I'm actually pretty proud of how this turned out considering how frustrated I was when I started it. And for some reason, I can freehand a French tip in my sleep, but I can't paint lines to make a tree to save my life. Funny how that works.

     Enough of my nail art skill ponderings, back to the manicure. I started off with a layer of Simply Smooth. I wanted even color for the "nude" part of the nail along with a smooth surface to work with. The French tips are Ho Ho Holly from Color Club and a sparkly red striping polish I picked up at Sally's. I stamped with Finger Paints Paper Mache and Konad plate M12. Add in some gold accents with Orly Luxe and viola my manicure is completed!


     I wish the Merry Christmas was a little easier to read, but I still think it looks cute. Festive but not over the top  I guess. The next prompt is snowmen and I hope I don't have as many issues coming up with a manicure for that one. While I'm off thinking up ideas why don't you check out the other manicures in the challenge.  Or check out what I did for last years Christmas Tree prompt. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

     Another great feature of the wraps is that they are reusable. I used the same set for my entire manicure.


     Because of the proper fit, you get hardly any clean up as you can see here by this poorly done gradient. Just a tip, don't try to do a gradient on a bare nail it's a PITA. I probably would have had even less clean up if I had added a base coat of white first. Then I wouldn't have tried using so much polish on the sponge to get coverage.

     For my finished look, I used these cute vinyls to create the silhouette of a man as an accent to my manicure. I used Sinful Colors Snow Me White and Rimmel Caramel Cupcake as my gradient colors.



     All nail vinyls are made from a plastic product and will melt over time when a solvent-based liquid is put over them. A quick dry top coat is best to apply when leaving them on like stickers. Tara recommends Seche Vite after testing out a few. I actually used Out the Door and had no issues after wearing the vinyls for 24 hours.

     For my next look, I used the French tip guides for a sideways half moon manicure with an art deco feel. The colors I used for this look are Orly Luxe, OPI 4 in the Morning and a white striper.


     The vinyls are quite sticky, if you use them as stencils I recommend sticking them to the back of your hand a few times to remove some of the tackiness. Otherwise, you run the risk of pulling off your base color when trying to remove them. Trust me on this one.  Also, I noticed these vinyls are thicker than others that I have used, making them better quality, and easier to reposition without damaging the shape.

     All of Loki's nail Vinyls are available at http://lokisnailvinyls.storenvy.com and come in your choice of color. (With the exception of the basic chevron and French tip) Eventually, there will be an option of a custom service for designs, but there is already a wide variety to choose from. I hope you like the designs I created. I'll have more in the next coming weeks to share with you. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

     I started with 2 coats of KBShimmer Hexy Bikini for my base. After it was dry I dabbed on the OPI sheer tints to random spots on my nails and added a layer of top coat. I really liked how it looked and really didn't want to mess it up so I waited a full hour before moving on to the next step.


     For my snowflakes, I used Finger Paints Black Expressionism and image plates from Bundle Monster and Shandy. ( BM-319, BM-323, and SH-202.) I have realized that in addition to needing better image plates for Halloween I also need ones for Christmas. Although I did like the variety I had with snowflake images to choose from.

     I liked the look of this glossy but it was hard to photograph. I kept getting glare and losing the detail in the snowflakes. So I did what every polish loving person would do, I mattified it!


     I'm having a hard time deciding if I like it glossy or matte better. The Glossy version had much more sparkle, but the matte version shows much more detail. Which way do you like better?

    Before you go, make sure you check out the other participant's manicures. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

Friday is around the corner again! And you should know a little bit about Alice already! Her imagination takes her stamping to another level! Come join her adventures in wonderland. “We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad”  - The Mad Hatter, Alice in Wonderland << ALICE COLLECTION >> Don't forget that the SAGITTARIUS plate has just been released as well! >> CLICK HERE TO SEE IT << These 4 plates will be released this Friday the 28th of November. Have a great day and Merry Christmas! The MoYou-London Team

     Asylum is a black holo with iridescent lime green, and gold glitters and green iridescent shimmer. Does anyone else see a night sky when looking at this, maybe a few constellations in those glitters? That's what this reminds me of, especially when I look at my ring finger.

     The application was typical of a black polish with the first coat being pretty sheer. But the polish flowed smoothly and there was no fishing for glitters required. Shown here is 2 coats plus top coat. The first coat was pretty thin and then a thicker second coat for full opacity.


     You'll want to use the foil method for removal. Those pretty glitters seem to have a super grip on the nail. This is one of those times I wish I'd used my peel off base coat.

     Asylum is still available for purchase, however, Laura has put the shop on hold while she restructures. As of right now, I'm not sure when she will re-open. If I get a concrete date I will update this post. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

Photo was taken in natural lighting.

Photo was taken in natural lighting

It is almost Friday! And we're all mad about our new Alice in Wonderland collection! Come join the party and DRINK this wonderful imaginative collection. Meet Alice, her imagination takes her stamping to another level! Come join her adventures in wonderland. “Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.”  - Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland + + 1 BRAND NEW FESTIVE PLATE! + 5 NEW STAMPING NAIL POLISHES! These 5 plates + 5 New Nail Polishes will be released this Friday the 21st of November And to put you in the right mood:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfR8MmBumy0 Have a great day and Merry Christmas! The MoYou-London Team

I'm not loving these plates at first glance. There are a few images that have caught my eye, but not an entire plate, well maybe the first plate with all the words. That one looks like fun. What are y our thoughts on this new collection? Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!