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Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Stamping Madness

I was feeling like I hadn't stamped my nails in a while, so last night I came up with a plan and set out to achieve it.  But I think my stamping mojo has been waylaid:

Essie Lion Around, Resort 2011
Color Club Revvvolution
Bundle Monster plate BM212


Note that this is my right hand - for some reason, when I'm trying to do a design that I want centered, I have much better luck stamping my right hand with my left. Go figure.

This was my first time using Lion Around.  It's not blowing me away, but there are times when I want a brown-toned soft pink, and this one went on nicely and was opaque in two coats.  It's just more subtle than I usually want to be.

But the stamping - ugh.  I only own four Color Club polishes - the so-called holos: Revvvolution, Worth the Risque, Wild at Heart and Fashion Addict.  I had seen someone do a pretty successful stamping with Revvvolution some time ago, but for me it was a struggle.  Half the time the polish wouldn't pick up on the stamper. The topcoat smeared it.  And this morning when the sun came out, I couldn't see even a hint of holo shimmer.  Big fail.  I don't know if the non-shimmer/holo colors are any better in this brand, but these four are going into the box where I keep my rejects to trade in (hopefully) next year for the Zoya Polish Exchange.  The colors don't live up to my expectations and I'm not a big fan of the formula; they dry kind of chalky, in my experience.

I just couldn't live with it.  So this morning I took it all off and put on China Glaze Something Sweet:

China Glaze Something Sweet
Up and Away Collection, Spring 2010

Ahhh . . . that's more like it.  Cheery.  I had some trouble with this too though; I was waiting for a phone call that was supposed to come sometime between 11:00 and 1:00, so I knew I might get interrupted.  So I tried to go very slowly and carefully.  But the more careful I tried to be, the messier I got!  I have this same experience when doing Vrksasana in yoga:  the more I concentrate on balancing, the less I'm able to balance!

But I got it applied, and then went on the the stamping:

Bundle Monster plate BM213
China Glaze Harmony
China Glaze Adore

Not horrible, but not a complete win either.  I was inspired by JQ's awesome multicolored stampings to try to be a little more creative, but I clearly need some practice.  Maybe I should just go back to knitting for the rest of the day.

Oh, and the phone call?  Still hasn't happened, as of 12:45.  Isn't that always the way?

2 comments:

  1. Oh! I have been eyeballing this dandelion puff image for awhile now! <3 I like the purple and blue together!

    Some polishes dry a lot faster than others when stamping, like those metallic ones I use. You have to be so super fast so you don't lose bits of the image. Topcoats can be a pain to. I have had luck with Seche Vite, and also Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Anti-Chip Top Coat (but I pour it into an old polish bottle with a softer brush because the one that comes with it is awful.

    :D Thank you for linking to me!

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  2. Thanks for the tips, JQ. I don't usually have trouble with these colors - I think I was just having an off day. I was hoping the colors would blend more (like they do in silkscreening) but I guess I will have to blend them myself before scraping them into the plate.

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