Sunday, February 28, 2010

Business time

Hello ladies,

I'm happy to be posting manicure photos tonight! It is possible that Raider may have perceived my camera cable as bounty and absconded with it into the depths of my boyfriend's closet. The cat, however adorable, was well named. I met with my friend Lisa for coffee this afternoon and she helped me pick out the proper memory card reader so I have another way to upload photos. I am so thankful all of that has been resolved.

I wanted to create a look using red, copper and black. Nubar Enchanting Red, a gorgeous metallic with lots of depth and shimmer, forms the base. I painted a funky french with ManGlaze Matte is Murder. I used an Art Club striper in Penny Pincher to pick up the copper shimmer in Enchanting Red. The finished manicure really makes me think of a man's neck tie.





I added topcoat to my thumbnail so you could see how the manicure would look as high gloss.

Nubar Enchanting Red is lovely. It has a bold, coppery shimmer that reminds me of autumn. The formula is perfection. It was almost completely opaque in one coat. I am really impressed with the intensity of color in the Risque Reds Collection. The shine and the pigmentation remind me of car paint. I can easily think of walking through a new car lot and seeing the sun brighten the rows of cars. I loved having that saturation of color on my nails.

Nubar Risque Reds will be available for purchase on March 1st at bynubar.com. The bottle I am showing was sent to me for review.

ManGlaze Matte is Murder was a surprise for me as funky french. I fully intended to wear the manicure glossy, but I loved the contrast of matte to shine. If you decide to wear Matte is Murder for a french look, apply it carefully. You can end up with some unevenness if the polish isn't painted in thin layers. I would recommend experimenting with Matte is Murder this way. I had a great time with it!

ManGlaze Matte is Murder was sent to me for review. It can be purchased from manglaze.com. For a chance to win Matte is Murder, Matte-Astrophe top coat and Hot Mess glitter top coat visit the contest post.

Happy painting, ladies!

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Curiouser and curiouser!

Hello ladies,

I added a couple features to painted Lady fingers to help get your questions answered. The first is the FAQ page. See the link under the header. The second is formspring.me/ladyfingers, where you can ask me anything. You can use the link above to visit my page or pose questions through the box in the sidebar. I hope you have fun with it! I'll do my best to answer nail related questions or indulge your curiousity with other topics of interest.


(flora and fauna interruptus)

I have some pretty exciting things going on in the coming week. I need a bit of sunlight and a length of wire to proceed. The forecast is filled with snow showers for the next day. Also, I managed to leave my camera cable across town. All of these things will be rectified. I have pictures on my camera wanting to communicate with my computer and out to the world. It won't be long.

Happy painting, ladies!

Friday, February 26, 2010

Where to buy Diamond Cosmetics worldwide

Hello ladies,

I have been getting lots of inquiries about where to buy Diamond Cosmetics internationally. The U.S. site diamondcosmetics.com does not offer international shipping.

Here are some options to purchase Diamond Cosmetics polishes outside the U.S.

The Netherlands:
contact: info@boozyshop.nl

Canada:
The following is information for the Canadian distributor.

Studio Cosmetics
Attn: Karen Bray
1949 Normandeau Road
St. Lazare, Quebec J7T 2E6
Canada
450-424-8615
karen@studio-cosmetics.com


I hope this information is helpful to some of you. I will be linking back to this page at the end of future Diamond Cosmetics reviews. I will keep the information updated as necessary. I haven't ordered from any of these retailers personally, but I did receive the information from my contact at Diamond Cosmetics.

I can't imagine creating a post without picture content. Here are some spiraling chrysanthemums!


Happy painting, ladies!

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Putting the Rebel in Rebel Debutante!

Hello ladies,

On this snowy day, I sought to choose a winner for the Be a Rebel Debutante Contest. With the proper motivation, I was able to procure some help from a rebel named Raider.

So it begins!

A mountain of contest entries intermingled with catnip.

Raider understands the task set before him.

He works tirelessly.

Resisting any temptation to sleep on the job.

Raider is one for proceeding with a plan of attack.

Even when things get crazy...

He can roll with it.
And handle public scrutiny.
He looks towards the winner.

And approves the choice from all the entries he had scattered.

Raider's work is done.

Congratulations to Lisa! She has a blog called xmaterialgirlsx where she does skin care product reviews and keeps everyone updated on current giveaways. Lisa is such a sweetie. Raider chose well.

Many thanks to Color Club for sponsoring this giveaway!

Raider is my boyfriend's rescue cat. He loves attention and he loves the ladies!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Bite and scratch

Hello ladies,

From the Nubar Risque Reds Collection, I bring you Lustful Red. It's a high gloss red creme that's a shade deeper than a pin up model's lips and nails. Lustful Red has a touch more bite and scratch.

Still resting up today, I decided to try a variant on a chevron French. I used ManGlaze Matte is Murder for the black and Hot Mess glitter topcoat for the curve of silver. Teardrop crystals sparkle just below the overlapping matte polishes.




Nubar Lustful Red was the inspiration for this look. I wanted to create a sultry manicure that is inclusive of classic ideas of beauty but has a modern, urban feel. I started with two coats of Lustful Red. The formula is exquisite. It was almost opaque in one coat and easy to apply.

Next, I positioned the rhinestones into the wet polish and sealed them with quick dry topcoat. Painting the chevron was a little messy. To attain a fluid stroke, I placed the brush partly on the nail and partly on my skin. Starting with Matte is Murder, I brought the stroke upwards alongside the crystal. You'll want the brush to give the crystal a little kiss during the swipe. The teardrops have the added benefit of helping to guide your brushstrokes.

Try not to work with too much polish on the brush. The first stroke is to create the line. You can fill in afterwards. It's good to have a size zero sable brush from the art supply or craft store on hand if you need to touch up a small portion, especially with the glitter. Hot Mess has good coverage for a top coat. It would be easy to completely hide the red underneath while trying to perfect the concentration of glitter. Adding the silver is the last step since the look is meant to be part matte and part glossy.

I was really pleased with how easy Matte is Murder and Hot Mess were to work with. ManGlaze knows how to formulate the perfect matte polish. Matte is Murder levels nicely and there is a hint of sparkle below the surface. It reminds me of blackened metal. Who would have thought such incredible polish could have originated under the muse of a GWAR concert and a thorough steeping in alcohol? OPI should take a lesson from ManGlaze.

Lustful Red is part of the Nubar Risque Reds Collection. This polish was sent to me for review. Risque Reds is set for release on March 1st. The collection will be available for purchase at bynubar.com.

ManGlaze Hot Mess and Matte is Murder were offered to me for review. They can be purchased at manglaze.com. For a chance to win Hot Mess glitter topcoat, Matte is Murder black matte polish and Matte-Astrophe topcoat, please visit the contest post to enter.

What do you think, ladies? Is this look something you would like to try?

Happy painting, ladies!




Monday, February 22, 2010

For the love of ManGlaze giveaway!

Hello ladies,

Welcome! Please join me in the For the Love of ManGlaze Giveaway. I have been planning this treat for you for a few weeks. The very sweet and undeniably masculine Marc from ManGlaze is partnering with painted Lady fingers for this giveaway. I can't deny that ManGlaze and painted Lady fingers go well together.

Here are the prizes:
Three awesome bottles and some swag.

Hot Mess: An in your face, silver glitter topcoat. It adds the glitter and removes the shine.
Matte is Murder: Matte black polish done up like only ManGlaze can.
Matte-astrophe: A topcoat that nullifies any shine. A perfect topping for a matte finish.
Swag: A Manglaze sticker and business card.

Click to enlarge the photos to view the distinctive bottle art.

Hot Mess matte, glitter top coat and a ManGlaze sticker.
Matte-astrophe and an artistic ManGlaze business card.

Matte is Murder black polish.

Please note: I have a separate prize package that I will ship to the winner. The bottles in these photos are from my review set. The winner will receive new, unopened bottles. The Matte is Murder prize bottle has the same contents but different art than pictured. The bottle label is yellow with a picture of a long arm and a fist. I didn't want to risk posing the winner's bottle above a snow drift!

You can learn more about these products by visiting manglaze.com. Many thanks to Marc for working with painted Lady fingers to bring ManGlaze to the winner!

The For The Love of ManGlaze Giveaway is open internationally for followers and e-mail subscribers. The contest runs through the end of the day March 8th. To keep this simple, I am willing to count the date as the last available time zone worldwide. As long as it is March 8th somewhere on the planet, you may still enter.

Here's how to enter:
Mandatory:
1) Become a follower or e-mail subscriber of painted Lady fingers. If you are currently a follower or subscriber, that certainly counts! Please let me know in the comments which option you choose for keeping up with painted Lady fingers. 1 entry.

Optional extra entries:
2) What is your favorite polish or type of polish to wear matte? What do you think of the matte trend? 1 entry.

3) Blog about the contest. I had some questions about this last time. I will definitely count your entry if your blog is not written in English. I am honored if you choose to tell people in your home country about my blog and the contest. I will also count your entry if your blog is just getting started and has a small number of followers. These extra entries are meant to be inclusive and fun. :) Please provide a link. 2 entries.

4) Tweet about the contest. Only once, please. Please provide a link. 1 entry.

5) Have painted Lady fingers on your blogroll or add painted Lady fingers. Please provide a link if I haven't already commented on your blog. Otherwise please remind me. If you have a nail polish blog and you would like to be on my blogroll, please let me know. 1 entry.

You are welcome to put all your entries in one comment or return to the contest post with comments for each entry. Either way works for me. Your entries don't have to be sequential. Enter in any way you like whenever you like before the end of the day March 8th. For the ease of your contest host, please include your e-mail with your entry. To qualify, I need to have your e-mail included with one of your entries. Thank you, ladies! I hope you enjoy the prize offering this round. I love doing contests for you whenever I can! I am so excited to be nearing 600 followers. I appreciate each of you.


Baby's Breath

Hello ladies,

Hot Lips from Diamond Cosmetic's Spring Collection is electrifying my nails today in neon pink. This shade is certainly eye catching. I received four compliments when out running errands.

When I first removed the bottle of Hot Lips from the shipping box, it reminded me of the 1980s. Much of my childhood was spent in that decade. I was thinking of the prevalence of bright fuchsia in make up and fashion. I also remembered the baby's breath flowers that bloomed in the back corner of my yard. I loved touching the tiny white flowers. They seemed like lace, growing out of the earth.

I stamped the flowers in white pearl special polish from Konad plate M24. I added the pearls to balance the gentle blossoms with the bright background.




Hot Lips is a fussy diva polish, as most neons are. There is a way to circumvent this. I started with two coats of Diamond Cosmetics Super Base. This product is a ridge filling base coat with a white tint. Using a concealing base before applying a neon is key to achieving opacity. I followed Super Base with three coats of Hot Lips. This practically took care of the visible nail line issue. There is a hint of it, but the stamp I chose tricks the eye. This color would also work well with French tip Konad designs.

I wasn't entirely convinced by Hot Lips until I walked outside. Sunlight fully ignites this neon. Indoors in low light, it looks like a basic berry creme. I would recommend coordinating Hot Lips to the forecast and your activities. This is a great shade for strolling about on a sunlit day or relaxing with a beverage in front of a picture window.

Hot Lips was sent to me for review. This shade is available for purchase at diamondcosmetics.com for the very agreeable price of $2.25. Super Base was also included in my review package. It retails for $2.50 in the treatments section.

Happy painting, ladies!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Blueberry paradise

Hello ladies,

While still feeling under the weather today, I did manage to coordinate my nail color to the afternoon sky. This lovely blue grey is Serendipity from the Diamond Cosmetics Spring Collection.

With snow on the ground and more likely to descend from above in the next few days, I was thinking about how much I would love to walk through a sunlit meadow, alive with fruit and flowers. I choose the blueberry pattern from Konad plate M55 and used blue pearl princess polish for stamping. The flowers are slices of fimo.





Serendipity is likely to be one of my favorites from the Diamond Cosmetics spring line. It has a pearl finish with a subtle shimmer. This color is on trend with some of the faded, silky blues that began emerging in the fall. Serendipity carries the idea into spring with a softer presence.

I am wearing three coats here, but I could have easily stopped at two. The creators at Diamond Cosmetics are masters at making formulas that are opaque in two coats.

Serendipity was sent to me for review. This shade and the other five polishes from the new Spring Collection are available for purchase at diamondcosmetics.com.

Happy painting, ladies!

Friday, February 19, 2010

Purple, philosophy and pancakes

Hello ladies,

After being sick for the past couple days, I decided to call upon my favorite elements for today's manicure. Milani Shimmering purple combines my most beloved color with holographic glitter pieces and bar glitter. As much as I have been enjoying spring pastels, I thought a rich shade of purple would be a rejuvenating change.

I ventured out today for pancakes with my friend David and two philosophers. Not really one to acknowledge illness, I received this e-mail invitation from David last night:

We are meeting here at the shop at 3 pm sharp!!!!!!!!!!!!
You have almost 16 hours from now to get ready and walk the one block from your apartment to the shop. :)

I don't know if I can explain the inherent comedy of combining pancakes and philosophy, but I will tell you my manicure with Shimmering Purple was well appreciated in the mix.





Shimmering Purple was from the Milani Fall Collection: Welcome Back Color. I really love the festive glitter polishes from this release. The key to getting the best application is to apply three coats. The formula is thin but buildable. Two coats looks decent, but using three will help translate the standout color from the bottle to the nail.

The full sun seems to be highlighting the glitter squares more than the bar glitter. I assure you both are reflective in various types of lighting. Of the glitter polishes available, I do prefer the shimmer formula to the creme. It allows the bar glitter to be more visible and produce lovely rainbows. For glitter lovers, I would recommend tracking down this polish if it isn't already in your collection.

Happy painting, ladies!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Strawberry Milkshake

Hello ladies,

When I put this look together last night, I still had my mind on Valentine's Day. On Sunday, I returned home from a lovely outing with my friend Sarada and received a call from my boyfriend from the train station. He had an audition in Boston and reworked his schedule to make it home before the close of the day. It was such a sweet gesture. I wasn't expecting to be able to see him on the holiday.

I reached for Essie Pop Art Pink, a sheer jelly polish with an appealing translucent shine. From Konad plate M55, I stamped the strawberries in red special polish. I added pink rhinestones that reminded me of the flower that blooms before the fruit is formed. A botanist might argue with such inspiration the petals should be white. I chose pink for whimsy.





Pop Art Pink is part of the Essie Art of Spring Collection. I've had these colors on hand for a couple of weeks, but I wanted to share them with you when we all really needed that dose of Spring beauty. I am looking forward to using these shades as bases for nail art. I feel the promo photos from Essie didn't highlight the individual loveliness of these polishes. I hope you will be as delighted as I am with these colors.

I wore three coats of Pop Art Pink over two coats of Brucci 2 in 1 Nail Perfection. With long nails, I recommend wearing a ridge filling base coat under sheer and pastel polishes. This will help to minimize any streakiness inherent in the application process with such colors. Pop Art Pink's jelly formula really reminds me of a strawberry milkshake. Over a base, this color is semi-opaque and milky. The color has such gloss it has a sticky candy vibe. The finished manicure makes me happy to gaze at. Even though I am not typically a lover of pale pink, Essie gave us a fun take on a classic.

Pop Art Pink was sent to me for review.

Happy painting, ladies!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Hearts and flowers

Hello ladies,

First, a quick reminder to enter the Be a Rebel Debutante Contest. The end of the day February 13th is the last moment to enter. We're going by the last available time zone on the planet. While there are no human inhabitants of this area, there are bristle-thighed curlews in residence. I don't believe they will be vying for nail polish. There is your bit of whimsy for the day.

It was a very grey afternoon in Philadelphia. My friend Lisa and I visited the Naked Chocolate Cafe for cupcakes and conversation. Afterwards, she accompanied me to the park for photography and solidarity in love of nail polish. We could see the sun filtered through the grey atmosphere. I was able to capture my manicure in diffuse light.

I wanted to create a low key Valentine's Day manicure with tones of pink and purple. Color Club Ms. Socialite is the base for this look. I stamped the fauxnad hearts and flowers design from plate BO1 using Konad Princess polish in psyche pink. I overlaid the heart portion of the pattern with an iridescent purple cutout. In the center of the flowers, I alternated pink and lavender crystals.





Lisa's strawberry cupcake and my red velvet cupcake and French roast coffee. I sprinkled some spicy Aztec cocoa in my coffee. Delicious!

Color Club Ms. Socialite is another of my favorites from the Rebel Debutante Collection. This is a lovely purple creme with a hint of pink. It would make a great base for layering Nfu-Oh flakies. It's quite captivating on it's own. I am wearing three coats.

Ms. Socialite was sent to me for review. This shade and the other eight polishes from the Rebel Debutante Collection can be purchased from victorianailsupply.com.

Whether you are celebrating Valentine's Day with candy or indifference, I hope your day is lovely. xoxo! Happy painting, ladies!