Monday, May 9, 2011

Rhiannon: Diamond Cosmetics Soak Up the Sun

Hello ladies,

I decided to create a manicure for Rhiannon, the Goddess of Horses. Detailed in the Mabinogion tale Pwyll of Dyfed, her story is about carrying burdens until the arrival of freedom and redemption. Hers is an archetypal journey many of us can relate to, in the same way seeing a horse run feels like an expansion of the soul. 

I began with Diamond Cosmetics Soak Up the Sun as a base. Since Rhiannon has both solar and lunar associations, I thought the polish name and color along with the golden Moons would be a perfect tribute. From image plate T30, I stamped the horse faces in Konad brown special polish. I created a layered, thin line French with Art Club stripers: Mochalotta and Fine Gold Glitter.



I didn't realize iris flowers bloomed in brown and burnt orange tones.


Azaleas in Rittenhouse Square
























Soak Up the Sun has the pearl finish I love. Diamond Cosmetics does a notable job with this formula. The color reminds me of light reflecting off beach sand. There is rainbow micro shimmer stirred into the neutral base. For those of you looking for a classy, work appropriate shade, Soak Up the Sun is sure to delight. I painted three coats for best results. This polish was opaque for me at two, but I much prefer the added sparkle a third coat brings.

I hope you enjoyed my wild horses manicure. I am sure many of you know of Rhiannon through the Stevie Nicks song, but her story is also worth reading.

Diamond Cosmetics Soak Up the Sun was sent to me for review. This shade is available for US residents to purchase at diamondcosmetics.com. For international purchasing, keep an eye on boozyshop.nl.

Image plate T30 was provided for my consideration. Stop by chez-delaney.com to view the full line of nail art stamping materials.

Happy painting, ladies!

14 comments:

  1. so pretty.. i love the song "Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac and now i know a bit more,why Stevie Nicks wrote such a lovely song.. as always beautiful mani!

    ReplyDelete
  2. aaminah's mom: Thanks so much! Interesting trivia, Stevie Nicks took the name of the song from a fantasy novel and learned about the story of Rhiannon as a Goddess afterwards. Makes me believe in Muses for certain! <3

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh, WOW! That iris is gorgeous!!!!! I have always loved irises because of the multitude of colors they can bloom. I have never seen this color before; striking. And your manicure is perfect with it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love Soak Up The Sun. So very pretty and soft. It does look like sand. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love this. I have loved horses all my life so this spoke to me. The moon is a lovely addition.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I like gold polish and i have a lot, yet i am looking for the perfect one.
    seems that gold and purple goes together nice!

    ReplyDelete
  7. That's so pretty! I love that combination, looks so nice :) And the horses look so wild and free :D

    ReplyDelete
  8. Beautiful! I love horses, your mani really captures them x

    ReplyDelete
  9. Kimberly: Thanks so much! I felt very in synch with Nature when I happened upon the brown irises after finishing this manicure! <3

    BMR: Thank you! It was an unexpected shade in a summer collection, but I am happy for its inclusion. Loving Soak Up the Sun! :)

    Ice Queen: Thanks! I took riding lessons for one summer as a girl. I have such pleasant memories of that time.

    Efrat: Soak Up the Sun is beige with a good amount of gold shimmer. A nice polish to add to your collection. I could not resist posing my nails with purple flowers! :)

    Silva: Thank you! I have had the horse image plate for many months and as soon as I unpacked Soak Up the Sun, I visualized this manicure. :)

    Spider Girl: Thanks so much, dear!

    The Nail Buff: Thank you! Horses are indeed majestic. <3

    ReplyDelete
  10. Very beautiful and you know what? It is work safe! I never even thought of that! Pretty mani as usual girl.

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a beautiful Iris! Another of my favorite
    Spring flowers. My Mother used to grow many varieties of them. It's amazing the scope of colors in nature. I love how you always have a story behind each manicure. They're always so thoughtful. Love the horse stamp. I always wanted a horse. When we moved from Philly to NJ my Father was going to buy me a horse. Never happened! Not enough money. I've only been on one a few times. I'll never forget it.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Your mani and the iris are perfect together.....

    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.