Royal Purple

After a drought of purple, I've been on a bit of a purple kick these days! I was watching the movie Gambit - with Shirley MacClaine and Michael Caine.  In the background of one of the scenes was a lacquered box in deep purple and gold.  I immediately got my polishes (because what could be better than polish and a movie?) and this is the design I came up with.

The background is Sally Hansen Insta Dri Violet Voom (is a deep purple that's almost blue).  For the stamping, I used a Sally Hansen Nail Color Pen in Gold Chrome and Bundle Monster plate BM 206.  I used a nail pen to add a pale, pearly blue to the design and dotted on Kleancolor Metallic Orange for the accents.

The movie was funny and fun - an unexpected pleasure - and now I have nails to match!

Be well, Konaddicts!
PS: I hear Colin Firth is in a remake of this!  How did I miss that?

Paint Me Pretty - Guest Post about Women, Cancer, and Beauty by Jackie Clark

When you are diagnosed with cancer, it is easy to feel unattractive. Somehow you may feel as if you have stopped being a woman and have instead become a "patient." You are still a beautiful woman, even if you have been diagnosed with a cancer such as mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure. Don't let cancer, a prognosis, or treatments take away your self-esteem. Going to the salon to get a manicure is one way to remind yourself and the world that cancer doesn't define you.


Manicures are an inexpensive salon treatment in which the nail technician carefully trims your cuticles and shapes your nails. She then buffs them to smooth out any ridges or discolorations, and then she will paint your nails with your preferred color. Choose a solid color, French tips, or even go for a pattern. The nail technician can paint anything from delicate flowers to a fierce cheetah print on your nails. Best of all, unlike a home manicure, the paint or design that the nail tech applies will stay on under most circumstances for at least two weeks.

This treatment will only take half an hour of your time, but it can make all the difference in the world about how pretty and feminine you feel. Even if you are undergoing chemotherapy and you have lost your lustrous locks of hair, painted nails reminds the world that you are feminine and that the cancer is a temporary setback.

Getting a manicure is about more than the appearance of your nails, however. Part of the reason why a manicure is so therapeutic to women suffering from cancer is because it is a way to pamper yourself when you are feeling at your worst. You have probably taken plenty of time out of your schedule to go to doctor's appointments and chemotherapy treatments, but you probably are not doing anything just for yourself. Going to the salon will be a welcome change of scenery from the neutral walls of the doctor's office or hospital.

Next time you are feeling low, don't give in to the depression. Get dressed, put on some makeup and go to the nail salon. Thirty minutes is all you need to change your outlook. This cancer is a setback, it is not who you are as a person. For the next two weeks, whenever you are feeling like the cancer has taken over your life, you can look down at your beautifully polished nails and remember that your life is about more than illness. You are still a sexy, glamorous woman inside and out.

- Jackie Clark, Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance

Hello Kitty of the Month

Hello, everyone!  I have decided that I am issuing myself a challenge.  To put my well documented love of Hello Kitty to the test (not to mention to get good use out of my HK plates), I'm going to try to create at least one Hello Kitty manicure each month.

Without further ado, here is February's Kitty of the Month.

Since it's February and I'm still feeling sweet, I used Essie Fiji as the pale pink background.

I noticed that if I tried to stamp Kitty first, I got my alignment off, so I decided to stamp the bow border first.  I don't have the Konad plate for this design so I used my XL Image Plate B and Pure Ice Frosted Ice Sparkle Berry.

I stamped Kitty with Sparkle Berry using plate KD-1.  I like the metallic sparkle in this polish although I think I pressed the stamper a little too hard and got some smudges.  Finally, I used Pure Ice Spit Fire to add glitter to her bow and to the bows in the bottom border.

I think this endeavor will put my love of Hello Kitty to the test.  Is it possible that even I could tired of girly pink cuteness?  Stay tuned, Konaddicts! :)

Mosaic (Sort Of)

Soooo....this didn't quite turn out like I saw it in my head.  Maybe I should have chosen a different plate.  The little flourish on Red Angel plate RA-107 was calling out to be stamped with different colors - or at least, that's how it seemed to me!

I was thinking of tranquil seas and I chose Revlon Sunshine Sparkle - a light lemon - as the base.  Sally Hansen Insta Dris in Sea Breeze, Blue Blast, and In-a-Blink Blue make up the stamping.  I stamped the two lighter colors at one time, then added the bottom portion of the design in the darker blue.

With such a lovely set of colors, what could go wrong?

Something isn't quite right.  I don't think I managed to get clean edges on all of the areas of the stamp.  There's also something I don't quite like about the Sunshine Sparkle base.  It not an overpowering yellow, which I waned for this color scheme, but it seems to dry strangely and get kind of crackly around the edges.

Oh well...there's something about these colors that I like so I'm sure I'll pull out my plates and try a "remix" of it soon.  Suggestions, anyone? :)

Subtle Bronze and Gold

I love this color!
It is Kleancolor Coffee Addict.  It's a rich bronze that has a sparkle in it.  Gorgeous!
I couldn't leave it bare, so I decided to go with a subtle stamp.  I chose BM 222 and China Glaze Passion for the stamping.  I like the antique-type feel of the look.  I'm feeling more cultured already!

Thanks for reading, Konaddicts!

Corset Nails

Hello, everyone!  I decided I wanted to give the corset look a try.  I think I overestimated the steadiness of my hand because I had a couple of redos with this mani.  Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Cafe Au Lait is the base.  I used the design from Konad plate M16 for the sides.  The laces were made with a fauxnad plate B24 using Kleancolor Metallic Pink.  I thought they still looked a little naked so I added a rhinestone at the bottom.

I absolutely love the design of the laces with the bow.  For me, this one is a guaranteed smile.  Be sweet, Konaddicts!  Thanks for stopping by!

Rose Stockings

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!
I tried to think of a Valentine's design other than hearts for my nails this week.  I didn't get very far; I chose roses.  :)

I used Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Cafe Au Lait for the base.  I stamped the "fishnet" with Cheeky plate CH11.  I polished a circle of my lighter rose color over the netting and then did my best to stamp the rose design in a darker color over the lighter circle using Red Angel RA-116.  I like stamping with two colors this way even though I can never quite get my stamps (or sizing) to line up perfectly.

Oops - still needs some clean up.

If you're curious about the colors I used for the roses, here's the "photo lineup".

(L-R) Kleancolor Pastel Orange, L'Oreal Pumpkin, Pure Ice Love, Sally Hansen Insta Dri Rose Run, Kleancolor Pastel Purple, Kleancolor Lavenbaby.

Be well, Konaddicts!  I hope your week is, well, coming up roses!

Valentine Hearts French Mani with Cheeky Plates

More hearts!

This time, I used my new Cheeky plates for the design.  I used Kleancolor Pink Sleepers as a sheer base, then freehanded the tips with Sally Hansen Insta Dri in Whirlwind White.  I stamped the hearts using Cheeky plate CH22. I used Pure Ice Siren and Kleancolor Barbie Pink to add a little variety to the hearts.  Finally, I stamped my accent in Siren using Cheeky CH5.

So far, so good with the Cheeky plates (I bought them on Amazon here).  The stamper and scraper were awful, but the plates I've tried have worked well enough with my Konad scraper and stamper.

I chose the Cheeky plate over the Konad plate with a similar design because the Cheeky plate has smaller hearts - which comes in handy since my nails aren't very long.

Have a weekend filled with love, Konaddicts!

Oil on water

I'm not sure exactly how to describe this design.  Well, with its fanning and waving patterns, it looks to me a little like a drop of oil on water.  That was the closest to a name that I could come up with, so there we have it!

I got to use several of my absolute favorite colors with this mani.

L-R: Kleancolor Jazz Olive, Metallic Sapphire, Fashionista, Metallic Purple

The base is Kleancolor Jazz Olive - a color I love!  I stamped using plate A59, Kleancolor Fashionista, and Kleancolor Metallic Sapphire.  Fashionista must be one of the strangest colors that I've ever picked up (I've heard it described as "swampy").  I was excited to finally work it into a design.  Finally, I used a portion of one of the designs of Konad Plate M78 and Kleancolor Metallic Purple to stamp the semi-circular accents.

I love the texture this combo creates!  Thanks for reading, Konaddicts!

Valentine's Chocolate Boxes

You can tell it is close to Valentine's Day when you see those little heart shaped boxes of chocolate. They were my inspiration for this design.  Two coats of Essie Fiji make up the pale pink background.  I used Revlon Top Speed Stormy and Bundle Monster plate 202 to stamp the hearts.  Then, I dotted on my "candies" with various browns (and red!) and a dotting tool.

I hope your February is full of love (and chocolate!), Konaddicts!