Welcome to Fall with Girly Bits Shift Happens

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Hello Loves!  I recently had my mind completely blown by Girly Bits Shift Happens, so I naturally had to use it in my first fall manicure for 2014.  Let's start with the mani, and then I'll tell you exactly why Shift Happens is my new favorite polish!

For this mani, I started with a base of LeChat My Serenity from the Rustic Retreat Collection.  I'll have swatches of the entire collection for you next week, so let's just call this a sneak peek.  ;)  My Serenity is a beautiful navy blue cream.

I then topped My Serenity with two thin coats of Girly Bits Shift Happens.  Wanna see it without the stamping?  Look at how she makes the mani glow!

Finally, I created the stamp by placing random dots of Mundo de Unas Bronze, Orange, Mustard and Reddish on the leaf image from Cici and Sisi 03.  I scraped a few times to blend the colors a bit, and the result is what you see here.  :)  This is the first time I've tried my Cici and Sisi plates, and I honestly love them.  The images are a nice size and stamp beautifully (at least, this one did).  I'll do a proper review of those later.

Ok, so why did Shift Happens blow my mind?  Well, Pam from Girly Bits recently invited me to select a few colors to review and I picked Shift Happens based on the swatches on the Girly Bits website (I'll have the other colors up for you soon).  My past experience with the Girly Bits duo and multichromes is that they are quite impressive in the bottle and on the nail.  Well, Shift Happens arrived and my initial thought when seeing it in the bottle was just "meh".  I was actually really surprised at how unimpressive this polish looks in the bottle.  I wasn't expecting it to be so...purple?  See, not much to write home about.

I had just finished swatching a plum purple cream at the time and was about to remove it, so I slapped a coat of Shift Happens over it.  My eyes immediately crossed, my jaw hit the floor, and I may have started to drool.  I'm not even exaggerating.  I proceeded to call my husband at work and tell him about the magic in this unimpressive looking bottle.  He hates when I do that, by the way.  lol

Ok, so I didn't get a good picture of it over the purple before I ruined it, but I did snag a crappy iphone picture under my horrible kitchen lights.   The picture doesn't even hint at the shift.  But I may have sent that crappy iphone picture to Pam at Girly Bits with the following message: "OMG! You didn't warn me! I'm currently wearing a plum purple gel, so I slapped a coat of shift happens over it. I think I just died. I might not wear anything else all fall!"  lol  I'm pretty sure Pam thinks I'm crazy now, but that's ok too.  Wanna see the amazingly unimpressive pic I sent her?

After I bumped that one and ruined it, I proceeded to my nail desk and broke out a swatch wheel and five of my darker cream gels.  I just had to see what it looked like over other colors.  Short answer, A-MAZE-ING!  Ok, so the photo below doesn't show the green shift, but look what it does to the colors!  The base colors (from left to right) are Revel Matrix, LeChat My Serenity, Ink Metro, Daisy DUO Muted Berry and LeChat Black Velvet.

Clearly, the combo of Shift Happens over LeChat My Serenity is my favorite of the five.  Wanna see her shift?  I only wish I could have captured the shift in all its glory, but this kinda shows it.  Pretty awesome, right?

Ok, so now you know why Girly Bits Shift Happens is my new favorite polish.  Don't be surprised if you see her popping up in nail art posts a lot this fall.  I don't think I have it in me to resist her siren song.  :)

~Michelle

*Shift Happens was provided by Girly Bits Cosmetics for my honest review.  This post uses Amazon affiliate links.  Purchases through these links generate commissions that help fund this site.  All other links are provided as a courtesy and are not affiliate links.

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Double Gradient Stamping with MdU and Daisy Duo

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Hello Loves!  I haven't shown you a stamped manicure in a while, but I think I can make up for that in one manicure today.  ;)

Mundo de Unas has reopened international shipping, and you know for me that's a reason to celebrate!  I so love my MdU stamping polishes.  I couldn't decide on one color to stamp with today, so I used six in this double stamped gradient manicure.

I started with a base of Daisy Duo Muted Berry.  When I received this one as a press sample from Esther's Nail Center, I knew it would be the perfect base for this mani.  Wanna see a swatch?  I thought you might.  Muted Berry is a gorgeous dark purple cream.  Definitely a perfect fall color.  Application was quite smooth and I found this gel polish to self level well.  As a darker color, I did find it needs to cure a little longer than the lighter colors, but that's common with darks.  As usual, I have swatched three coats below.

 

I then created a gradient stamp with the rough circles image from Pueen 47 from the Love Elements Set and Mundo de Unas 36 Forest, 54 Iris and 45 Metallic Violet.  This is the base stamping.  The second gradient is Mundo de Unas 46 Mustard, 53 Geranium, and 51 Tulip using a portion of the image from Pueen 59 from the Buffet Set.  I didn't think to snap a photo of just the bottom layer of stamping, but I did snag a few shots of the images still on the stamper.

I am completely in love with how this mani turned out.  I have wanted to try this stamping combination for a while now - ever since I saw a similar manicure created by stamping master Fab Ur Nails.  If you aren't following Fab Ur Nails on instagram, you should give her a follow now!  Her stamping is amazing.  :)

For more info and a how-to on gradient stamping, check out my previous gradient stamping post here.

Want to see a few more shots?

 

What do you think?  Is this style of stamping something you would wear?

~Michelle

*The Daisy Duo Muted Berry featured in this post was provided by Esther's Nail Center for my honest review.  All other items used were purchased by me.  This post includes Amazon Affiliate Links.  Purchases through these links generate commissions that help fund this site.  All other links are non-affiliate links.

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Sweet Summer Strawberries with Gelaze Strawberry Fields

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Hello Loves!  I have a sweet, summery manicure to show you today.  Strawberries!  This manicure speaks to me for many reasons, but mostly because it reminds me of my sweet Grandmother.  She absolutely loved strawberries.  Her entire kitchen was decorated with them.  :)  I used her kitchen (as I remember it) as my inspiration for this design.

The base for this manicure is Gelaze Strawberry Fields with an accent nail of Gelaze White on White (swatched and reviewed here).  Strawberry Fields is a beautiful, shimmer packed red with slightly pink tones.  The jelly finish causes this on to shrink back a bit, so I did have to flash cure the first layer.  The second and third applied nicely, though.

I then freehanded the strawberry shapes with Strawberry Fields on the White on White accent nail and added leave and stem details with Mundo de Unas green.  I mixed a small dot of Mundo de Unas black with the green for the detail on the leaves.  I then finished off the other nails with dots of Gelaze White on White.  The end result feels a little retro, no?

I'm off to enjoy wearing my strawberries and thinking of Grandma this week.  Be sure to check back on Friday...I'm working on editing swatches of the Bundle Monster Gel Polish Awakening Collection - more thermals!

~Michelle

*This post uses Amazon Affiliate Links.  Purchases through these links generate commissions that help fund this site.

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Double Stamping with Mundo de Unas and Pueen Encore

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Hello Loves!  I have a quick mani to show you today, but I simply adore it!  I have tried double stamping a few times and never achieved a manicure I really wanted to show off until now.  :)

For this mani, I started with a simple base of Couture Little Black Dress.  I then stamped with Mundo de Unas Blue using the rose bouquet in the lower left section of Pueen SE01A from the Encore Collection (circled in red below).  After allowing the stamp to dry, I stamped over it again with Mundo de Unas Pastel Blue and the floral pattern in the lower left corner of Pueen SE01B (circled in red below).

In case you missed it, I shared a full review of the Pueen Encore Collection here.

Before I move on and show you another shot of the manicure, I want to take a minute to talk about Mundo de Unas stamping polishes.  Sylvia has recently made the difficult decision to suspend international shipping for her polishes.  This makes me a very sad girl!  I love my Mundo de Unas polishes and reach for them almost every time I stamp.  They are far superior to any other polishes I have tried.  I sincerely hope she reverses this decision in the future.  There are so many colors I desperately need in my collection but didn't have a chance to order.  :(  Anyone live in Mexico and want to be my mule?  I joke, of course.

Ready to see another shot of this double stamped creation?  I apologize for the tip wear.  I didn't get a chance to take pictures of this one until I had been wearing it for a few days, and apparently I didn't cap the edges very well with the top coat over the stamp.

What do you think?  Can a girl ever have too much blue?  I don't think it's possible!

~Michelle

*This post uses Amazon Affiliate links.  Purchases through these links generate commissions that help fund this site.

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Memorial Day 2014: Some Gave All

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Happy Memorial Day, Loves!  As those of us in the US are preparing to fire up the barbeque and spend time with family and friends, I want to take a moment to reflect on the true meaning of the day.  Today is a day of celebration but also a day to remember the fallen soldiers who gave their lives fighting for our freedom.

I tend to relate life to music, and on this day every year these lyrics come to mind:

“All gave some, and some gave all 
Some stood through for the red, white and blue
And some had to fall.
And if you ever think of me
Think of all your liberties and recall
Some gave all”
~Some Gave All, Billy Ray Cyrus

To all of the mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, son and daughters, brothers and sisters, relatives, friends and soldiers who have lost a loved one while fighting for our freedom, please know that we have not forgotten their sacrifice.  Today, we celebrate those honorable men and women who gave their lives so that we may be free.

My manicure today is in their honor.

I started with a base of Couture After Midnight (swatched here) and Couture Ooh La La French (swatched here).  I then dotted the After Midnight nails with Ooh La La French. 

I scrubbed ArstyFartsy Crafts Red White and Blue glitter onto the ring finger and freehanded stripes of Couture Haute Pink on the middle and pinkie nails.  The heart on the ring finger is also Couture Haute Pink, and the words “Some Gave All” are painted in Mundo de Unas Black.

I don’t think I’ve shown you Couture Haute Pink before.  The name is a bit misleading.  This is not a pink, but rather a classic red cream.  It applies beautifully and is opaque in two coats.

I hope everyone has a fun and safe Memorial Day!

~Michelle

*The gel polishes used in this post were provided by Couture Gel Nail Polish for my honest review.  All other products were purchased by me.

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Couture Gel Polish Fashionista with Abstract Flowers

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Hello loves.  I have a simple mani to show you today, along with a swatch of the ever gorgeous Couture Fashionista.  As soon as I swatched this bright pink beauty, I knew I had to pair it with a little bit of black.

Something about pink and black just makes me really happy.  It may be my perfect color combo.  Edgy, yet feminine.  Couture Fashionista is a pink cream that is bright, but not quite neon.  It's the perfect shade for a bit of pop.  I also adore the slightly blue undertones.  This one applies very well with no streaking.  I swatched three coats below for consistency, but it was perfectly opaque in two.

I added the black flowers and dots with a fine detail brush.  The polish is Mundo de Unas Black.  While it is technically made for stamping, this polish is fantastic for freehand nail art too!  It is super opaque and dries slower than most polishes so it is very easy to work with.  Plus a little bit goes a long way!  I absolutely adore this polish and use it constantly.

What do you think?  Is black and pink a winning combination in your opinion?  Do you need Couture Fashionista for your stash?  If so, don't forget to use the code "ManicTalons" for 10% off!

~Michelle

*The gel polish featured in this post was provided by Couture Gel Nail Polish for my honest review.

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Lattice, Glitter and Dots - A Dreamy Combination

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Hello loves.  I absolutely love how today's mani turned out.  I can't really think of the words to describe it, so I'll let the pictures do the talking.  As usual, details to follow.

First things first, I apologize for the tip wear.  I finished this mani on Easter weekend and didn't have a chance to photograph it until a few days later.  With that said, on to the details.

I started with a base of Gelaze White on White (swatched previously here).

I then topped it with Gelish Silver Sand.  That's where things got tricky.  Sadly, when I opened the bottle to use it, the gel inside was partially cured.  I'm not sure how it happened, but I suspect the bottle is faulty.  I managed to save it just enough with gel polish thinner to use it for this manicure, but I had to toss it afterward.  Such a shame!  It's a beautiful topper and I have already ordered a replacement bottle.  Of course, in my frustration over the state of the gel, I didn't get to take a proper swatch picture.  This is one that you really need to see without the stamping obscuring the glitter, so I was really bummed that I didn't get to swatch it.  Thankfully, Andrea at Chickettes came to my rescue and agreed to let me borrow her gorgeous swatch.  :)  If you aren't already a reader of Chickettes, I strongly urge you to check it out.  Andrea's swatches are gorgeous and she has swatched the entire Gelish line to date!  Not to mention the numerous other brands she has featured.  Chickettes is a gel polish swatch mecca and her nail art is to die for.

This is Gelish Silver Sand .  It is a clear base with multiple sizes of iridescent glitters. Isn't it awesome!?!?!  It's the perfect topper for darks and lights, and I adore how it gives any polish that Indie feel.

I then stamped with Mundo de Unas Aqua using the lattice part of the image from Pueen 54.  This is one of the Buffet Series plates.  I seriously adore the style of these plates!  They are so easy to use without having to worry about stretching images or lining them up perfectly.  This has become my go-to set when I need to stamp quickly.

I decided it needed a little more color, so I then finished it off by filling in the holes in the pattern with dots of Mundo de Unas Pink.  I really couldn't be happier with the final result and received many compliments while wearing it.  My brother even grabbed my hand and asked how long it took me to paint "all those lines".  Bless his heart.  ;)

Here's the standard shot.  As you can see, the pink is a little more subtle when not side by side with the pink flowers I used for a prop in the first photo.  I think they were azaleas? 

Do you have the Pueen Buffet plates?  If so, do you love them as much as I do?

~Michelle

*This post uses Amazon Affiliate links.  Purchases through these links generate commissions that are used to support this site.

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Happy Easter Everyone!

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Hello Loves.  This is my last post before Easter, so I thought I would show you my official Easter mani for 2014.  Believe it or not, this is also my first ever skittle!  Crazy, right?

There is a lot going on with this one!  I started with a skittle base using Couture Gel Nail Polish.  The colors from left to right are Couture Spring Fling, Couture Come On Barbie!, Couture Glam Squad, Couture Big Spender, and Couture Tres Chic.  The colors are slightly off due to the art, but each of the names above will link to the previous posts with swatch pictures.  The only one I haven't shown you before is Spring Fling, but no worries.  I have a swatch to share of that one too.

Spring Fling is a beautiful bright blue cream.  It is very similar to Couture Milano but without the shimmer.  As you can see, it was the perfect color to use in my Easter skittle.

Onto the Art:  I used a small dotting tool and Couture Ooh La La French to add the dots to the thumb and middle nails.  The chevrons on the index and pinkie nails are stamped in Mundo de Unas White using the chevron image from Bundle Monster 201.

Here's another shot of the complete mani where you can see the bunny a little better. 

The bunny image is from Bundle Monster 302, and it is stamped in Mundo de Unas Pink, Pastel Yellow and Green.  I applied all three stamping polishes to parts of the image at the same time.  I then carefully scraped and the result is this cute, multi color stamp.  The green did mix into the pink just a tad at the bottom of the image, but it was easy enough to touch up with the pink and a dotting tool.  I then used a dotting tool to fill in the open flower area in the stamp with Spring Fling and Tres Chic.  The flower turned out a little wonky, but that's ok with me.  Flowers are rarely perfect in nature anyway.  ;)

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!  I'm looking forward to hunting Easter Eggs and watching my boys light up as they go through their baskets this year.  Such joy for the little ones.  This will be my youngest son's first chocolate bunny experience, and you can bet my camera and I will be ready!

If you don't celebrate, I hope you have a wonderful weekend as well!

~Michelle

*The gel polishes used in the post were supplied by Couture Gel Nail Polish for my honest review.  All other products were purchased by me.  This post uses Amazon Affiliate links.  All non-Amazon links are not affiliate links and I receive no compensation for purchases through them.

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Gradient Stamped Blue Chevrons with Messy Mansion MM12

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Hello Loves.  I have another blue mani for Autism Awareness to share with you today.  I am completely in love with how this gradient stamped design turned out!  It has a very western feel to me.

I started with a base of Couture Ooh La La French.  I then stamped with a gradient of Mundo de Unas 6 Pastel Blue, 5 Turquoise and 4 Blue.  Check out her new online store for ease of ordering!  I finished off the design with two different sized silver studs on each nail.  I honestly can't remember where I picked these up, but there just your average nail art studs.  :)

The image is from Messy Mansion MM12, aka The Chevron Plate.  I adore this image for the detail and uniqueness!

Here's my standard closeup.  You can see the shade difference between Mundo de Unas 5 Turquoise and 4 Blue much better on the thumb nail in this shot.

I just realized I have mentioned Couture Ooh La La French a lot in previous posts but have never shared my swatch.  It was taken before I shorted my nails, so excuse the variation in length.  This is my perfect bright white!  Flawless coverage in my usual three thin coats.

Finally, don't forget to check out these other lovely blue manicures for Autism Awareness. In case you missed it, here's my first Autism Awareness mani for 2014 where I shared why this cause means so much to me personally.

An InLinkz Link-up

~Michelle

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St. Patrick's Day Shamrocks

Hello Loves.  With St. Patrick's Day only a week away, I have a fun little Shamrock mani to show you today.  As usual, details to follow.

Base: Couture Ooh La La French, Couture Big Spender, Couture High Roller, Couture Aloe Very
Stamping Color: Mundo de Unas Green mixed with Mundo de Unas Bronze
Stamping Image: Messy Mansion MM04

Ok, so there's a lot going on in the base for this one.  I started with a solid white base with Ooh La La French.  I then used a stiff round brush to dab on a layer of High Roller using a stippling technique.  I cured that and then repeated the process with Big Spender.  Cured again and repeated the process one more time with Aloe Very.  The result is an interesting Jade effect.  You can see swatches of the greens I used here.

For the stamping polish, I simply mixed two parts green to one part bronze to get a green with a shimmery gold effect.  You can see the detail in the base and stamping polish a little better in this picture.

I really like this one, even though it makes my fingers look dead.  Though it does make me wonder why I am so drawn to colors that look absolutely horrid on me.  Must be my luck. ;)

~Michelle

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Pretty Pink Chevron Nail Art

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Hello Loves.  I finally have another nail art post!  I've been swatching so much lately I haven't had much time for art.  I couldn't decide which color variation of this one I like better, so I'm going to show both :)  As usual, details to follow.

White on Pink

Base Color: Couture Pillow Talk
Stamping Image:  Messy Mansion MM12 - aka The Chevron Plate
Stamping Color: Mundo de Unas White
Topper: One coat of Couture French Affair

Pink on Pink

Base Color: Couture Pillow Talk
Stamping Image:  Messy Mansion MM12 - aka The Chevron Plate
Stamping Color: Mundo de Unas Mexican Pink
Topper: One coat of Couture French Affair

Below is the swatch of Couture Gel Nail Polish Pillow Talk.  If you have this color, you may notice it looks completely different here.  Couture recently reformulated it so that it is more pink and less of the milky pinkish white that it was before.  I personally love the new version.  :)

This next swatch is three coats of French Affair.  I was pleasantly surprised to see how well this one works as a topper over stamping.  It adds such a subtle shimmer without overpowering the stamp.  Yet it is gorgeous on its own as well.

So, which do you like better?  The White on Pink or Pink on Pink?  I can't decide!

Also, if you missed the post on my awesome Couture Starter Kit Giveaway, click here to enter now.  I have added a few more entry options as well (I finally broke down and joined Twitter), so if you have already entered, it might be worth a click anyway. ;)

~Michelle

*The polishes shown in this post were provided by Couture Gel Nail Polish for my honest review. The Messy Mansion stamping plate used in the designs featured in this post were won in a contest held by Messy Mansion.  The Mundo de Unas stamping polishes used in the designs featured in this post were purchased by me.

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Subtle stamping with Pueen Buffet

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Hello loves.  This week's mani is a simple stamping combo using a new-to-me brand of soak off gel polish and one of my new Pueen Buffet Series plates.  I'm really not sure I love this one, but it is nice change of pace to wear something a little subdued.  As usual, details to follow.

Base: Entity1 Color Couture in Slip Into Something Comfortable (swatches below)
Stamping Image: Pueen Buffet Series Plate 72
Stamping Color: Mundo de Unas Copper

I love the idea of the Pueen Buffet series plates.  The large image collages that cover the entire plate provide endless looks from a single plate, but I have a hard time visualizing how the image will look on the nail.  For example, I'm not overly thrilled with the stamp on the middle finger.  I think it will take a bit of time to fully wrap my brain around using portions of an image.

Slip Into Something Comfortable is a gorgeous shimmery/frosty neutral pink.  Almost pink, almost nude.  I wasn't sure how I would like it at first, but after putting it on, I found I really like how it works with my skin tone.  The shimmer is quite romantic, I think.

 

Do you have Entity1 colors in your collection?  If so, what is your favorite Entity1 shade?  I would like to pick up a few more, but I can't decide which ones to order.

~Michelle

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Featured Artist: ARoseAmongThorns from Instagram

Hello Loves. I'm currently doing a few polish tests that require I actually wear a manicure longer than a few days, so I asked one of my dearest friends to allow me to show off her Valentine's Day manicure instead. :) Pamela (aka Instagram user ARoseAmongThorns) is also a gel user, which makes for a dangerous friendship. We feed off of each other and our wallets suffer. But it also works out well for us because our tastes are polar opposites. I wear my nails longer and she rocks the shorties. She loves cream finishes. I love shimmers. It is rare that we love or hate the same polish, so we end up doing a lot of swapping.

Enough of my rambling and onto the nail art. Pamela is a stamping fan as well, so she threw together this adorable stamped skittlette manicure.  As usual, details to follow.

Base: Couture Gel Nail Polish Wardrobe Change on the index and pinkie.  Couture Ooh La La French on the ring and thumb.  Kiss Galaxy on the middle finger. 
Stamping images:  Fun 12 on the ring finger and QA28 on the middle and thumb
Stamping polishes:  Sally Hansen Insta-dri Silver Sweep and Mundo de Unas Mexican Pink.

I love skittlette manicures, but it drives me nuts that we rarely see what is on the thumb nail.  Thankfully, Pamela sent me a shot with her thumb too.  Check out that adorable little kiss!

If you like Pamela's art and her adorable shorties, go follow her on instagram! 

I'll be back in a few days with a mani of my own, I promise.  I have a few fun reviews coming up too.  ;)

~Michelle

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Stamping Challenge: Mani Using Three Purples

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Hello Loves.  I decided to give the Adventures in Stamping Sunday Challenge a try this week.  I'm not in love with the result, but I guess I can't love them all.  :)

Working backward, I stamped this one with Mundo de Unas Lilac stamping polish and the reverse flower image from MoYou London Pro Collection XL 13.

For the base, I started with Ink Scarlet Empress.  Scarlet Empress is a slightly sheer, pastel purple frost.  When I wear it alone, I usually wear it over a white base to make it opaque.  This is 3 coats without the white base.  The second picture shows how the light bounces off of the frosty finish.

 

I then dry marbled Scarlet Empress with Ink Secret Desire.  Secret Desire is a darker, shimmery purple.  Random note, but this is the first Ink I ever owned.  :)  As you can see in the second picture, when the light hits the shimmer it shifts to a slightly lighter shade of purple.

 

Finally, here's a shot of the base before the stamp.  I absolutely love how this marble turned out! I almost couldn't bring myself to finish the challenge and stamp over it.

Check back later this week for a video tutorial on how I did the dry marbled base for this mani.  :)

~Michelle

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