Sunday, October 25, 2009

Black pumpkins

Hello ladies,

There are not enough days in October to bring all the ideas I have for Halloween manicures to fruition! I chose to stamp black pumpkins from Konad plate M13. Seeing the jack-o-lanterns in black makes me think of old fashioned silhouettes. I'm not certain about the shape of the stem. It appears if you press it down the jack-o-lantern would detonate. 

I am wearing Essie Bright Tights from the Fall Color Collection as the base for this Halloween look. The props you see below were decorations on my sister's dock. There was a contest today where spectators canoe along the creek and vote on their favorite spooky decor. My nails were ready!







Essie Bright Tights is a fiery neon. Cameras tend to minimize the brightness of the neon formula, but this is a highly visible orange! Bright Tights would make a traffic cone look shy. This is my first experience using an Essie neon and I am pleased with the result. It did require some effort to achieve opacity. Fortunately, Bright Tights dries speedily. I used one coat of CND Stickey, two coats of Zoya Get Even, four coats of Bright Tights followed by the Konad design and topcoat. Four coats of Bright Tights is equivalent to two coats of regular polish in terms of dry time. The only extra work is in the painting. As a neon, Bright Tights has a matte finish. The polish did go through some unattractive stages before adding topcoat. A shiny layer awakens the color and creates a juicy sheen. I have been getting compliments on my nails all weekend.

Essie has officially changed my perception of neon polishes. I thought I would be satisfied owning a single neon collection with Zoya La Di Da. I previously thought of neon shades as a novelty. Brights Tights is one of my favorite polishes in the Fall Color Collection. I would wear the color even without decorative pumpkins. It's pleasant seeing the leaf change and realizing I was carrying a bit of that orange with me. 

Happy painting, ladies!

17 comments:

  1. This is so cute! I am loving it!

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  2. That is a sweet Halloween mani, love it!

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  3. That is perfect for this week! I love Essie's formula and agree that their neons are some of the best. Your remark about the pumpkin's stem shape is hilarious :)

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  4. i love the color of essie n.p. and the pumpkin design on it gorgeous halloween mani...

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  5. I love all the old fashioned Halloween pictures. I don't know when you changed your blog. I got way behind in reading everything. I love your manicure. That must be crazy bright! I haven't tried any of the Essie neons. Love the pumpkin. It really does look like a detonator.

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  6. Wow that's orange! Looks great on you.
    I love the new Halloween background.

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  7. Very nice.. Love how bright the orange is.

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  8. gorjuzzz colour, and those pumpkins are soo cute

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  9. I love Halloween manis! And what a neat idea...spooky docks :)

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  10. Oh I love it! You have got the most gorgeous nails! I love the ideas you've come up with for Halloween manis!

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  11. Diana, I LOVE it! So cute. I'm a big fan of neon - but then, I was a teenager in the eighties, go figure I'd love it! This is a really cute polish and naturally, the pumpkin just puts it right over the top for me. This is such a cute layout! It's very you :) I have a bunch of these in a Halloween folder, the vintage Halloween cards are just darling.

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  12. gildedangel: Thank you. It's hard to resist the cuteness of pumpkins!

    Evil Angel: Thanks so much! I am loving putting together Halloween looks.

    Mary: Thank you! Some of the holiday theme Konad designs are a little off in the most charming ways. Why not a detonating pumpkin? I'm interested in trying Essie Pink Parka after my experience with Bright Tights. :)

    Art of Nail: Thanks so much! Bright Tights is my favorite orange neon. I am glad you like the pumpkin design too!

    Lucy: Thank you! You are not far behind here. I changed the background right after I put this post up. I thought it would be festive to see the vintage Halloween postcards. Maybe not quite as festive as detonating jack-o-lanterns, but spirited nonetheless. Bright Tights is the most exuberant neon I own. :)

    Kirsten: Thanks! The color of Bright Tights is like a cross between a glass of orange juice and flames. I was so excited to find the background for this week. <3

    trishalynn0708: Thank you! Bright Tights is one unmistakable orange!

    Skye: Thanks sweetie! The color orange and pumpkins make me happy. I'm so glad they appear together in nature. The mani was fun to do!

    Shayla: Thank you! I will have more Halloween manicures this week. It's a big local event where my sister lives. It's cool seeing all the spooky decorations reflected in the water.

    Velvet: Thanks so much! You are so sweet. You can look forward to zombies, candy corn and perhaps some creepy dolls!

    Nicole: Thanks! I love vintage Halloween postcards! I couldn't resists the layout when I saw it. Neon is nostalgic for me too. I had a few neon shirts in the 80s. :)

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  13. great job, for the life of me I can't get that stamp to work. looks perfect :)

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  14. enamoredenamel: Thank you! I tried this design on one nail with Princess polish in gold black and it didn't transfer cleanly. I had better luck with the special polish in black. I am not sure if that helps. I have had trouble with certain designs and then I return to them later and mysteriously they work fine. I hope that happens for you with the detonating pumpkins. ;)

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  15. I love this design. I think it`s great for Halloween!

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  16. That orange looks great!! Its so bright! & your nails are freakishly long!! How do you maintain them?? Mine break off so easily.

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  17. Gabriela: Thanks so much! I love creating Halloween looks.

    Lisa: Thank you. Essie makes amazing neons! If you check the labels on the side bar under 'a polished alphabet', you will find the 'apothecary'. Under that label are the products I use regularly. You can click on 'apothecary' for reviews and tips for maintaining nail length.

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