You have probably already heard that Google Reader will be removed by Google July 1, which is tomorrow.
This is how to follow me after Google Reader is gone:
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MI-NY: KLIMT is a pastel turquoise cream nail polish. It's a 1- 2 coater, and very easy to work with. The color is a little bit greener than on my photos. I bought Klimt in February, and have already used it several times. So now I want to show you what it looks like on it's own, and used for nail art. And I'll try to update this post when I use Klimt for nail art or layering in the future. This first photo was one of my entries to MI-NY' swatch competition called WE LOVE NAILS.
MI-NY: Klimt
I swatched some of my MI-NY polishes, but didn't get time to swatch all of them. I had planned to write blog posts about them too, but haven't had time or been sick...
MI-NY: Klimt
Color comparison
I called the color pastel turquoise, but some would perhaps call it blue-green or pastel teal. As I mentioned Klimt looks a litte more green and less blue than on these photos. Compared to my other polishes in this color family, Klimt is like a pastel version of H&M "Bella's Choice". Klimt is more pastel than Picture Polish "Honey Dew", but "Honey Dew" is a little more green. H&M "Mint Madness" looks like a dusty pastel green, and not turquoise at all, compared to Klimt.
MI-NY: Klimt
MI-NY: #56 Klimt used for nail art or layering:
1) One of the last challenges in the Sat- ART- Day Club, back in February, was "Dotting tools". This was my entry for MI-NY's nail art contest called "WE LOVE NAIL ART", but I didn't win. Details about the mani and more photos in the blog post.
Klimt used for nail art
2) This was made for World Ovarian Cancer Day. The first photos are taken before adding the flakie top coat. I don't think I've shared the first two photos before. Details and more photos in the blog post.
Klimt used for nail art
Klimt used for nail art
Klimt used for nail art
Klimt used for nail art
With the flakie:
Klimt used for nail art
3) MI-NY's flakie "I LOVE LONDON" layered over Klimt and other polishes. This was an attempt to show what the flakie looks like over different colors. I made it for MI-NY's swatch contest; "WE LOVE NAILS".
As I've said before, MI-NY is an Italian brand, and according to their answer on facebook they do not test their products on animals. Their web site has a list of MI-NY stores.
The challenge in Adventures in Stamping on Sunday was to make a french manicure. I also wanted to make Midsummer Night nails, but because I have readers in the southern hemisphere too, I chose to make a combination. But guess who broke a nail, and had to cut off what was supposed to be a french manicure?Therefor I stamped summer flowers, and made a diagonal snowy french. I also used the rules for the Tri- Polish Challenge. I used all three of the TPC colors. (I told about them here.) You can find thumbnails to the other TPC participants' "Day 13/ June #2 Nails" at the end of the post. But first more photos, a list of what I used, and then how I did it step by step. This is the photo I've shared earlier:
Midsummer/ Midwinter French
Midsummer/ Midwinter French
Midsummer/ Midwinter French
Midsummer/ Midwinter French
Midsummer/ Midwinter French
Midsummer/ Midwinter French
Midsummer/ Midwinter French
Summer Solstice/ Winter Solstice
If you live on Hawaii where there is a pleasant temperature year round, and the sun rises and sets at about the same time every day, I can't imagine that summer solstice is a big day for you, but it is a special day for those who live closer to the poles, because it's the longest day of the year. I haven't celebrated midsummer since I was young, but it's always a little sad that it's getting darker and darker and that we are getting closer to winter again, but at the same time we have many summer days ahead of us, and it's nice to enjoy the long summer nights. On midwinter day I'm usually just happy that the days will get longer, and that summer is on it's way. It's so much stress to get the nails ready (for photographing) before the sun goes down in winter, but thanks to an Ott- Lite lamp it's possible to have daylight whenever I need it.
H&M Cherry- red, used for stamping
Konad: SP White- stamping polish
Stamping plates: Pueen 25 (flowers, snowflake), HB 23 (snowflakes)
Striping tape: white (as guides), pink metallic (for decoration)
Stamper & Scraper from KKCenterHk
You will also need base coat, scissors, a brush, a little glass for acetone, and lots of fast drying top coat.
Here is a closer look on the polishes I used for stamping:
Midsummer/ Midwinter French
Midsummer/ Midwinter French
What I did:
After some testing, I decided to go for the design on my pinkie. As you see on the photos below, I painted the nails pink, and stamped flowers with the red polish and Pueen 25.
Step 1
I made a diagonal purple stripe with the brush (from the bottle) on the first nail. But now I used striping tape as guides.
Step 2 and 3
And stamped snowflakes with Konad SP White and HB23 over the purple tip. I was very careful when I placed the snowflakes, and even used a brush with acetone to remove every tiny little white spot that had crossed the line, before I applied topcoat. Here you see what it looked like before that:
Step 4
But I felt that something was missing, and added the pink metallic striping tape. (I lost the striping tape on my ring finger twice, although I covered it with top coat. Not sure what I did wrong, or if it is something with the tape.) If I had thought of using striping tape earlier in the process, I probably wouldn't have to think so much about making a clean line...
Step 5
I always use a base coat first, and top coat between each step to make it dry faster, and to be able to remove the image if I don't succeed with the stamping. I feel a bit stupid for using a Q- tip dipped in acetone (instead of a flat brush), and then have to redo a nail. It was much easier to use my "clean up brush"...
Now you can take a look at my fellow TPC participants' nails! Just click on a photo if you want to see their blog post.
This is what I made for Day 13 in the Tri- Polish Challenge (TPC), which is the first challenge mani in June. A new month means three new colors: pink, red and purple. Here I've made a pink- purple gradient, and added glitter. I've been sick, so I felt it was time to use my new Darling Diva glitter polish: 'Call The Doctor'. And it actually seems to work! I feel that the virus is leaving my body, and am slowly getting my strength and voice back, but my throat will need some more days. You might have seen this first photo on facebook. I wasn't well enough to write the blog post, so I just posted the photo there. It was difficult to photograph this mani. This first photo is the best of the polishes, but even on that photo the purple should have been a little more red toned, and the pink should have looked more pink. As usual you'll find thumbnails to the other participants' TPC manis at the end of the post. But first I'll show more photos of the mani, the polishes I picked for June, and I'll tell a bit about them and the glitter.
My June TPC polishes:
As my June polishes, I chose the purple GOSH #571 Wild Lilac. The pink is the one I usually use: GOSH #598 Bubble Gum. (Click on the link to see "Bubble Gum" on it's own and used for nail art. It was also used in this dotting tool nail art, which currently is my entry for MI-NY's nail art contest.) My red is H&M Cherry. I chose these colors because there's no doubt that they are red, pink and purple. (The purple looks too blue and pale on the photos.) Wild Lilac is a normal 2- coater, (less opaque than most of my GOSH creams) but the other two are nearly one- coaters, and it's possible to use the red for stamping. Here is a photo:
This is a glitter in a clear jelly base. It's my first round glitter, and I love it. It's also my first glitter with black and white. This polish has tiny holographic glitter, and big, bigger and small round glitter. As you see the round glitters are light pink, fuchsia, black, white, and big purple holographic. I applied one coat, and used a dotting tool to pick up glitter from the brush, and place the different colors and sizes randomly on one nail at the time. I used one coat of Poshé and one coat of Seche Vite, and the next days I added one more coat of Seche Vite to make it last. I wish I hadn't done that, because the second day, the top coat turned white by the cuticles, and I wasn't able to remove all of it... Well, now I've learned that...
Animal testing:
According to the animal organizations' cruelty free lists Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) and GOSH do not test their products on animals. According to Darling Diva Nails (on Etsy), Darling Diva Polish is also cruelty- free, and the ingredients she has used have not been tested on animals. :-)
I really wish I was able to show you how beautiful this mani is. I hope you all have a nice midsummer night/ midwinter day celebration! I hope to show you my midsummer/ midwinter nails tomorrow. The folders with photos of swatches are piling up, but I hope I can write more blog posts this summer.
Here are the thumbnails to the other participants' manis. Just click on the photo, if you want to read their blog post.
It's Polish Days, and today the theme is: "To Boldly Go Where No One Has Gone Before". The phrase is originally from Star Trek. So I tried to make something a bit sci-fi. I was inspired by Iron Man 3, and think this could be something Iron Man's girlfriend could wear. As usual there will be links to all the other participants at the end of the post, but first some pictures, and a list of what I used. If you want to read about Polish Days and how to join in, click on the badge below.
The challenge in Adventures in Stamping for Sunday June 9th was: Complementary colors off a color wheel. Green and red are opposite each other on the color wheel, and therefor complimentary colors. I chose to use those colors only with more white in them; light green and pink. I mixed pastel pink and a darker pink on the stamping plate. I like how this turned out, but the pastel green looks a bit too turquoise, so I hope I'm not disqualified from this challenge. I think it looks a little more green in real life, though.
