Net Gain - OPI This Color's Making Waves, Hit the Bottle Purple Reign, Bundle Monster BM-208

 I decided to jazz up last week's polish with some stamping goodness so here it is...

[Eye-catching]

I really quite like this effect of the gold sparkle peeking out between the stamping! Apologies for the tipwear in these photos... I'd had the base on for a week at this point.

[Bottle to nail: OPI This Color's Making Waves (3 coats)]

Quick recap - my base shade is OPI This Color's Making Waves, a blue shimmer polish with scatter gold microglitter.

[Base: OPI This Color's Making Waves (3 coats);
Stamping: Hit the Bottle Purple Reign, Bundle Monster BM-208]

I chose the stamping pattern above off Bundle Monster plate BM-208. It kinda could pass for scales or fishnet! I'll choose fishnet to keep up with the beach/sea theme going... =p

[Base: OPI This Color's Making Waves (3 coats);
Stamping: Hit the Bottle Purple Reign, Bundle Monster BM-208]

My stamping polish was Hit the Bottle Purple Reign - such a gorgeous royal purple shade! Against the blue base polish, it definitely takes on a more royal blue hint. No issues at all with either the plate or the stamping polish, both picked up and transferred beautifully onto the nail.

I was quite happy with how this turned out in the end! The contrast between the two shades and textures is really striking, and a lot more obvious in real life.

Pinkin Party - Emily de Molly Cauldron of Dreams, Hit the Bottle Psycho Pink, Bundle Monster BM-223

We're on a stamping roll! Nothing like a stamp-over to refresh an ageing mani..

[On Wednesdays...]

I'm of half a mind with my stamping colour choices though..

[2 coats: Emily de Molly Cauldron of Dreams]

Quick recap - my base shade from last week, Emily de Molly's Cauldron of Dreams, deep blurple full of small multichrome flakes.

[Bottle to nail: Hit the Bottle Psycho Pink, Bundle Monster BM-223;
Base: Emily de Molly Cauldron of Dreams (2 coats)]

I then picked a bright contrast shade for stamping - Hit the Bottle Psycho Pink which is hot pink! I didn't want to go for my tried and tested golds/silvers so this is what I ended up with...

[Stamp to nail: Bundle Monster BM-223; Hit the Bottle Psycho Pink;
Base: Emily de Molly Cauldron of Dreams (2 coats)]

This design is a cube/honeycomb(?) pattern from Bundle Monster plate BM-223. I use a fairly squishy silicone stamper so my lines are not as crisp as the stamp since it squishes as I press my nail quite firmly over it to pick up the design.

[Base: Emily de Molly Cauldron of Dreams (2 coats);
Stamping: Hit the Bottle Psycho Pink, Bundle Monster BM-223]

I think I'm pretty happy with the outcome! It perhaps doesn't show off the base shade as much as it could, but it ended being quite a nice low-fuss design despite the bright colours.

Scorching Savannah - China Glaze Goldie But Goodie, Sally Hansen Gilded Lily, Mundo de Unas Black, Bundle Monster BM-223

Time to jazz up the gold mani from last week! 

[Mreoww]

With some tigerrrrrr strrrrriiipes! ROWR! Nothing better than a bold black to highlight a bright base...

[Base: China Glaze Goldie But Goodie (1-2 coats);
Topcoat: Sally Hansen Gilded Lily (1 coat)]

Quick recap of last week - A base of China Glaze Goldie But Goodie, topped off with Sally Hansen Gilded Lily for some gold flake goodness..

[Base: China Glaze Goldie But Goodie, Sally Hansen Gilded Lily;
Stamping: Mundo de Unas Black, Bundle Monster BM-223]

I then stamped with Mundo de Unas Black using Bundle Monster plate BM-223 with a tiger stripe design.

[Base: China Glaze Goldie But Goodie, Sally Hansen Gilded Lily;
Stamping: Mundo de Unas Black, Bundle Monster BM-223]

I am adoring these stamping polishes, so forgiving to use for an amateur like me. Topped it all off with topcoat and you're ready to roll!

[Base: China Glaze Goldie But Goodie, Sally Hansen Gilded Lily;
Stamping: Mundo de Unas Black, Bundle Monster BM-223]

This manicure lasted for over a week before I got impatient and removed it. At the rate these manis are lasting, I'm going to run out of things to post if I don't break out the remover!

Happy Haunting - Nubar Arencia, Konad Black Pearl, Bundle Monster BM20 + BM-224

So, today's manicure... has been sitting in my folders for the last four years!
 

[The creepy part is how old these are..]

This was 2011, so pretty much the first Halloween manicure I ever attempted since I got into nail polish in late 2010. =) How's that for a throwback!

[Base: Nubar Arencia]

I obviously hadn't got the hang of colour correcting photos at that point! Bear with the odd pink skintone..

[Base: Nubar Arencia]

My base was the very lovely Nubar Arencia from the Venetian Glass collection. Man, this kinda makes me feel bad because I don't think I've picked it up since doing this mani...

[Base: Nubar Arencia; Stamping: Konad Black Pearl, Bundle Monster BM20 & BM-224]

I think this was also when I first picked up stamping. Here's me going crazy with Konad Black Pearl stamping polish and Bundle Monster plates BM20 (stripes and arrows) and BM-224 (reptile print, haunted house and pumpkin).

[Base: Nubar Arencia; Stamping: Konad Black Pearl, Bundle Monster BM20 & BM-224]

Wow, look at past me! I even added some rhinestones to top it off! Current me feels rather lacking... well, there's just under a week to Halloween, so maybe I'll get my act together in time for it... Hopefully I won't take another four years to post it... =p

Acid Break - Orly Here Comes Trouble, Konad Black, Bundle Monster BM-208

I'm really getting into stamping this year (finally!). I'm still kinda hopeless at it but I'm getting there!

[Radioactive turtle or something...]

Here's a mani from earlier in the year combining some bright glitter with a black contrast stamp.

[Bottle to nail: Orly Here Comes Trouble (2-3 coats)]

The base is the always gorgeous Orly Here Comes Trouble, a super bright grassy green glitter. Excellent coverage in 2-3 coats, and super twinkly!

[Bundle Monster BM-208]

...which makes it an excellent backdrop for some black shatter stamping! This here is Bundle Monster plate BM-208, and I'm using that pattern on the left there.

[Base: Orly Here Comes Trouble (2-3 coats); Stamping: Konad Pearl Black, BM-208]

I first topcoated my base of Here Comes Trouble and then stamped the design using Konad Pearl Black (?), a deep black with slight shimmer. Then freehanded some tips with the same polish. My nails were pretty short though! So not much of a french tip going on here...

[Base: Orly Here Comes Trouble (2-3 coats); Stamping: Konad Pearl Black, BM-208]

I then topped everything off with a nice shiny layer of topcoat and it's all done! I've been experimenting a lot with stamping but it's a bit frustrating trying to get finer patterns off the plate if you don't use thicker polish. I'm really puzzled that I did some really good stamped manis in previous years just using random polish from my stash....! Definitely gonna work on it, so look out for more stamping in upcoming posts!