Red Week - Kisses

Hi Goddesses

If you like this post, it's a totally happy accident.  This is not the mani I planned lol.

All along, I'd planned to do a red to white gradient, mainly because you don't see many of them, and then I saw Caitlin do this -

For quite a while, I've wanted to use those blessed french tip stamps you get in the stamping sets, and I picked out a couple of really funky ones (and one of which you can just see beneath the kisses on the thumb!).

And why tell you this?  Well, to give you hope.  Because that stamp (and the one next to it on the plate) would not stamp for love nor money.  No matter what I did, the polish would not transfer on to the stamp.

Close to a hissy fit and having exhausted all other variables (plonker, cleaning the plate, the polish), I switched plates .... and voila, perfect.  Everything super easy peasy clockwork magic like a dream.  WTH ???

Why does this happen?  It's not fair.  Not in a "woe is me" sense, but this is one of the very things that puts people off stamping.  There is no logical reason why my BM325 plate should not have worked, none at all.  It wasn't the stamper, the polish or the state of the plate, and I'm inclined to believe Bundle Monster know how to make a stamping plate.  So for all of you who have, like me, wanted to throw Konad the Barbarian out of the window, or melt his ass over a hot stove, bear with ... bear with ....

So, base polishes are Zoya Rekha and Elisa again, sponged with OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls and then stamped using OB28 from MyOnlineShop (here) using Nails Inc Gatwick, a gorgeous matte red (she did very well).

I haven't totally finished with Red Week yet, so stay tuned. Not sure whether I'll get to it today or whether it will tomorrow ... it's a little bit epic ... dammit, just put pressure on myself .... stooooo-pid .... why do I do these things? ..... beats me ...

Enjoy xx :)

Red Week - Red Squared

Hi Goddesses

Today's mani is super simple, but it makes me happy nevertheless.  It's a recycle of Monday's Zoya nails (here).  The stamping is the Fun2 plate.

There's something about this geometric design I really love, and it stamps super cleanly, better in fact than something similar I have on a more well know brand plate.  Stamping was with Konad White.

I love the effect of this - so classic and retro.  I feel like a whole 1960's kitchen could be built round this pattern!

Lol.  As I'm getting better at stamping, I'm starting to notice things more, and the latest thing to catch my eye is how the stamping becomes less crisp as you go round your hand. Previously I'd always wondered why people cleaned their plate between each nail, but THIS is why - it keeps your image sharp.  Look at the ring finger.  Can you see how much crisper it is than the middle finger? Yup, because I cleaned da plate.

Tomorrow is supposed to be the last day of red week, but I still have some other ideas for posts that I haven't started yet, so I'm probably going to trundle this red cart all through the weekend.

Enjoy - and don't forget to check out my other amazing friends xx :)

Red Week - Zoya Rekha & Elisa

Hi Goddesses

It's a Theme Week this week on the blog, and the theme is RED.  I love red - such a happy colour, the colour of life itself.  A few of my best blogger friends are joining me as well, and you can see a link to everyone at the bottom.

Now, I am cheating a little. Today I am playing very boring with what is essentially a swatch post, and we all know that's not my favourite kind of post to do.  So why, Crumpet, why ?  Well, because I did possibly the world's largest ever blog sale this weekend, and It Took Over My Life!!  I had no idea it would be so exhausting - thank God Beth's on hand to do most of the wrapping!  So, instead of having Red Week prepped before we start, I'm in eeeeek mode.  Don't worry, I'll make up for it :)

These 2 gorgeous reds are from Zoya's new collections - Rekha is from the Designer Collection, and Elisa is from the Diva Collection.  To swatch them, I decided to do them on the same hand, partly to showcase the vitality of Elisa, and partly because I haven't seen them swatched that way yet!

For all the photos, Miss Rekha is on the thumb, middle and little fingers, with Mlle Elisa on the index and ring fingers.  Oh and it's also Left Handers Day today apparently, so I painted with my left hand!

Rekha is the more grown up of the pair.  A sleek cherry creme, she glides on smoothly, as you would expect a Zoya to do.  She's pitched somewhere between Sooki and Dakota - pretty much your perfect "average" red (in shade, not quality).  She's nice, but I know I've owned at least 3 Zoya dupes of this shade over the years, so if you already have a good selection of Zoya reds, you don't "need" this one.

Elisa on the other hand, is where the money is at.  She is a stunner.  Faintly metallic, she shivers with electricity and positively glows.  She's a real wonderchild.

Regardless of what you already have in your stash, you'll love this one.  I love how she shakes her little tail feathers at the light - she's a real little show-off - and then captures and holds all that light, til she ripples with it.  Lovely.  Cheeky.

Now, never fear, there is some nail art, stamping and all sorts of other bits and pieces coming up through the rest of Red Week including a comparison of 6 holos, my favourite reds, gradients .... oooh it's lovely and it's RED.

Enjoy xx and don't forget to check out my besties below :)