Thanksgiving Needle Drag Nail Art

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It's Thanksgiving week in the U.S., and I have to admit this is my favorite holiday.  Good food, good company, and little stress!  Of course, no holiday is complete without a mani!

When I reviewed the IBD Just Gel Mad About Mod collection last week, it struck me that four of the colors are perfect for fall.  So I couldn't resist marbling them together for this week's mani. I used a needle drag technique with Perfectly Paisley, Go-Go Above and Beyond, I Mod You, and Happliy Brighter After (I used a striping brush, not a needle! Needles can damage your nails) .

I love how it turned out, but I felt like it needed a little something more.  So I stamped it with Maybeline Bold Gold and an image from MJ XX.  I then felt that the stamping was a little too bold, so I mixed a drop of Happliy Brighter After with a few drops of top coat to create a sheer jelly and added that over the stamping.  I feel it blended all of the colors perfectly and it gave the leaves a coppery tone.  I am completely in love with the final result!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! :)

~Michelle

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Weekly Mani: Racking up the Mommy Points with TMNT

After my son's reaction to my manicure last week, I made the mistake of telling him he could pick the theme for this week.  I should have known better.  He is absolutely, 110% obsessed with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  But I am a Mom of my word, so this week's mani is TMNT themed.

I tried a few different designs and quickly realized I do not have the talent necessary to free hand Ninja Turtles on my own nails.  So I cheated.  I found these awesome, old school Ninja Turtle water slide decals from RLR Creations.  This was my first attempt at using this type of decal, and I wish I had chosen a lighter colored base, but I'm overall pleased with how it turned out. 

 

Base: Orly Gel FX Mirror Mirror topped with IBD Just Gel Pretty in Pewter

Stamping Color: Color Club Halo Hues Beyond

Stamping Image: MJ XX

Decals: RLR Creations

Here's a quick swatch of Orly GelFX Mirror Mirror.  

I then added a coat of IBD Just Gel Pretty in Pewter to add depth and shimmer, but completely forgot to take a picture before stamping and adding the decals.  I'll swatch that one on its own soon.  It's gorgeous!

~Michelle

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Tips and Tricks: XL Squishy Stamper - Prepping the Pad

As I mentioned in a previous post, stamping completely escaped me before discovering the XL Squishy Stamper.  Smaller, harder stampers simply do not work well for my nails.  With that said, the XL Squishy comes with its own challenges.  For one, the stamping head constantly falls out of the holder.  Check out this post for my solution to that issue.  The even more frustrating issue is that it doesn’t pick up the image right out of the package.  I have seven of them, 2 from Wistonia and 5 from Ali Express.  None of them have worked without a little prep. 

So, enough talk and more tutorial, right?  Here’s how I prep my XL Squishy Stamper head to get it to pick up the images. 

This is an AliExpress XL Squishy stamper that is straight out of the package.  You’ll notice that the head is shiny and may feel a little slick. 

That’s a problem.   So go ahead and pop the head out of the holder and give that baby a bath.  I reach for my trusty Dawn dish detergent.  If it will cut grease, it will easily remove the substance the manufacturer used to grease the mold when making the heads.  Any soap that is made to cut grease and is void of added moisturizers will work. 

Once the head is dry again, you’ll notice it feels stickier, but still has a shine.  It may pick up some of the image, but the polish beads up.  We’re getting closer, but still not there. 

Now, let’s rough up the surface of the pad.  Starting at the center of the pad, lightly run a 400 grit file over the surface toward the edge.  Turn the head and repeat until the entire surface looks dull.  You may see a small amount of dust forming on the top of the stamper head.  Remember, the key word here is “lightly”.  If you file too hard, you might rip the stamper pad. 

Even filing lightly, you’ll have to smoosh the pad a little. 

Remove the dust by “stamping” the head onto a lint roller or piece of tape several times. 

Test the stamper head again and see if how it picks up.  If you notice bald spots in your stamped image, you may need to file a little more in that area.  Getting better, but not quite there yet. 

Finally, a shine free, ready to use stamper.

There are several factors that may impact how well the stamper picks up the image.  After the stamper has been prepped and the shine is completely removed from the stamper head, technique is the next biggest pitfall.  I have the best results when I roll the stamper onto the image using a light touch.  Since the head “squishes” easily, too much pressure will cause the stamping head to force the polish out of the etched image and cause bald spots.

The rolling technique picks up a clean image. 

The plate I used for this tutorial is MJ XX.  I love this plate and often use it to test polishes and stampers because I know the plate is excellent.  You can purchase this and other MJ plates at MyOnline Shop or at Ninja Polish.


I hope this helps!  Please let me know in the comments if this helps you.  And if it doesn't, please let me know that too.  I may have a few more suggestions you can try. ;)

~Michelle

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Mani of the Week - Subtle Tone on Tone Teal (Updated)

This is what I'm wearing right now.  I'm a sucker for subtle, tone on tone stamping.  Base color is Red Carpet Manicure High Society.  Stamped in Revlon Ocean with an image from MJ XX.

*disclaimer:  This photo above is not color accurate.

Update:  I finally got a color accurate picture.  Turns out my white balance needed a little tweaking.  This one also captures a little of the duo-chrome effect of Revlon Ocean on the index finger.  Excuse the dry cuticles.  I forgot to oil before I took the picture.  Hey, I'm human.  ;)
 

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