Summer Challenge - Day 36951 - Hothouse Flowers

Hi Goddesses

Ok, ok, I know it's really Day 62 or something but MAN, what was I thinking ???  A 66 Day Challenge ??  And then I drop out on the final lap ?  Whoops, naughty Crumpet!

I'm making an effort this week, I promise.  I've really just lost enthusiasm for this challenge, partly I think because summer never really arrived in the UK, and man those autumny purples are calling to me!

Can I just say, for the record, how much I LOVE THIS MANI?! Oh this delighted me.  It was so happy, and bright and cheerful and perfect.  Loved it, absolutely loved it.

The origin for this mani is the Essie Neons playdate I had with myself a few weeks ago - this is a gradient between Action and Lights.  Seriously, just the gradient looked Amazeballs.

Now, tell me this isn't just one of the best stamps of all time.   This is from BM-320, and I think it's main purpose is to look like the water marble bloom.  For me though, it also looks like the segment of a gigantic flower.  I used Konad Red to stamp.

There is nothing about this mani I don't love. The clash of the colours is just delicious.  Next time I need me some happy, this is the mani I'm doing :)

Enjoy xx :)

Summer Challenge - Flip Flops with Essie Neons

Hi Goddesses

Finally, finally, the end is in sight !!!  This blessed challenge !!  Can you guess, I'm a starter, not a finisher?  To be fair, I've had other stuff going on as well, so I haven't knuckled down to this last third of the Challenge as well as I should have.  Hangs Crumpety head in shame.

This mani is a wonderful reminder of the weekend I spent with the Essie Neons :)  I'm not usually an Essie Girl, but Kellie Gonzo's photos of them persuaded me I needed them, so I got them.  I have a gazillion photos of them I still need to post as a summer swansong, but I'm going to tell you a secret - ssssshhhh - not only are they great colours individually, they mesh together perfectly too, and MANY happy playtimes were had just doing gradients.  Aaaah, those lazy weekends ......

So here's the first thing I did when I got them - a summery skittle, with a teeny gradient on the thumb.  This is -

* index - Action

* middle - Bazooka

* ring - Lights

* pinkie - Camera

* the thumb is a gradient of all 4 

I was so worried when I first put them on as they go very rubbery and totally matte.  Personally, I much prefer them with their top coat on when they get mega glossy - they all had a layer of top coat here.

The stamping plate is BM-309 and it's so perfect for summer as well as so-easy-it's-practically-cheating for today's Challenge.

I do need to try and gather all the Essie shots together - they made for some truly stunning manis.

Enjoy xx :)

Monkey See Monkey Do Monday - Gradient + Dots

Hi Goddesses

Today's MSMD mani was inspired by 2 things - the new Essie Collection, and this mani which I found recently on Nail Call.

There's another mani that I love but can't find my pin of, which is a blue to white gradient with pink dots - very striking - and I had both manis in mind as I settled down to play this weekend.

Firstly, have to say - Essie Neons, consider me impressed.  I'm not usually an Essie fan AT ALL, but Lights, Camera, Action and Bazooka, are bright without being sunglasses bright, versatile and they blend together beautifully.

So this is my base - this was 3 layers of Action (it's the sheerest of the 4 polishes), with a Bazooka gradient.

Wow - don't they look good together?  Tell me they don't look juicy enough to eat :)

After I'd spent a loooooooong time staring at my beautiful gradient, I decided it was dotting time.  I toyed with lime green dots to create a real contrast, but when I experimented on paper, it looked wrong (check me out!).   Sooooo I settled for one of the new Barry M Retros - Red.

Retro Red is not the same as normal Barry M red.  Retro Red is darker, more cherry toned, and with buried pearliness.  It reminds me a little of a-England Perceval, but not quite as lush.  Although still nice, obviously ....

To get the dots in diminishing sizes is easy - every time you dot, the polish blob left on the end of your dotting tool gets smaller, so dip your dotting tool into the polish once, dot at the outside edge, and then keeping dotting, and as you draw nearer to your cuticle, the dots will naturally get smaller without you having to change dotting tools.

This mani was soooooo funky to wear, and it just defines summer, doesn't it ?   Look at all those hot hot hot colours and the juicy tones and the aw I just want to squish it!

Lol, so colour me happy!

Enjoy xx :)