Elevation Polish Weddell Sea & Messy Mansion Koi Nail Art

Lazy Sunday lacqueristas,

Seriously super lazy Sunday for me.  I'm exhausted since I've definitely been trying to do too much for work and school and the blog.  It all hit me today when I tried to tackle 2 challenges and realized it wasn't gonna happen.  I could do one or the other not both and still have time to study.  Ah such is life.  So I thought I'd show you a manicure from months ago.  Lol all of my Sunday posts have been like this lately ;)

When I received the Elevation Polish Sea Collection Weddell Sea was one of those polishes that stumped me.  Super pretty whitish gray holo with a shimmer in the base.  I could not capture it's elegance and its beauty.  You can see what I did with it previously here. When I tried to do nail art for it I failed over and over.  This was one of the fails.  I called it a fail because I felt when I looked at what I created I'd overwhelmed the base color. Then instead of going with it I stopped halfway deciding not to fill up my somewhat empty canvas.  Looking back on it now though I think it's kind of pretty (lol clearly biased and delusional).

I created this mani using all the polishes from the Sea Collection so all the blues and greens you see swept haphazardly across Weddell are from that collection as well.  To fill in the fish I used Silversword.  I don't think this polish gets nearly enough play. It's still insanely stunning to me months and months later.  What shocked me the most when I was going back through my archives is that I have a TON of EP nail art that I haven't shown.  I'll have to amend that ;)

Mani-louge

Basecoat/Topcoat: Duri Rejuvacote / Sally Hansen Diamond Flash

Basecolor: Elevation Polish Weddell Sea

Accent colors: Elevation Polish The Med 2, Ceram Sea,and Silversword

Stamping polish: Mundo de Unas Neon Blue (#30)

Stamping plate: Messy Mansion MM29

So what do you think? Sometimes fails are fun too because they can really teach you things to not do in the future. This can be related specifically to a plate or a design.  Lol I just had a fail earlier this week. It made me so mad I had to take it off immediately and create a new mani stat.  Unfortunately Weddell Sea is sold out at the moment on Elevation Polish, but it will likely be back on the 7th of September if you want to pick it up.  Thanks for reading and I'll see you next post....  

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Matte Swatches and Nail Art

Hiya lacqueristas,

Press Sample

Today I have a review for your all of a few selections from the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Matte Collection! These polishes like all of the Insta-Dri Collection rock for several reasons and are much beloved on this blog for these reasons.  One they are essentially one coat wonders and I think I've gushed enough to the heavens and back that you know how much I appreciate that. Two they are fast drying which means I can stamp essentially within 5 minutes of placing the polish down.  And finally three, they are a match made in heaven when it comes to being used as stamping polishes themselves. So of course it is with extreme pleasure that I'm get to share these polishes with you today!

Hot Off The Stamping Presses: Bundle Monster Sun Kissed Collection Press Release!

Hey stamp champs,

Press Release

I have a few updates via press release from Bundle Monster!

Bundle Monster Releases the

Sun Kissed Nail Plate Collection

With the inspiration of the ocean in mind, Bundle Monster created

the ultimate beachy Nail Plate collection for endless possibilities of nail art designs.

Hof Off The Stamping Press: MoYou London Fashionista Collection Expansion!

Hey stamp champs,

It's the middle of the week which means it's time for another release from MoYou London! Once again they have released new plates from the Fashionista Collection.  I will readily admit this is definitely far from my favorite collection released by MoYou, but each week I have felt the plates have gotten a bit more interesting.  So let's take a look...

MoYou London 31 Day Challenge: Day 20 Cute

Hey lacqueristas,

I have been feeling ill over the weekend unfortunately so I didn't really have time to sit down and extensively edit my photos or videos for any new posts.  Bummer.  On the other hand I kind of recalled I never finished posting my nail art for the 31 day challenge I did for MoYou London all the way back in May! At last post I was on Day 19 and the space theme.  So since I was feeling under the weather and I have the photos ready I thought I should go ahead and keep posting these despite finishing these months ago.  The theme of Day 20 was Cute.

Hot Off The Stamping Press: New Handy Nail Art Stamping Plates!

Hey stamperellas,

You can plainly see the press is sizzling right! Opps opps I forgot to say Happy Friday lol! Um now the press is sizzling.  I'm a bit taken aback myself.  Right now I am sitting on 2 new land mines as well ok maybe 3....One is a total catch up and the other two are right in the moment brand spanking new! However investigations are necessary before I can post.  Anyhoo one of those brand spanking new ones is the topic of today's post. So I discovered a gold mine by the name of Moon Nails Supply.  This Mexican based nail art supplier is run by the lovely Monica.  She sells Handy Nail Art stamping plates along with the Handy Stamping polishes and other nail art suppliess.  They also sell an assortment of other stamping polishes that are distinct from the Handy polishes.  I will be putting up a review of those when they arrive, but today it's all about the plates! Try to contain yoru drool ;)

Hot Off The Stamping Press: MoYou London Zodiac Collection Expansion!

Hey stamp champs,

I guess Virgos now have a reason to be happy along with the Leos!  That's right MoYou London has added another astrological sign to their newly minted Zodiac Collection.  For those that don't remember this collection launched a few weeks ago and each plate will be released on monthly basis off-cycle from their regular Friday releases.  You can see the first release here.  So let's take a look....

Jade Holografico and KBShimmer Wild Roses Nail Art

Salutations varnished vixens,

Happy hump day.  It's been a while since I've done a Sunday stamping challenge mainly because in case you couldn't tell I stamp pretty much all the time. Lol in any case the challenges lately also haven't really gotten me revved up, but a few weeks ago there was a challenge for stamping over a holographic poli8sh.  Since I  love a good holo I couldn't resist this challenge even though I'm a way late.  So today I have some blazingly holographic nails to share with you! PS my new lighting set up is seriously insane with these holographic polishes :)

Hot Off The Stamping Press: New Emily de Molly Nail Art Stamping Plates!

Hey lacqueristas,

There are still so many stamping plates coming out these days! It's a question of desire in a sea of overwhelming choice.  The great part about this is though that you will never run out of options right? Emily de Molly, the Australian plate creator and indie polish powerhouse has released 4 new plates! I actually knew these plates were going to launch fairly soon after chatting with Hayley, the talented owner and creator, on Instagram.   At that time roughly a month or so ago she had the prototypes making their way to her and now the plates are available for purchase.  So let's take a look!

Hot Off The Stamping Press: MoYou London Fashionista Collection Expansion!

Hey vanished vixens,

Happy Wednesday! Who's ready to see the lasted offerings by MoYou London?

Welcome back to the Fashionista Collection.  I still have a hard time with Coco's attire, but I find myself liking the offerings better this week.

Lesson Lockdown: What Is A Marshmallow (Squishy/Sticky) Stamper?

Hey stamp champs,

I have seen this question about a bagillion times now.  In fact I've seen it so much I feel like my eyes almost melt when I see it.  In addition, I have seen so much misinformation and heard so many explanations that are incorrect that I felt if I didn't post this soon I wouldn't be able to remain sane.  So here we are talking about marshmallow stampers.  This post has been long delayed because of issues with my iMovie software, but one reason I was determined to put this up because I have a pertinent review of the Messy Mansion Pro Set coming up and I wanted to be clear on exactly what this stamper is according to Lacquer Lockdown.  It's also worth mentioning that in discussions with Julia McGowan and Johanne of FabUrNails we all have the same consensus about what this terminology denotes.  And while you may have heard a lot about various kinds of stampers the one that has become incredibly popular and sought after is the marshmallow stamper.  So in short the aim of this post is to fully explain what that terminology means, and to review a variety of marshmallow stampers as well as the pros and cons of owning one.  This is going to be another in depth post so if there is a particular subject you are interested in scroll through.  Please do take the time to leave comments and feedback below about the post.  Let's start...

Guest Post on Polished To Precision

Hey lacqueristas,

It's a first for me - yup that's right I have a guest post up today on Polished To Precision.  Head on over to the both beautiful and talented Tiffany's blog to check out the nail art I created and all the relevant details! Go for the nail art but stay for the insanely gorgeous swatches she produces :)

Pet'la Nail Art Stamping Plates Review

Hey stamparellas,

How is everyone today? For those that haven't been paying attention I have been lavishing my love onto a recent brand of plates I discovered - Pet'la Plate. The Hungarian indie brand with the brass gold tone plates that stole my heart!  Today I have a review for you of most of the plates she has released to date including the one of the limited editions that is no longer in production.   It's also important to note that all the plates from the Summer 2014 Collection were produced with shallower etching than the first 9 plates I will review.  I will be sure to remind you because it''s an important distinction.  As usual for these things I cover the brand, the full image sizes, swatches, etc so if you are interested in a particular section feel free to scroll through and as always comments and feedback are appreciated :) Now let's get this party started!

Pet'la Plate

Pet'la Plate is the first stamping company of it's kind to come out of Hungary.  Its run by the insanely sweet, hardworking, and imaginative Petra.  She slowly created this company and the designs out of a love for nail art and with friends that shared her passion.  Thus far she has released around roughly 20 or so plates give or take a few limited editions an re-vamps.

Hot Off The Stamping Press: Bundle Monster Sunkissed Collection (UPDATED)!

Hey stamping fanatics,

It's a two-fer today because I just had to share some exciting news with everyone as soon as I saw it! Apparently Bundle Monster has been working in secret on TWO fabulous collections! I think we all knew that about the Create Your Own Collection for 2014 that is in the final stage of selections, but apparently there was a mystery collection that we didn't know about as well.  Yup that's right Bundle Monster has given us the first official sneak peek at their Sun Kissed Collection!

Hot Off The Stamping Press: MoYou London Fashionista Collection!

Happy hump day polished prisoners,

Does anyone else feel like MoYou London is just killing it these days? They are on a roll I mean just launching one interesting and beautiful collection after the next.  Lol I need a hiatus badly as my wallet has become overly cross with me ;)  Well plates are literally cropping up everywhere and I'll have some more interesting and new things to share with you soon, but for today let's take a look at MoYou's latest collection that's come sizzling off the stamping press.

The mascot this time is Coco as in a play on Chanel I believe.  Lord help me but I think Coco Chanel might actually roll over in her poor grave if she were caught wearing the the same outfit as our mascot. Lol! I don't see any structured suits or classic prints on this little vixen and that bow.  Anyway....

Smokey Lace & Floral Nail Art feat Marianne Nails Nail Art Stamping Plates

Hola lacqueristas,

I have a subtle and quiet look for you today.  I had actually been dying to try layering stamping in jelly finish polishes since I did that "Shadows" themed manicure for the MoYou London 31 day nail art challenge (here).  In particular I was eager to use the effect with lace images, and so today that's exactly what I did!  I also tested out some new polishes I got from Jolie Polish and more of my Marianne Nails plates.  So let's take a look at how this experiment turned out.

Hot Off The Stamping Press: Messy Mansion Stamper Head Sets!

Hey stamp champs,

Hope everyone had a great weekend!  I just wanted to put out a quick post about some stamper head sets that have released from Messy Mansion.  These have been out for roughly 2 weeks or so already for those folks who live in the land down under, and now they are available for direct shipping in the US.  For those that are in urgent/dire need of the "marshmallow" "squishy soft" stamper this may be the answer to your prayers.

Loja BBF Nail Art Stamping Plates Swatches and Review Part 3

Hey stamparistas,

Press Sample

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! As you can see I've updated my blog again and I hope you like the new layout.   Today I'm back with another review from one of my favorite indie plate makers Loja BBF.  I know you are like why the heck is there a part 3 to this review?  Well that's simple.  I have no idea how to label these posts since the plates aren't released as collections, but rather individually in batches.  Today's review will focus on most of the the new plates from the last release that I spoke about here and as well as a few from the prior release here.  As usual with my reviews this post will be split up into sections covering the sizing, images, swatches, etc  so if you are interested in a particular section feel free to scroll through and please leave comments and questions since they are very helpful for answering questions in future reviews.  Now let's get started!

Hot Off The Stamping Press: Marianne Nails Nail Art Stamping Plate Expansion!

Hey stamp champs,

Happy Friday! This is another week that seemed to just breeze by and not in a good way eep.  In any case one of my favorite new brands Marianne Nails is releasing more stamping plates.  You may recall I told you about the 56 plates she initially designed and was releasing for the most part weekly.  If not you can see them here, here, and here.  In this post I will show you the last 5 releasing today.  Let's get started!

Elevation Polish Italian Collection Swatches and Nail Art

Welcome vanished vixens,

Press Sample

To another glorious month of beautiful mouthwatering offerings from Elevation Polish.  Lol it just never gets old with Lulu.  With every collection she reveals a polish, or if you are as addicted as I am several, that make me want to see just what she will come up with next.  The Italian Collection is no exception and as a bonus this month we also get to see a beautiful limited edition Yeti polish!  I don't know about you but I am desperate for any Yeti I can get my greedy little paws on lol.  Ah that Cosmoprof Yeti how you haunt me! Alas in any case let me introduce you all up close and personal like to one of my favorite collections to date from Elevation Polish inspired by Lulu's mani ahem many adventures to the land of romance, pasta, and killer leather goods ;)

Hot Off The Stamping Press: MoYou London Explorer Collection Expansion!

Hey stamperellas,

MoYou London has had quite a busy week right? Rolling out surprises one after the other and devastating our plate loving hearts and cringing wallets.  Lol!  It just can't be helped right?  In any case I am so excited to see MoYou has finally added new plates to the Explorer Collection again.  As I mentioned yesterday and countless times previously this is my favorite of all the many collections.  The tribals and the indigenous influences in these plates continue to draw me in and I adore them.  Honestly with the way MoYou keeps releasing plates I'll be living on a ramen only diet very soon ;)

Hot Off The Stamping Press: MoYou London Zodiac Collection!

Stamperistas,

This one came totally out of nowhere and true to the usual MoYou London style was executed absolutely beautifully!  That's right MoYou London has gone ahead and released a Zodiac Collection, and best of all its started with Leo's. Rawr - I just had my birthday last Friday so the timing is perfect! The first plate in this series is ridiculously gorgeous, but please judge for yourselves.

Hot Off The Stamping Press: Sugar Bubbles Nail Art Stamping Plates Expansion!

Happy Monday stamperistas,

It was a quiet one right?  I feel like the weekend flew! In any case I have lots to catch up on including a review of the new Loja BBF plates this week and the Elevation Polish Italy Collection!  In short it's gonna be a busy couple of days.  So for today I'm just going to give you a little peek at another couple of new plates that have recently released from Sugar Bubbles.

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Rio Collection Swatches and Nail Art

Happy Saturday lacqueristas,

Press Sample

Today is a pretty special post for me.  I was so shocked and honored when I was contacted by Sally Hansen to create a few manicures with some of their beautiful polishes. As I always say anytime I am asked to swatch or create nail art for a brand it's always a mega honor and I'm always flattered.  And if you've kept an eye on my manicures then you know I've been a long time fan of this brand, but in particular a lot of my nail art features the Insta Dri line!  I use these mainly for stamping since they are opaque and often in brilliant colors that I don't have available elsewhere.  I'll be sharing a few of the new ones later, but today I have select swatches and nail art from the Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Rio Collection.  These polishes are matte glitters contained in a clear base, and as with most matte glitters they represent a great way to create instant nail art.