Friday, January 1, 2010

2010: This one goes to eleven.

Hello ladies,

Happy New Year! I am so thankful to have my computer returned to me in working condition. I really have missed everyone. I look forward to catching up with blog reading, answering comments and preparing to draw the winner for the Ladies Choice of Diamonds contest.

To celebrate the first day of 2010, I wanted to create a look that felt cosmic. I began with Hard Candy Mr. Wrong. The polish is made up of a galaxy of micro glitter particles. Gold, copper silver and gunmetal swirl together in a blue violet base. The funky french was created with the Konad sponge nail art kit and light gray Princess polish. Despite the name, the color is more Victorian lavender in hue. To complete the cosmos, I added holographic gold stars.





My cat Fortune makes use of my laptop. While not his usual sleeping arrangements, I have to admire his innate feline ability to fall asleep on anything that is important.

Mr. Wrong is a handsome polish. The only wrongful element is that to make a date, one would have to rendezvous at Wal-Mart. Such details aside, the color was opaque in two coats and practically effortless to apply. I love Mr. Wrong so much, the polish has been on my nails for three days. I decided to freshen the manicure with a third coat and add on a funky french.

I can't believe I have had the Konad sponge nail art kit since October and haven't yet experimented with it! This goes back to the idea that I need more hands. I had a great time using the sponge applicator to do the funky french. I found using a small amount of polish on the flower palette makes application easier. I only dipped the brush in once and dabbed it against the palette. Enough polish was placed for one and a half of my nails, though that amount would go further for most ladies. I had the best results when I first deposited polish in an arch at the very tip and then used the remaining polish to sponge downward. I love the contrast from the bold glitter in Mr. Wrong to the cream finish of the Princess polish.

The holographic stars and older formula CND Air Dry were in disagreement. The addition of topcoat partially diluted the gold. I have a entire nail art wheel of similar embellishments with various hearts and star shapes. I will try different topcoats and report back when I discover which one is the best at sealing the shapes and keeping them colorfast.

I hope you enjoyed the first post of 2010. There will be many more to come. Happy painting. ladies!

12 comments:

  1. Oh, that's really cool Diana! Welcome back. I just got Mr. Wrong - unfortunately, my Wal-Marts don't have them, so Heather sent a couple Hard Candys to me! It is gorgeous, one of my favorite polishes that came out this year, I have to say. And this is SO cute especially with the stars! I like your funky french.
    Your cat is gorgeous and I love his name!

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  2. I certainly did enjoy your first post of 2010! Happy New Year Diana! What a gorgeous mani! Very interested to hear about the sponge effect! The colors you have chosen look great together and the stars complete the mani elegantly. Lovely to have you back with a working computer (very fortunate ;) ) Thank you for your kind tips with regard to line painting xxx

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  3. The mani isn't really my cup of tea, but your cat is so adorable, I had to tell you! =) My cats always find the craziest places for a nap too.

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  4. You were missed Diana!
    I love the sponged tips they add a great texture against Mr.Wrong!

    PS Fortune is beautiful!

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  5. Very nice!! And hope you announce the winners to the Diamond Cosmetics giveaway soon ^.^

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  6. It is so great to see you again! That mani is gorgeous, Happy New Year! :)

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  7. I owe you a phone call friend! It's been a nutty week (and I've been a bit of an unsocial homebody at other times). I was thinking of you though. I will call hopefully Sunday! I love this mani - Mr. Wrong looks so right on you! heeheh :) Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and NY! Talk to you soon!

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  8. Nicole: Thank you so much! I am so happy to be back to blogging. I'm so glad this particular Mr. Wrong found you. It's my favorite of all the recently released Hard Candy polishes. I still have some to try, but I feel safe in making the assessment. Fortune is a dear. He's right next to me purring away. I named him after the Wheel of Fortune card in the Tarot.

    The Diva's Polish: Thank you! I am so glad you enjoyed the manicure. I will definitely be doing more funky french looks with the sponge kit. Despite my love of the natural world and hints of other eras long past, I certainly wished for my computer to return. I was happy to assist with the brush query.

    A little update in kitty land: I think Fortune is actually a ragdoll cat. If you want endless joy, type in 'flame point ragdoll cat' on google and click on 'images'. I realized recently he has certain typical ragdoll behaviors like letting his whole body go limp when I try to pick him up.

    nihrida: Hopefully other manicures will win your favor. ;) Fortune, however, is very hard to resist. I always look forward to seeing cat pictures too.

    Evil Angel: I missed you too, sweetie, very much! I want to do more experimenting with the sponge kit. I am really happy with it for a first attempt. I am so proud of Fortune. He was very near to death when I rescued him. Part of the tale was sad. He was tossed on the street by his owners. I was amazed at what a beauty he became with nourishment and lots of love.

    ~Lisa: Thank you! I will be working on tabulating the entries this weekend. I am hoping to get the post up by Wednesday. My apologies of not being able to do the drawing sooner because of computer issues. I am excited to see who wins too! <3

    gildedangel: It was so nice to be able to go on my computer and see your sweet comment. <3 A happy and joyous New Year to you as well!

    beautyjudy: No worries! I know you have had lots in the works this past week. It's good to get a little quiet rejuvenation when you can. If only other incarnations of Mr. Wrong were quite as nice! ;)

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  9. Welcome back Diana :) It's good to see you and your wonderful manis again! I hope you've had a fantastic Christmas and I wish you a happy new year.
    Mr Wong's name couldn't be less appropriate I think: this polish has obviously everything a girl could ask for ^_^

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  10. chocaddict: Thank you so much! I'm so overjoyed to be able to share my manicures again. A very Happy New Year to you as well. <3

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  11. So glad your back and everything is working again. I missed you. Love the manicure. The sponging technique is really pretty. I have to try it sometime.

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  12. Lucy: Thank you! I missed you too, dear one. Sponge nail art is pretty easy to do. I was surprised. I'm looking forward to trying different color combinations. I will be doing another funky french with the kit for Valentine's Day. I promise you lots of heart manicures since I know you love them. <3

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