IndieAna- In Search of the HolyGrail

I've had a short break from posting nail looks of late, but I am so glad to now have a mani to show you! The nail polishes I used for this mani were Sally Hansen "White On", which I neglected to include in the photo somehow, Ulta3 "Purple Pumps" and "Mojito", and MUD "Crazed for Coral". I began with a white base, then opted for cream finish polishes for stamping on a splatter design. In general, I find creams to be more opaque. To achieve the coloured look, I simply painted a stroke of each polish across the design I was using. It's the first time I have tried this technique with nail stamping, but I really like it. The result is effective, without much more effort than stamping with just the one shade takes. I hope you're having a fabulous day! :)

This nail polish only became part of my collection because it was on sale for $1. I certainly could have lived without another dark purple shade, but hey, at that low of a price, I couldn't just walk away, right?  I really like the blackened purple shade of "Hypnotize Me" (love that the name is easy to see!) This is 2 coats of nail polish, plus top coat. The result looks like a gel. It doesn't last ultra long, but no regular polish ever does on my nails. This shade is a perfect winter colour, rather classy, I think :) I hope you are having a wonderful Sunday!

I purchased Sally Hansen "Big Matte Top Coat" during my last visit to Priceline. Matte isn't a finish that I crave all that often, but its nice to have the option of using it. Of course I had to use it for a nail look. The 2 base colours that I used were Orly "Liquid Vinyl" and Maybelline Express Finish "Tasseled Taupe" Once dry after 2 coats, I applied the matte top coat. Using a stamping plate design, I began using the same polishes, but on the other colour. So Liquid Vinyl on Tasseled Taupe, and vice versa. Tasseled Taupe turned out to not have the opaque finish needed to show up as a stamp colour, so I used MUD "Tease Me". Although, I was content with the matte finish, I went ahead and applied Seche Vite top coat to change to a glossy look. What a difference the glossy finish makes. I prefer this one to the matte finish. I find that the design appears more defined.  Which one do you prefer?

I know that the gradient has been done over and over again, but you know what? I still love it, I love seeing it, I enjoy creating it. So, here's my latest offering of a gradient based nail look. Using a simple white base colour, the Maybelline Color Show is a decent white, I then performed the gradient with some basic pastel colours. Well, except for my feature nail, which is a water decal. I much prefer these to stickers because I find that they don't lift like my experience with stickers have in the past. What do you think? Are you over the gradient, or still love it like I do? :)

I really can't seem to get the hang of the gradient nail design, but I'll keep trying. In saying that, I was content with the overall look of my nails.  After applying Orly Bonder base coat, I applied a coat of MUD nail polish. I am not supposed to buy nail polishes until I start using some up, but find it so hard to pass a bargain price. I hadn't tried this brand before, but I thought at $2, I had nothing to lose. I like the creme formula, and think it's quite a decent polish for the price. Next, I painted 2 vertical lines of nail polish onto the make up sponge, ensuring that Models Inc nail polish in Deep Plum was applied to my tips. The lighter red colour, Sally Hansen Laquer Shine in Dazzling (such a divine red!) I used as a colour to blend the deeper red with the peachy creme colour. I then patted the sponge onto the top half of my nails. Attempting gradient nails I find difficult for some reason, however, I am learning that being generous with ...