Zen Nails

I was surfing the net and a number of things inspired me to do these Zen nails.  When drawing it out I had the idea to write out the words "Zen in the Art of Nails" like the old book title, "Zen in the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert Pirsig.  Nail art, like many of my previous hobbies, has a distinct way to bring peace to my life...even in times of chaos.  The tiny canvases that are my nails force me to focus and be very deliberate in my actions.  Even the disasters of nail art are an enjoyable experience:)

 The black unfinished circle is a symbol I found all over the internet as the symbol for zen.

Sorry, I'm so zen right now that I'm not even gonna post polish pics along with this so I'll list them!

OPI Planks a Lot
SC Snow Me White
WnW Ebony Hates Chris
SC Nirvana

On the ring finger, I used the pebble design from BM plate 211 and dotted the image with Nirvana and Ebony Hates Chris for a multicolor look to the stones.

Hope you like:)

Vivid Lacquer Polishes and Plates

Vivid Lacquer is a indie polish maker for me.  I added her on Facebook and saw that she was sending mini polishes out for bloggers to review for free.  Score!  After some back and forth, she sent me the polishes below to review!  

What strikes me about her polishes is the color combinations.

 Daisy is a milky white base with tiny green glitter, yellow hex glitters, and white diamond glitters.
It applies smoothly and covers completely in two coats. The pic below also has a top coat.

Don't Forget the Rum is a smoky grey base with rose and pink hex glitters, small white and black glitters, white and black bar glitters,  and black and white square glitters.  Below is three coats plus a top coat.  I only did three because I wanted a little better variety of glitter.  I can't wait to sport this polish for Fall!

Moonlit Cheshire is violet base with silver and black micro glitters, fuchsia hex glitters, and silver shard glitters.   It applies evenly and every brush stroke is full of glitter.  Below is two coats of Moonlit Cheshire plus a top coat. 


Out of all of the polishes sent, Moonlit Cheshire is my favorite. 

Vivid Lacquer glitter polishes are very unique and they are chalk full of glitter goodness.  On top of that, I see no bleeding, no curling, and no separation or settling.  Very good quality!




In addition, Vivid Lacquer also has designed her own nail stamping plates.  I purchsed VL 001 and VL002 from her Etsy store.  From her Facebook page Vivid Lacquer has announced that she will soon have a 3rd plate up for sale.  I also tested a couple of full nail art images from each plate.  The designs stamp on easily and clearly.  Love these images!  Tetris?  Jolly Roger print?  Honey combs?  Awesome and something you don't see every day!

* Vivid Lacquer sent me the mini polishes for review purposes at no cost.  I have not been and will not be compensated in any way for my review and my opinions of these polishes are my own. 

Ah Paisley Nail Art, an old friend!

As I've said in past posts, I cant get enough of Konad Image Plate M64's paisley stamp!

Today I used Sinful Color's Dream On as my base color after applying a clear basecoat.  I do have a bit of an issue with this color because it tends to dry with an unattractive matte finish.  So for this color I do recommend at least two coats of polish and a clear topcoat is a must to bring back the shine.  I used Konad Stamping Polish in silver for the stamping.  Last I topped off the design with some lime green rhinestones.  You'll be seeing tons more of this stamp a million different ways on this blog if I have any say in it!