Blue Pattern!

I missed my weekly blog post last week! Life has been hectic here. I hope I wouldn't miss much in the future though...

I had this design on my nails last week. I was aiming for gradient stamping but it looks more like two-toned rather than gradual fading of the color on most of my nails... I'm ok with that though...

For this look, I first painted my nails with Essie Mint Candy Apple (baby blue). I used a design from Bundle Monster plate BM-417 for stamping. The stamping polish I used for gradient (two-toned) look were China Glaze History of the World (dark navy) and Konad white stamping polish. 

Simple but I liked it quite a bit. 

Hoping everyone is enjoying the last bit of summer!

Love,

Little Dot

Bright Blue and Dandelion!

I reviewed Essie Resort 2016 a while ago here. This collection is inspired by India! I already posted an Indian inspired nails here! My favorit is Taj-ma-haul (earthy orange) but I also used Going Guru quite a bit here and here. 

This time I used Nama-stay the Night (bright blue)!

For this look, I first painted my nails with Essie Nama-stay the Night (bright blue). I used dandelion designs from MoYou London Pro Collection 04 and Konad white for stamping. 

I really like the simple design of the dandelions. I used similar dandelion design on my beloved daughter's nails before here but I haven't had a chance to try it for myself until now. 

Have you used Essie Resort collection 2016? Which color is your favorit?

Love,

Little Dot

Hand-Painted Stamping!

I did the hand-painted stamping before in this post. This is my second time using this technique and I love it!

This time, I wanted to match my scarf! This technique is great when you want to create hand-painted look but you are too scared to directly paint on nails. Also, you get good results on both hands (we all know how difficult it is to paint with non-dominant hand!!) 

The method is quite simple. You use a small brush or a dotting tool to paint design on a stamper head. And you stamp it on your nail. I explained this in a bit more detail here, so check it out. 

For this look, I first painted my nails with China Glaze Sleeping Under The Stars (navy). I painted the floral design on a stamper head using OPI It's A Piazza Cake (burnt orange), Essie Shearling Darling (oxblood), Essie The More The Merrier (light green), and Essie Vested Interest (dark green). I used a small nail art brush for painting. After the design is painted and a little dry, I stamped it onto my nail. 

Design like this is difficult to do with regular stamping, I think. I don't own any plate that looks like hand-painted floral (maybe a bit but not really...) and also it would be quite hard to add a few colors on plate without mixing colors. So this method is perfect!!

Have you tried this technique?

Love,

Little Dot

Essie Silk Watercolor Mini Set Review!

I picked up this Essie Silk Watercolor mini set at Ulta the other day. 

There was also another set with three different colors (plus the same white base) and I have decided to get just this one. After trying these out, I really wish that I have gotten the other one as well. I'm kicking myself for not getting the other. I'm pretty sure the other one is gone by now because there were only one each at the store. And I've been looking around in other places but I can never find it...

UPDATE* After I wrote up this post, I did go back to Ulta and to my surprise!!!, they still had the other set!!!!! I couldn't believe it! REALLY! What minuscule chance do you think you have to be able to get this last set by going back for it over a week later!!! More story on my next post!

My set consists of 3 colors, Highest Bidder, Point of Blue, Pen & Inky, as well as white base color, White Page. There is an instruction on the back of the box for this look and I did my nails just as the instruction says except I painted a couple of nails with Essie Salt Water Happy. 

I really like the consistency of these. They are not too sticky and apply very easily. I can't wait to use these colors for leadlight stamping!

I loved using OPI Sheer Tints but they started to get thick and stringy. I'm pretty sure I can just add polish thinner to bring back the better consistency though. Meanwhile, these watercolor polishes are perfect as they are. 

Have you tried these yet? Which color did you get?

Love,

Little Dot

Blue and Brown!

Before summer ends, I am rushing to post a few summer looks! 

When I first painted my nails with these two colors (blue and brown), my beloved daughter said, "Mmm... I don't know if I like those colors together..." But I had a vision! By using direct decal method, I added white into the color mix and all of the sudden, it looked wonderful!

For this look, I first painted my nails with Essie Suite Retreat (blue) and Essie Cocoa Karma (light brown). I used direct decal method to stamp the design from Bundle Monster plate BM-402. I used Essie Suite Retreat, Cocoa Karma, and Sally Hansen Ivory Skull to fill in the design before stamping. 

The middle finger of my left hand was the result of an accidental design. When I stamped the decal, the lower half didn't transfer well. I carefully removed the not-so-perfect lower half and I actually liked the end result very much! 

I really liked this design and got quite a few compliments!

I will try to stick in another post on summer nails next week before the season changes!

Love,

Little Dot

Summer Is Ending?!

Oh no! Is summer almost over?? I refuse to think that! I don't know about you but I feel like we didn't really get decent summer this year. I was waiting for nice hot summer days. I planted seeds and small vegetable plants and I was waiting for them to get big during summer growing season... Well, it didn't happen! My lettuce never grew into any harvestable size. My herb plants are like miniatures except my big bush of sage and oregano, which always pops up everywhere in my yard... I don't like summer to go yet but I started to see changing colors of leaves here and there!!! Well... I have quite a few summer nails I did in the last little while that I haven't blogged yet. I hope I can squeeze them in before winter... That's depressing...

This is one of the looks I did this summer. And I liked it a lot because it matched a lot of my outfits. (I guess I have a lot of blue clothes??) 

Here with one of my shorts!

And here with one of my skirts!

For this look, I first painted my nails with China Glaze History of the World (smoky navy). For the accent nails, I tried marbled effect by mixing China Glaze Boho Blues (light blue) and History of the World together and use a stamper to lightly dabbed on nails. I used a few designs from Bundle Monster plate BM-404 and Konad white for stamping. 

I really enjoyed this look for summer! 

I will post the remaining summer nails for the next few weeks and I really hope I can get a little more summer days this month...

Love,

Little Dot

Spring Flowers and Cats!

There is a funny story behind this nail design. I won't tell you the story because that would be rather long introduction... But this design was inspired by a cat food packaging! And I am quite happy about how this design came out!

For this look, I first painted my nails with Essie Petal Pusher (blue grey) and Essie Mint Candy Apple (light blue). I used Bundle Monster plate BM-723 for the leaf design. I didn't make a decal this time but after coloring the leaves with Essie The More The Merrier (green) on a stamper, I stamped it on my nails directly. And it worked great! I used Essie Petal Pusher as stamping polish and also used this color to paint a few blue flowers with a dotting tool. I added a little bit of Essie Urban Jungle (creamy white) in the Center of flowers to make them look like flowers rather than just blobs of dots!

I even added a kitty cat on my left thumb, using the same plate BM-723!

A couple more cats on my right thumb!!

I sometimes get inspirations from weird places... 

I love this look soooo much! 

What are the weirdest places you got inspirations from for your nail designs??

Love,

Little Dot

Snowflakes

I was going through my stock of polish bottles to decide on what winter appropriate colors to use this week... I picked up Essie Parka Perfect, which is one of my favorite dusty blue to use in colder season. To compliment that, I paired it with Essie Mind Your Mittens!

For this look, I first painted my nails with Essie Parka Perfect (light dusty blue) and Essie Mind Your Mittens (dark navy blue). I stamped a design from Lily Anna plate 08, using Color Club Harp On It as stamping polish. 

Color Club Harp On It is such a great holographic color on dark base. I can never capture the true beauty of it in pictures... But definitely a must-have polish!

On my right hand, I changed things up a bit and left one dark nail unstamped. 

I love these two winterly blue combination! Do you have favorite blue to wear this season?

Love,

Little Dot

Essie Truth or Flare!

A week off of nail polish is over!!! I couldn't wait any longer especially after getting this polish, Essie Truth or Flare!

Oooooh I love the color!! I don't think the picture does justice here. Maybe closer to the color of my pinky nail. Grayish blue. Me love!! :) :) :) 

It is kind of like jelly finish. The formula is rather watery but I just did two coats and looks great! I would be just as happy as without anything else but I stamped some designs just because I wanted to play!

Two coats of Essie Truth or Flare. Stamped with MoYou London Sailor collection 04 plate and Sally Hansen Silver Sweep as stamping polish. 

I just went kind of water theme because this polish reminds me of water with its jelly finish. Silver stamping polish goes wonderfully, matching with gray tone of Truth or Flare. I truely love this shade. I can't stop looking at it on my nails!! Yes, I'm obsessed!

Have you tried this shade? If not, YOU SHOULD GET ONE!!!

Love,

Little Dot

Delicate and Blue

Here is the look I have for this week. Very subtle and delicate stamping. 

I attended my beloved son's graduation ceremony this week (I am so proud!) I needed to paint my nails for the occasion and chose this baby blue shade. I didn't want to stamp anything too bright, so I have decided to stamp with gold. It is almost invisible in shade but you can see the design whenever the light shines on my nails. Very delicate indeed! It is very difficult to capture this look in the pictures though... Too subtle? 

For this look, I first painted my nails with Essie Borrowed & Blue. For stamping, I used Nails inc. Chelsea Bridge Road (light gold) and designs from MoYou London Pro Collection 04 and 07. 

I quite like this look and hope to recreate something like this time to time. 

Do you like delicate look on your nails? 

Love,

Little Dot

Blue Nails 2

More blue nails for you! I probably have so many blue polish that I can do quite a few variations...

First, I painted my nails with Ceramic Glaze My Skinny Jeans (dark blue), OPI My Vampire is Buff (creamy white), and OPI Kiss Me at Midnight (liquid sand blue). 

For stamping, I used My Skinny Jeans with Bundle Monster plate BM-406. My favorite pretzel heart design!

For my right hand, I switched around a bit and stamped the thumb with a bird design from BM-401.

I don't usually like glitter polish much but I like OPI's liquid sand. It's pretty smooth and easy to remove with polish remover. And this polish, Kiss Me at Midnight, is very pretty bright sparkly blue! 

Have you tried liquid sand? What is your favorite shade?

Love,

Little Dot

Blue Polish

I think I like blue nails. Well, at least that's my favorite these days. Here is the design I did using different shades and textures of blue. 

Dark navy blue is Essie Mind Your Mittens. Light blue is Essie Parka Perfect. I love this pale silvery blue! The textured blue is OPI liquid sand in Alcatraz Rocks. I actually looove this polish. It's so sparkly and pretty. I just keep looking at it! 

Because Parka Perfect has a little silver shimmer in it, I have decided to stamp with Sally Hansen Silver Sweep. The plate I used was Messy Mansion's MM14. First I stamped bird cages from this plate and then stamped a little birdie with Mind Your Mittens. 

I really like the look. I happen to like birds a lot! Messy Mansion MM14 is the one I call a bird plate. It has a lot of bird designs on it and I use bird cage and little bird designs a lot. 

You can find out more about Messy Mansion plates here.

Do you have a favorite color to use? Do you like textured polish?

Love,

Little Dot