Monday, May 11, 2015

Smokey Mountain Lacquers - Radiant in Orchid


     How was everyone's weekend? Mine was busy busy and busy with some fun thrown in but now it's time for me to get back into the work week mindset. Today I have a pretty nail polish and a personal mani fail to share with you. Let's start off with the good stuff, shall we?

     Radiant in Orchid was released by Smokey Mountain Lacquers last year and I ordered it right away, but like a lot of the polishes I purchase it ended up in my helmer and forgotten. Until now that is. Radiant in Orchid is a dusty lilac creme that I thought would be perfect for this time of year. Especially since my lilac bushes are just starting to bloom and fragrance the air as I walk to and from my house. 


     The application was slightly tricky but that might have been because my bottle is over a year old and I didn't exactly mix it up really well after sitting for so long. This polish is sheer with the first coat and was prone to dragging when doing multiple strokes.  I was able to achieve full opacity after 3 thin coats. 

 As for my accent nail, well that's where the failure comes in for this post. I tried making my own nail decal for the first time and ran into a little trouble. I stamped the flip-flop image onto my stamper using Bundle Monster Plate BM-309 and Finger Paints Black Expressionism, filled in a few places with some striping polishes, added a top coat and waited for it to dry.



     While my decal was drying I painted 1 coat of Finger Paints Paper Mache on my ring finger and when it was tacky I added my decal. The only problem was my decal felt really stiff and didn't want to curve onto my nail. I thought a layer of wet top coat would help, but nope I was wrong.  The top coat made my base color mushy and it smeared over the sides of my finger when I pressed my decal on. 

     It was a fun mess to deal with let me tell you, and a little disheartening to be honest. I'm not sure if I let the decal dry too long or if it was the top cost I used. I haven't given up on this technique yet, but I'm not jumping at the bit to try it again soon. If you have any tips or tricks I'm all ears. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

48 comments:

  1. I think when using a topcoat to "back" the decal, you will want to use the decal right after it has dried down enough or it'll get stiff. A topcoat that isn't quick dry might be more suited because it doesn't become as stiff I think!

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  2. Yeah I tried making my own decal once too, same results as you. Not a technique I'm keen to try again soon :P That smokey mountain color is gorgeous on you though!!

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  3. I love lilac anything. This color is lovely. It's a shame about the decal...I've never tried them and they look tricky!

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  4. I still think your decal looks cute! I had the same issue with my first try on decals/reversed stamping! I think it might be the top coat and I also think Deborah is right about using non-quick drying top coat.

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  5. Naked Without PolishMay 11, 2015 at 2:17 PM

    What a lovely shade of purple, looks beautiful on you. At least you tried with the decal. I don't have the balls to even try stamping. haha

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  6. Love the colour! Deborah is right..when I first tried the technique I used Seche Vite fast dry lol mine was a bit smudged too. I much prefer Advanced stamping which is where you stamp, colour in the image on the stamper, leave it until it is touch dry and then apply firmly to your nail. I learnt this from Nailstamp4fun on YouTube. She has great videos for stamping. Don't give up, I love stamping and hardly ever wear a mani without stamping on it now.

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  7. OOh I love that color! Kudos for doing a decal! I really stink at them, they always turn out messy and not at all like what was in my head

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  8. Top coat sure helped the fail, I am pretty sure! Whatever nail art I am doing now, I am only use a special Essence top coat that never disappointed me! I have yet to try my own decals, I am too lazy I guess haha! The polish itself is super pretty despite the 3 coats!

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  9. I went thru so many different top coats and waiting periods before I figured out the right combination that didn't smear my nail art.



    Still looks good though! =)

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  10. That's such a pretty purple! I hate that your art smeared, that sucks majorly!

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  11. Such a pretty purple! Bummer about the accent nail though. What top coat did you use for the decals? Quick Dry top coats tend to dry very stiff, I really like the Sally Hansen Hard as Nails strengthener for decals.

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  12. PhD in Nail PolishMay 11, 2015 at 5:18 PM

    Aww, man- I am sorry to hear that the decal didn't work :( I think I'm too intimidated by the technique to try it myself. I'm glad you mentioned the streakiness- I think even with the formula, it still looks great on you!

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  13. This is a lovely Spring color! I'm still trying to get a best pactice for decal application myself....

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  14. That's a beautiful purple. I've never tried the decal method but I'd like to. Sorry you had trouble

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  15. What a gorgeous, dusty purple! Even though you mentioned the streaks, I think you did a great job applying this because it looks great! I have yet to try the decal method myself but it sounds like you might have let it dry too long.

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  16. That purple polish is such a pretty color! I've tried making decals once before and they were a disaster, so I understand the frustration. I bet you'll figure it out though (:

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  17. Lovely shade, mani looks pretty.

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  18. The Polished MommyMay 12, 2015 at 1:02 PM

    I love the finish of Radiant in Orchid, and I hate it when decals don't work out =(

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  19. The polish looks so pretty, definitely nice to know it was decent after a year even if application was a bit tricky. I personally suck at decals so much, it is a total nightmare.

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  20. Im sure I waited way too long to use the decal. Someone suggested heating it up with my hair dryer if it happens again to make it more pliable.

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  21. Thank you! I think the next time I try I wont be using a quick dry top coat, see if that helps at all.

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  22. Lilac is my all time favorite scent. Right now I love sitting on my patio and catching their scent. Its such a shame their season is so short. I didnt think the decal would be quite so tricky but I learned a few things for next time.

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  23. Thank you. Yeah I used my Seche Vite and I think that was my first mistake.

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  24. Thank you. =) Im still working on my stamping too. I thought the decal might be a way to disguise my skills but it turned out worse. Next time Im skipping the quick dry top coat to see if that helps.

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  25. I used Seche Vite too. I'll have to check out that YouTube account I need all the tips and tricks I can get some days.

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  26. I have that same issue with a lot of nail art that I try. Looks amazing in my head, not so much on the nail. lol

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  27. I think you're right. I used a quick dry top coat because it was sitting right there. The 3 coats wasn't too bad. I probably could have gotten away with 2 but I did pretty thin layers.

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  28. Thanks. I need to start making a list of which top coats work for which techniques. It would save me a lot of headache.

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  29. It was a bummer for sure, but at least I learned a few things for next time!

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  30. I used Seche Vite since the bottle was sitting out. I'll have to try the Sally Hansen one next time. Im pretty sure I have a bottle of it.

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  31. Thank you. The streakiness might have been because I used such thin coats, but I think there still might have been some even with a thicker coat.

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  32. If I come up with any great tips I'll be sure to pass them along.

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  33. Thanks. I chalk it up to a learning experience for next time. Hopefully it will turn out better then. =)

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  34. Thank you. I didnt really do anything special for application, the polish evened itself out quite nicely. As for the decal I think it was a combination of waiting too long and using a quick dry top coat. But at least now I know for next time.

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  35. Isn't it a great shade! I really like muted colors lately. As far s the decal goes Im almost determined to get it right now, simple because it seems challenging. When I figure out the secret Ill be sure to share it.

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  36. I did the dry marble decal once and it turned out great. I haven't attempted the water marble ones yet. I think I need to master one decal trick at a time.

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  37. Thank you. I have a feeling a did 2 things wrong and am going to give the decal thing another try. If I find the secret I'll be sure to share. =)

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  38. Cosmetic SanctuaryMay 13, 2015 at 3:39 PM

    What a pretty smokey lavender!

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  39. I actually just attempted this again yesterday and I had great success using Sally Hansen Double Duty base/top coat. I'll be posting about it tomorrow.

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  40. That's so good to hear! I can't wait to see it :)

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  41. What a pretty purple polish that is!

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