Two Firsts, Stamping + Striping

Hello all you beautiful people! I apologize, I know it has been over a week since my last post, I've been so busy. Bad blogger! I do hope this was worth the wait because I have TWO firsts to share! Lets break it down!

Let's start with the easy stuff first, shall we? Base + Glitter: I've got OPI My Vampire Is Buff as a base on all my nails. I added two coats of Hare Polish Own Your Opulence on my pointer and middle fingers; they sort of inspired the rest of the look.

A little more advanced, Striping: This was literally my first ever attempt at using striping tape. Yes, it takes patience to perfectly lay down the tape. I have read on many nail blogs that there is a learning curve, so I armed myself with tweezers and extra lengthy cuts of tape. I was surprisingly happy with the result. I think since I read so many horror stories over time about the difficulty I was timid to try out striping tape for a while, but I am so glad I did.

It is not as hard as some people say it is. Just breathe and place, it is tape after all, you can move it around! If you haven't tried striping tape before, be warned: you need to let your polish dry for a bit after removing the tape, or the top coat will streak your work. The stark black, Wet n Wild Black Creme, against the bone white base was a daring first choice I realize, as I did re-do one of my thumbs. Oh well, let's learn from each other!

And finally, difficulty "I can't believe I can (sort-of) finally do this," Stamping: I have half-heartedly attempted stamping in the past but never succeeded in a full-on look until this time. I have been practicing stamping on pretty much every mani just before removal. It was so nerve-racking stamping for the first time! Clearly the attempt is far from perfect, but I was happy to at least capture what I was going for. AKA I didn't fail!  I used Nailz Craze plate #NC02 and Konad Black special polish.

I really like how the whole look came together. As soon as I purchased HARE polish Own Your Opulence I knew it would go great with OPI's MVIB. After I had finished the mani and wore it for a few hours, I realized just how many different colors make up this glitter polish! There are pastel pink, grayish-blue, and yellow hexes, along with gold hexes and micro glitters, and black squares and hexes! A LOT going on! Part of me wanted to go back and add color to my other nails, but the glitter in this polish can speak for itself!

TGIF! Have a wonderful day!

Disclaimer: All polishes purchased by me and all opinions are my own.