't even try to find it and link to it.  So when I saw this was one of our prompts, I tried to think of another holiday movie even if I love it less.  I remembered A Charlie Brown Christmas simply because I have a fondness for Charlie Brown that is leftover from my childhood.  I had a Snoopy purse, our canary was named Woodstock and I had a blue blanket just like Linus.  But I definitely don't have any Charlie Brown Christmas stamping images so I tried to freehand it.  I hope it's recognizable!

MILV Water Decal Review

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Hey there!  Tonight I'm having a throwback to something I used to use a lot but haven't had time to use lately - water decals.  Honestly, I love water decals.  You can get pretty nail art looks that I personally would never be able to achieve with either stamping or freehand.  But I've been doing a fair number of stamping reviews or Facebook group nail art lately which hasn't allowed me to use water decals.  However when I was approached by MILV to do a review of their products and I checked out their website, I couldn't refuse.  There's some super pretty (and really unique) decals on there!  They even have metallic foil decals.  So I picked a few (including two of the aforementioned foil decals) and had a lot of fun with them.  Some require a white base and others can use any base so keep reading to see how I used them.

Esmaltes da Kelly Stamping Plate Review

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Hey there!  Anyone who reads this blog at all probably knows I'm a complete stamping addict so I jumped at the chance to review some Esmaltes da Kelly stamping plates for Beautometry.com.  Esmaltes da Kelly make some gorgeous polishes and Kelly seems like an absolute sweetheart.  She's a stamper too so I wasn't surprised that these plates turned out to be great.  I was sent the first two plates in her series but, if these aren't to your personal tastes, check out the selection on Beautometry. There's a wide variety so I think there's something for everyone.

The Digit-al Dozen does Birthdays - November 2016

Hey there!  Every month the birthday girls of the month have been picking some art to use an inspiration for a nail design and today is the day The Digit-al Dozen is sharing our November birthday manis.  November is the birthday month for Carmina, Marisa and yours truly.  I was stressed at the idea of choosing the inspiration but luckily Marisa came to the rescue and I only had to pick between a couple of photos.  One of her inspiration pictures looked so much like a drip marble that I couldn't not choose it.  Love love love this technique!  Stick around after the jump to see the inspiration photo and read all about the polishes I used for my version.

26 Great Nail Art Ideas - Winter Warmth

Hey there!  Hope everyone is having fun (while still being financially responsible) this Black Friday.  I stayed up late to hit the midnight sales last night and then got up at 5 am this morning to buy way more than I had planned.  What can I say - some of these brands don't restock or go on sale very often!  But I don't feel too bad since I haven't bought nearly as much polish lately as I used to.  I guess that's what happens when your collection gets to a certain size.  It seems like I have the basics and then some.  But I did buy enough UberSwatchers to finish swatching my Mundo collection which sounds like a decent winter holiday project to me.  Enough about Black Friday...today we have the last 26 Great Nail Art Ideas post of November.  This week our prompt was Winter Warmth and I knew right away that I wanted to use the mittens from the UberChic Christmas 02 plate.  Keep reading for the details of my logic behind this design.

Powder Perfect Egyptology III Collection

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Hey there!  I hope all my American neighbors had a great Thanksgiving (and that everyone else had a great regular day).  Right in time for a little Black Friday shopping, I have a huge collection from Powder Perfect to share that is all currently available at Color4Nails.  Color4Nails is having a 30% off sale this weekend so it's a good time to pick up some new shades!

Powder Perfect is a 5-free , handmade indie brand that recently came out with the Egyptology III Collection.  This collection is based ancient Egypt and all its gods, goddesses and customs.  As someone who finds older civilizations fascinating, reading her descriptions of these polishes was both entertaining AND educational.  This collections is composed of holo polishes with microglitters and/or microflakies and a coloured base.  Across the board, they all applied easily.  Hopefully you can stick by to read all about these.

UberChic Beauty Christmas 02, Wild West 02, Mermaid Life, Collection 12 and UberSwatcher Review

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Hey there!  Let me start by apologizing because this post is going to be HUGE!  I have the latest Christmas, Wild West plates, the first Mermaid Life plate AND the whole of Collection 12!  Normally I split up my UberChic products into separate posts but I have quite a few plates and I wanted to share them before Black Friday sales started.  I don't know the details of UberChic Beauty's sale yet but one is coming and I'd jump on it if I were you.  And I wanted to tell you about how I'm using the new UberSwatcher product.  I'll try not to yap too much since there's a lot going on in this post.

Christmas 02

Wild West 02

Mermaid Life

Collection 12

UberSwatcher

Delush Polish The Winter Takes It All Collection

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Hey there!  Right in time for Black Friday, I have swatches of the upcoming Delush Polish collection, The Winter Takes It All Collection.  Delush Polish is having a whole bunch of Black Friday specials, including 20% off site wide from 7-10 am EST Friday then 15% off until Monday night, to go along with this new release.  The Winter Takes It All collection is mix of 4 holographic gemstone finishes and two glitter packed jellies.  If you're doing any indie polish shopping this weekend, I'd suggest swinging by Delush's website and checking these out.  Their formulas were great and the finishes are really pretty and/or fun!  

The Digit-al Dozen does Color Contrasts/Nail Crazies Unite does Fall Foliage

Hey there!  Hooray, my new plates from Clear Jelly Stamper were waiting for me when I got home last night so I could re-do my red/green Digit-al Dozen mani combined with Nail Crazies Unite prompt of Fall Foliage.  I had done one with vinyls (I'll post a pic at the end) but it looked sloppy.  I had ordered CJS's Sunflower & Leaves plate and it came just in time for me to whip these up last night.  It's a rare occasion that I'm posting on the internet what it currently on my hands.  Sadly I did not manage to avoid the Christmas-feel with the red and green.  I should've known better than to pair them with gold!

The Digit-al Dozen does Color Contrasts: Stamping on Textured Polish

Hey there!  It's almost the end of The Digit-al Dozen's Color Contrasts week.  If you've seen mine so far this week, you'd probably think I'd have red and green paired up today.  But I'm saving that one for tomorrow (and hoping I get a stamping plate I'm waiting for in the mail tonight so I can actually do what I have planned).  For today, I did ALL the complementary colors in one mani.  I wanted a yin yang-style reverse image and found this leaf image on a Born Pretty plate.  It worked for what I wanted but holy it was tough to get the image to work!