Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Snow flowers

Hello ladies,

The temperature has been wintry here. Inspired by the wind, I created a snow flower manicure. The base is Oh, Tiff! from Diamond Cosmetics. The glitter overlay is Diamond's Diamonds from the Holiday Collection. I added the flower rhinestones to represent chaenomeles lagenaria, which bloom with five petals in either white or pink. The blue was a bit of whimsy.





I know many of you wondered where I would take winter photos after the garden closed. My camera accompanies me along my errands. If the light rests on the branch of a street tree to my fancy, I will place my hand there. The last three pictures were taken in front of a cathedral. I caught the light before the sun's descent behind a city high rise. While I am certain photography in front of the cathedral is common, I suppose most people don't first consider it as a perfect location to take pictures of their nails!

Oh, Tiff! was trickier to apply than other polishes I have tried from Diamond Cosmetics. It took three coats for opacity and the formula was easily identifiable as big three free. The consistency was thicker than I would have liked. I don't find pastel formulas from any brand to be memorably stellar. I will give Oh, Tiff! the compliments of evening out well after the third coat and not being chalky to apply. While the formula isn't perfect, the color is beautiful. I prefer Oh, Tiff! to China Glaze's For Audrey, but I am happy to own both. Although it reads as a creme polish on the nail, Oh, Tiff! has wisps of white shimmer blended with the pale blue. 

Diamond's Diamonds is an icy layering note. One coat applied flawlessly and added snow to the blue. I would love to try Diamond's Diamonds over darker shades and as a subtle funky french.

Both Oh, Tiff! and Diamond's Diamonds were sent to me for review. These polishes can be purchased at diamondcosmetics.com for $2.00 and $2.50 respectively. 

Happy painting, ladies! 




15 comments:

  1. Another beautiful color and the flowers are a perfect finishing touch!
    I'm sure everyone in this tiny town think me insane because I have and will whip out my camera and snap a few pictures of my nails or even makeup when the light is good or the right prop is handy.

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  2. I love this! It's actually very cute.
    It looks very icy. Great winter look!

    I've been having trouble photographing too. There has been absolutely no sun the past few days. Maybe I will buy a light box someday to make my life just a little bit easier.

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  3. This looks great, I like the icy look to it.

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  4. That mani is so lovely! It makes me think of frozen flowers.

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  5. This mani is gorgeous! How I wish I could wear rhinestones and jewels. They add a dimension of bling that I adore.

    I have CG For Audrey, and it's a nice color and all...but I really, really want Oh Tiff!
    Your brilliant swatches are a handy reference for my Diamond Cosmetics "buy list".
    I would never have considered getting Cherry Tobacco, but after seeing it here, it's a must have.

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  6. Very pretty. I love the color with the designs. Definitely a holiday nail art.

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  7. It's very cute, I love this color and design !

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  8. Both colors are beautiful and I love the layering you did. I love rhinestones and I always wish I could see more designs with them on other blogs :-)

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  9. This is beautiful. I love the glitter over, it really adds that frosty look! The flowers are so cute, it all adds up to a wonderful manicure!

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  10. A perfect manicure for this cold wintry day. Very pretty with the flowers. I'm glad there isn't any snow. You have a blessed manicure from photographing in front of the cathedral. Love ya.

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  11. Evil Angel: Thanks sweetie! The pictures by the fir tree were most amusing to me. The grade school across the street was letting out and children were everywhere as I was trying to frame shots of my nails! :)

    Kirsten: Thank you so much! December has been a little kinder with sunlight than the previous month. I checked on google and there are many tutorials about building light boxes. Some are constructed out of cardboard. I may ask for help in making one this winter.

    Jessica: Thanks so much! The temperature warranted an icy manicure for certain! :)

    gildedangel: Thanks! Now you have got me thinking about how beautiful it would be if the flowers stayed through fall and froze in winter. Yes, I have been beset by whimsy again. ;)

    ainos2: Thank you! I love adding rhinestones. I completely understand the temptation they bring too! By the time this contest period ends, I will have pictures of my favorite Diamond polishes so far. I am happy to share them with you and I am so glad to be of help with your selections.

    rayqueenbee: Thank you! I love doing snowy manicures in winter.

    Ayuu: You are so sweet! Thank you! <3

    Ana Rita: I appreciate your kind words. Thank you!

    Tuli: Thanks so much! I love layering. I never tire of rhinestones either. I fancy sparkles and will continue to showcase them here. <3

    Mighty Lambchop: Thank you! I started out with one flower on each nail and then realized I wanted a bouquet! It was fun to do a little flower arranging on my nails. <3

    Lucy: Thank you so much! I think it's auspicious to have my manicures blessed on occasion. I love blue and silver this time of year. I would much rather snow on my nails than in the sky. xoxo! <3

    Art of Nail: Thanks so much! Those flower rhinestones are so much fun to work with! <3

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  12. Pretty!!! I love the color and the design.

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  13. Gabriela~Thank you! I had a great time formulating the design.

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