Thursday, September 3, 2009

A black cat beneath a silver crescent

Hello ladies,

I have another Coraline manicure, this time showing the kitty from plate C01 stamped in black Konad special polish. Little in this world brings me more glee than kitties. It seemed a fitting way to usher in the day. Just a reminder, today brings the last chance to enter the contest to win Coraline Kit A. I am a night owl so I'll close the contest when I go to sleep around 2 a.m. EST (in the wee hours of Saturday, September 5th). The base color for the design is Sally Hansen HD Blu, an exquisite, yet unrepentantly fussy diva. 
   





I have a prop for you, borrowed from the store. This cat and mouse took a walk with me to the canal and did a bit of posing. The statue is actually an incense burner! The base of the stick of incense is to be placed in the top of the pointed hat. For those who enjoy owl ring visitations, the flight pattern in discernible in profile.

Sally Hansen HD Blu is an incredible shade. It glows like underwater creatures. I am surprised the bottle doesn't come with tentacles in lieu of a brush. The tiny blue shimmer particles make the color appear slightly more like a sky blue in sunlight. In more moderate light, it edges towards a brightly reflective royal blue. How I wish I had taken some shade photos! I added a couple pictures where my nails shadow the bottle with stripes. That will hint at the tonality.

Warned of Blu's sheer formula, I began with one coat of Zoya Get Even over CND Stickey. I still needed three coats of Blu for full coverage. Two coats over a base left visible bare patches! It wasn't my quest for opacity that prompted the third coat. Less than three coats would have resulted in an unfinished manicure. 

The glowing blue shimmer elevated the level of difficulty with visible brushstrokes. It wasn't quite as challenging as applying a frost formula, but vigilance was required to make clean, even strokes of color.  

I sighed after I added my CND Air Dry topcoat. I should have emoted differently as Blu then refused to dry with any manners. It was like the child who impertinently refuses to go to bed. Out of love, I will beseech you not to stamp over this polish. It will seem dry and then the motion of the stamper will gather the polish into a wrinkly heap and the entire coating of the nail will begin anew. If you decide you must add kitties, I understand the sentiment. I would advise waiting an hour after finishing with a quality quick dry topcoat before stamping. Really. 

A polish blessing: May all your applications be simple. Happy painting, ladies!    

15 comments:

  1. That is super cute, it would be a perfect manicure for the weeks leading up to Halloween!

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  2. Oh, I love the kitty so much! Very sweet.

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  3. That's a beautiful shade of blue,or Blu as the case may be. Your prop is so perfect. Have a wonderful weekend!

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  4. I love the little moon rhinestone! & I am also a cat person ... I should find an excuse to post pics of my kitty on the blog again, it's been a while =)

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  5. I LOVEEEEEEEEEE THIS ONE its gorjuzzz im a huge fan of blue's,ive been waiting for these HD colours to come to Australia,they havent reached us yet =( Aus is so slow with everything...And i adore the cats there so cute and specially the little moon thats just adorable..I love all your mani's you put so much effort in them for us THANKYOU =D

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  6. This is beautiful...I'm a sucker for kitties AND blue polish :) I stamped (oddly enough, with a Coraline figure from C01!) over a Sally Hansen HD polish (Three D) and with Seche Vite over top the polish I was stamping within 15 minutes and didn't have the wrinkling problem. If I find that blue and buy it, I will keep your words of wisdom in mind!!!

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  7. Oooh, well I have to say, Diana, although the application gave you such a hard time, you got such cute results - I LOVE this one, probably the mostest. I think it's the black cat and the silvery moon, what can I say? Blue was a great choice for a backdrop too. You have impeccable taste, of course!
    That prop is too cute and perfect! Is that a little witch hat with stars? I LOVE that!
    As to the application, I had heard these were a bit of a nightmare to apply. I have quite a few Sally Hansens, but none of this line. I wonder why?

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  8. gildedangel: I am already excited about Halloween manicures! >^..^<

    AllYouDesire: Thanks so much!

    Mary: Thank you! I love blue polishes. I know you're on the lookout for my props. :)

    Colette: I have been so into rhinestones lately. I was delighted to find those Moons! I would love to see new kitty pics.

    Skye: I hope those HD polishes wing their way to your continent soon! Thanks so much for the compliments! You are a dear one.

    beautyjudy: I haven't tried 3D yet. I didn't have a problem with Lite. It's funny the yellow applied better than the blue! Kitties are hard not to love. The cat design definitely was among the ones that motivated me to purchase the kit. :)

    Nicole: Thank you so much! It is a little witch hat or perhaps a wizard hat for the Harry Potter lovers. ;) Repeated viewings of the HD polishes lined up in rainbow order is likely to induce purchasing! Be warned!

    Madeline Bouquet: Thank you, lady!

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  9. Catching up late again, sorry Diana! Blue suits you well, your nails look awfully long with this colour on! I am very jealous! Love the cat and the cresent moon. Gorgeous!

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  10. WOW! This one is a winner! I love cats and this mani is just awesome! Great job

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  11. I have that color and I love it. Looks great on you. And I adore that kitty statue.

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  12. Danielle: No worries, love. I need to do another Apothecary post soon. I swear it's almost entirely product that makes the difference for me with length. Your nails are lovely though! I am glad you liked the kitties and the Moon! Thank you. :)

    nirhida: Thanks so much! I adore kitties. I had so much fun creating this.

    Nosaby: Thanks! I love hunting the store for props. So delightful!

    The Princess of Polish: Thank you, sweetie!

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  13. I love the HD polishes. They are so amazing. Your so right that once you see one bottle you want them all. I love this manicure. I love how you use the blue HD polish as the night sky. I love the Coraline plates. This is a gorgeous manicure. You certainly have the nailspace to do a beautiful scene.

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