Monday, September 21, 2009

Inspired whimsy: The Queen of Hearts

Hello ladies,

I was inspired by the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland when creating this manicure. 

Who's been painting my roses red? WHO'S BEEN PAINTING MY ROSES RED?/Who dares to taint/With vulgar paint/The royal flower bed?/For painting my roses red/Someone will lose his head.

If the Queen of Hearts were to wear a funky french, I think the one below would be splendid for her. Nubar Ruby forms the base and the french was painted with Tiara.  Both polishes are from the Royal Gems Collection. 




In shade, Ruby appears like a fine jam or jelly. Look at all the colors that make up Tiara. Fascinating!


Ruby is one of my favorites from the Royal Gems Collection. It's such a versatile polish. The red micro glitter and shimmer offer enough decoration to make Ruby perfect for winter holidays or Valentine's Day. It has sufficient sparkle alone to give visual interest, but can be topped with Tiara for a more striking appearance.

I have been wanting to experiment with painting Tiara as a funky french since I saw the first promotional pictures. Since the formula is partially opaque, it's an ideal glitter to work with. I emptied the brush down to the lightest amount possible and painted the smile line. Afterwards I filled in moving horizontally across the nail. When using glitter for french manicures, be careful not to build too much color at the sides of the nail. It can make the tip look chunky or imbalanced. I run my thumb nail along the exposed sides immediately after I am done painting the french. This will remove any excess glitter that could make your french look too thick. Ladies with shorter nails would probably want to have an orange stick on hand to ensure the glitter doesn't pool against the skin. I would recommend trying these techniques before moving on to the next nail. It's difficult to make adjustments with glitter as it dries.

I am still feeling under the weather. I will respond to all your comments over the next couple days. They have been a delight to read. Thank you.

Happy painting, ladies. Wishing all of you (to whom it is seasonally appropriate) a lovely first day of fall. 

20 comments:

  1. That is a very funky french. I am sure The Queen of Hearts would love that mani! I am really enjoying your glittery tip mani's and your beautiful long nails! You must let us in on your secrets! :) Be well soon Diana!

    ReplyDelete
  2. 0o0o0o i love it gorjuz,im looking forward to the new movie being realised.. and thank you for the tips i always have alot of problems with glitter french mani's ill try your tips out.. hope u feel well soon hun tc =D

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is a really tallented french manicure!
    Your blog is wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  4. That is such a pretty and creative manicure! I love how you linked it to the quote about the Queen of Hearts. I wasn't wow-ed by the Nubar Royal Gems collection at first but I might have to reconsider based on your beautiful pics. Hoping that you will feel much better SOON!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. That is lovely! Looks stunning on your lovely nails. Thankyou for the advice on the glitter tips too. I like the fact that you added more gems to the Royal Gems!

    I now have the "painting the roses red" song going through my head though!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Another beautiful mani from you! :) you have great ideas, i always want to try everything I see :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love this look! It's so fun and whimsical. Thanks for the tips about glitter too.
    -Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ooh, the Queen of Hearts! I do love Alice In Wonderland. Genius. This is a stunning manicure, Diana, you capture this so well!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi, It's so elegant,and beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This is your most beautiful manicure so far! xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  11. Danielle: I must be due for another apothecary post soon! I love creating glitter tips! I am feeling in better health today. In other storybooks, I think I out slept Snow White over the past two days.

    Skye: I have been excited for the movie since I found it was being produced! I'll have to do special manicures inspired by each of the characters! What fun! Let me know if my technique helps you. :)

    Inbal: Thanks so much!

    poshnail: I really appreciate your kind words. Thank you.

    avroys: I'm glad you liked the manicure and the quote that inspired it. I'm happy you are enjoying my Royal Gems Collection pics. After a couple days of rest, I feel so much better. Thanks.

    Helen: Thank you. I am so glad you like the look. I'm happy the tips are useful for you. We would certainly run into the same potential application hazards. I actually have more gems ready to go with a couple of the remaining Nubar polishes!

    gildedangel: Thanks so much, sweetie!

    KONADomania: Thank you! I appreciate it!

    ReplyDelete
  12. AllYouDesire: Thank you! Please go ahead and try any of the looks you see here that you like. Just include a link to the original post. <3

    Lisa: I had fun doing this manicure! I'm always happy to include tricks I use. I hope they work well for you too. :)

    Nicole: Thank you! Alice in Wonderland is like nothing else. I adore the storybook and all the characters.

    Velvet: Thank you kindly. :)

    Denise: I am pleased you are so taken with this creation. <3

    Madeleine Bouquet: I am so glad. Thanks, dear!

    awesomevegan: Yay! :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. I thought I commented on this post! I must be doing something crazy. I love this manicure. I love anything with hearts. Alice in Wonderland was a favorite story of mine when I was young. I think I need to reread it as an adult. I love the glitter on your tips. I hope your feeling much better. Where did you get the heart gems?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks Lucy! I'll have to do more heart manicures. I have a couple heart Konad stamps I can use. The gems came from a recent NYC New York Color display that had lots of red and silver. I bought two packs because they only had 6 of each style per pack. I'm not sure what those of us with ten nails were to do!

    I am feeling much better. That was one hard hitting flu!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for stopping by! I do my best to answer comments. I read every single comment. If you have any questions or links that are unrelated to the post, please e-mail me.

Please be respectful and avoid leaving your blog link in the comments unless requested. Refer to the FAQ if needed.