MAC Dry Martini

Dry Martini is definitely one of those polarizing colors - people either love it or hate it. Personally I love it, and it works with my skintone. Curiously, I've seen photos where it looks very brown, but on me it is always olive green. It took 3 coats for even coverage, but the pigmentation is good - just a little uneven in the way MAC polishes occasionally are (I love them personally, but they can be picky.)

Of course, on the 2nd day I added a Konad.


This is plate M65 with China Glaze FYI as the stamp. I have the entire OMG collection - they are so great, both on their own and as konad stamps. I love holos though, and have way too many in my collection! Anyway, this is a gold holo that is noticeably gold on the nail. I like how this pattern is very 70s - it goes with the olive polish very well!

I'm thinking of doing a series of posts on polishes that work with the Konad, as I know many people have questions about that, and I have been experimenting with many different ones. So look for that soon, along with more glitters (I have been in a glitter mode lately!)

Spiderman nails with the konad

We're going out tomorrow and wanted something sexy on my nails. I thought of the fishnet pattern, and I recall seeing it before over red with black tips. So...


I love the fishnet pattern (plate M57) - it's the only one I've used more than once so far! The only problem is that it is a bit narrow in my opinion - if you aren't careful to line it up with the edge of your nails you end up with a bare spot (as in my middle finger here.) It's not even close to being wide enough for my thumbs, so I improvised!

This is the spider from plate M28, the plate with all the scary snakes etc on it (and a unicorn!) My husband saw this and said "Holy crap, you've got Spiderman themed nails!" He's right, so I'm going to go with that name!

These were pretty easy to do. I applied 2 coats of China Glaze Ruby Pumps and a quick dry topcoat (the topcoat is so that if you make a konad mistake you can remove it without starting all over.) Then I used Konad black polish to apply the stamps. The tips are done with Art Club's Black Holo striper polish. I love these polishes for french tips - I have short nails, and they are the perfect width for me! The non-glitter shades also work really well with the Konad, so the only Konad polishes I feel like I need are the black and white. I finished the manicure with a coat of Konad topcoat, followed by Sally Hansen Insta-dry. I find that this combo dries everything fast and leaves a hard coating that is impossible to dent or chip for a really long time.

Milani Enchantment

Milani has released their Halloween collection - I'm so excited! I love Halloween, and this collection is just what I wanted! It consists of sheer black polishes with different colors of glitter. Enchantment contains blue-purple glitter, and is more subtle than the others in the collection. It does not appear very glittery under low lighting. I got opaque color in 2 coats. Dry time is slow, as with all Milanis, and it needed an extra coat of topcoat to smooth it out. I got 2 others from the collection - I skipped the red and orange/brown ones, and got the ones with blue and fuchsia glitter!

Zoya Drew

Drew is from Zoya's Fall 2009 collection. I bought a bunch from that collection, and only Drew and Pinta remained untried today. Drew is not a color that attracts me in the bottle - the warm mauve is a little too conservative for my taste. But on the nail it's totally pretty! It doesn't dry to the bottle color, so don't be put off by that like I was! I like the shimmer, which I wasn't sure about - it doesn't pull too warm. I'm taking pictures under a new setup now, and I'm very pleased with the color accuracy on my screen. I used 2 coats - it was very pigmented and only slightly thick. I found the brush a little hard to use, as with all Zoyas.

Essie Great Expectations

3 coats, indirect sunlight

I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I've never met an Essie that I truly love. Mostly they fall more on the "loathe" scale in fact. The brushes are way too skinny, and for the most part they are streaky and too sheer.

I've been using random.org to pick my manicures - otherwise I never use some colors, and I've found some favorites that way! Some days it gives me colors I don't want to try, but I always use them anyway. I was not looking forward to this one, which I bought on clearance at Trade secret before I realized I hated Essies.

Great Expectations is a wimpy semi-sheer bone color. It's described as gray, but I don't see enough actual pigment to call it a color. I tested this out before the manicure, and realized that if I wanted it to be opaque I would need a ridge filler first. So this is 3 coats, over a coat of Orly ridge filler. There's still a tiny bit of nail line visible. Honestly, I don't understand this sort of color - it's not a sheer, because it's too streaky, but it never gets opaque either! It was fussy, requiring me standing over the bathroom sink doing the last coat, so that I could clearly see any streaks.

And I totally hate it. I don't work in a conservative office anymore, so I rebel pretty strongly against these "safe" colors that I used to have to wear. But I tried to save it with Konad anyway!

I used Color Club Revvvolution to stamp, and it made a nice subtle (but not too subtle) image. It looks like toile wallpaper. The base color still gives me corpse hands a little (I just can't do grays) but the pattern is pretty! I think it would be nice for an adventurous bride, and I know if I were getting married now I would wear this, maybe over a warmer sheer. I wore OPI Bubble bath at my wedding - the old white version, not the new pink one. No french manicure, because I don't like them on my nail length. So the final tally: I love this konad, but I hate this polish, and probably won't wear it again.

MAC Beyond Jealous

2 coats, indirect sun

I was worried about the "almost black" quality of this one, but luckily it looks teal to me in most light. I like it better than Dark Room (which I don't own) and OPI Here Today, Aragon tomorrow. Application was great, but I have always loved MAC polishes. I like the colors, and the cute bottle and rubber cap appeal to me. I don't care that they are small, because I never use up polishes anyway!

After a day, I tried the Konad over top.


I used MAC Mint Julep, an ancient minty foil, for the stamping polish. I don't care much for this image - it's too girlie for me, I like thinks a little more funky. Even so, the transfer was great, and my husband liked this one!

I've been playing with different polishes on the konad. I'm probably getting more of the special polishes, but I'm pleased that I have plenty of metallic and chrome polishes that stamp well. I'm loving this to embellish tired manicures!

Diamond Cosmetics Hot Summer Pink

2 coats, direct sun

I had in mind the idea of a hot pink and black zebra manicure. I originally started with Essie Punchy Pink, an untried neon. After 4 coats and terrible streaking, I admitted failure. I removed it and applied this color instead. This is one of my favorite hot pinks - look how pretty the shimmer is! It has a little bit of blue flash, but not enough to be overwhelming. Once that dried, I got out the Konad!


I used Konad's Special black for the stripes. I see why this polish is so great for Konad - it's thick, sticky, and dries quickly. It stains like crazy, and I got it all over myself. But isn't the pattern incredibly cool? I love it, and expect to be konad obsessed for quite awhile - I've ordered the fake konad from ebay, and I'm planning to get the other full nail plates from wowsocool - I like them better on me, with my shortish nails. You can see I had trouble with image transfer on a few nails, but I'm really pleased overall!