Born Pretty Store Galactic Multichrome Mani Nail Art + Tutorial!

Hey y'all

Purchased by Me

I know wtf have I been?  I been around dealing with a broken a computer and the freaking horrible expense of replacing it.  I pretty much live and die by my Apple products but boy when they break out of warranty its like the sky falling!  It took forever to raise funds to pay for repairs, but now I'm back and backlogged.  I decided to start with some major bang since I've been away for a bit and wanted to show you what I've been up with in the meantime.  Today I have those multichrome powders that have taken the nail world by storm combined with some Born Pretty Store magic that made me go, "Yes - I want it all!" Like a lot of nail gals I'm totally blown away with how stunning these products are and how easy they are to use. So let's go!

Hot Off The Stamping Press: Pet'la Plate Spring 2016 Nail Art Stamping Plate Collection

Hey stamp champs,

Nothing To Disclose

I hope everyone had a great Easter if you celebrate it! I had zero time to do any of the things I wanted to get done including a failed Easter mani which will never see the light of day -_- When I say it was a fail I mean it was epic.  The mani I created afterwards though...dead brill but will leave that for another post shall we?  Today let's talk about the latest release from Pet'la Plate for the Spring.  I think these plates may have released about 1.5 months ago maybe.  It's hard to say since even the Pet'la FB didn't have an announcement posted for the new release.

Pet'la Plate & Liquid Sky Lacquer Holographic Abstract Snowflake Nail Art + Tutorial

Hey stamperistas,

Happy 2016!  The year went quickly and a lot has changed around here.  If I think of all the changes I made I'd get overwhelmed - but the blog setup, my lighting, my camera, my filmography software and photography software has changed so much!  It's crazy to think of it all and how much I've learned and still have to learn.  But what do you think? Is it just me who thinks a lot has changed? Has a lot changed in your nail art or set up? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below!

Pet'la Plate Abstract Shattered Glass Nail Art + Tutorial

Hey lacqueristas,

Unless you've been living under a nail art tomb, which you definitely shouldn't be if you're reading my blog, you've heard of the shattered glass trend! This comes straight out of South Korea from the creative mind of Park Eun Kung of Unistella.  You can read a bit more about the lady behind the trend here in Vogue.  Have you seen these nails and if you have what do you think of them?  When I first saw this design I immediately thought I have to try this with stamping.  Of course I'm not just gonna repeat what other people are doing.  My venue has always been stamping so when I see something novel I always think about ways to incorporate it into my own style of nail art.  I wanted something open and abstract and pretty.  Let me show you what I ended up with ;)

Hot Off Stamping The Press: Petla Plate Summer 2015 Nail Art Stamping Plate Collection!

Hey stamparistas,

More new plates!  It feels like every time I think I've caught up all my posts I find out I missed a bunch of new plates that either hit the market or are about to hit the market and I am scrambling to get out all the news as soon as possible.  One reason I do this is so that you can make informed decisions as a consumer.  After all we definitely can't afford ALL the plates we want at least I certainly can't.  I'd be living in a house made of plates if that were the case!  So for today I bring you another set of plates from one of my favorite indie brands - Pet'la Plate.  These plates will be from her up coming Summer 2015 Collection so let's take a look.

4th of July 2015 Nail Art: Graffiti Stars and Splats Forever + Tutorial

Yo stamperistas,

I am not the least bit patriotic.  I don't have a flag that I fly in my back yard unless its a geek flag. Generally speaking I do not feel a burning passion erupt from the bottom of my soul when I think of the USA or even the old dusty stars and stripes.  Quite frankly I have some gripes with American history in part as an African American and in part as a tax paying citizen entrenched in a healthcare system badly in need of some reform.  However, I am American and I am a Washingtonian.  There is no escaping the 4th of July here even if I dug a borrow from now until a week later.  People love that jazz here and let's admit it the fireworks displays are epic.  Also while my soul doesn't burn for the stars and stripes it does brim with respect and admiration of our veterans and active duty soldiers. As such I do like to give these things a good old college try but it's always gonna be my way which is a little bit of funky mixed with a little bit of whatever is on hand.  In short welcome to my graffiti style 4th of July.  I really wanted to do a watermarble but the supplies were not on hand.

Elevation Polish Streets of Japan Collection Swatches & Nail Art

Hey varnished vixens,

Press Sample

Its that time again when my heart sings with joy for the latest and greatest from Elevation Polish!  I usually like to have the post up sooner but had a small delay with my parcel so I only had a few days to swatch and create art.  Fortunately the collection in question namely the Streets of Japan was so inspired and so beautiful that it felt very easy to think of at least 10, 000 ideas for the polishes. Lol that was actually the problem trying to tone myself down and create a single look.  I'll tell you a little secret because I have a very hard time deciding on how to best showcase my EvPs more often than not I will create multiple nail arts for a given polis hand post the one I like best.  Yup I'm officially crazy lolol don't you dare call the paddy wagon! Now let's take a look at  the goods ;)

Elevation Polish Minneapolish Collection Swatches and Nail Art!

Hey lacqueristas,

Time for another monthly Elevation Polish post!  Yay - elevate the world!!! Lol let me stop, but seriously this months' collection, The Minneapolish Collection made me so happy and thrilled even in the heart of winter.  Packed full of what I consider serious color burst and saturation.  As you can guess this collection was inspired by the city of Minneapolis and some of Lulu's favorite plates scattered throughout the town.  It's a reflection of her love for the city and from what I can see while she may travel the world clearly there is no place like home!

Hot Off The Stamping Press: Pet'la Plate Spring 2015 Nail Art Stamping Plate Collection!

Hey stamperistas,

What did I say about the presses? Sizzling like hot tamales right?  Prepare for the usual singe when it comes to one of my favorite indies - Pet'la Plate.  Yas!  You know this indie right? I just posted a recent re-review of her plates which you  can read about here.  Well our girl Petra has put her fabulous mind in gear again and came up with another season of plates worth all your avarice and lusts.  Yup oooh it's been a while since I used the word lust on this blog.  Though quite frankly I am always lusting after something these days - hard, metal, shiny, and unique with one of a kind imagery.  I think you know what I'm talking about ladies.  Let's take a peek at a few of those lusts right now....

Pet'la Plate Nail Art Stamping Plates Review Part 2

Welcome back stamp champs,

Happy Monday such as it is and welcome to another epic review! I have a lot coming up even though I've been on quite a roll lately.  In any case today I'm going to be talking about  Pet'la Plate again!  You may recall I did a very extensive review on this brand several months ago. Read about it here.   At that time I had several plates that were a bit problematic in terms of etching and asked for replacement plates with Petra's shallower level of etching so the focus of todays post will be on these replacements.  I usually will post my reviews on the weekend, but I found out that there was a special going on with Pet'la so I wanted to share that info a little bit sooner so that if you wanted to take advantage of the sale you could.  As usual these reviews are broken up into sections for your perusal so feel free to skip to a particular area of interest. So let's get started and don't forget to leave comments, feedback, and your experiences with these plates!

Elevation Polish Journey Through Music Collection Swatches and Nail Art

Happy New Year lacqueristas,

Welcome back!  I have a lot of exciting posts coming up but today I'm the most excited to share the newest collection from Elevation Polish which will be releasing this January.  I know some of you are wondering where the hell have your EP posts gone Tamira?  In fact they haven't gone anywhere I have the October and November collections up on Instagram which I will be importing over here along with some nail art.  It was just easier while I was traveling like mad.  December's collection I don't have because of mail snafu.  So hopefully that explains where things have been.  Now today I am so freaking giddy because Lulu really decided to take 2015 by storm!  There is so much holo, blue, blue (yes I repeated it twice), shimmer, and duochrome happening here I nearly died of nailgasm.  But let me stop hyping and just show you the goods ;)  Let me just warn in advance this post will be pic heavy! Also if you haven't already go over and read Lulu's blog post about the inspirational songs behind this collection - read it here.

Glitter Leadlight Rainbow Abstract feat Pet'la Nail Art Stamping Plates

Hey lacquer ladies,

Happy Thanksgiving! It's been waaaaayyyy too long since I actually posted any nail art.  Crazily because my computer went down it took several of my folders of nail art, reviews, etc down with it. Sigh I am slowly getting things going again and today's post is half testing the waters with my borrowed back up computer and half me going crazy from not posting nail art.  So today's post was actually in response to a question I saw posed on one of my nail art groups asking if you could stamp over glitter leadlight based nails which in themselves are are form of nail art. It happens the original poster was a good friend Lizzy K Thank you for the inspiration darling!  Of course I thought absolutely yes! Simply put if there is a base down regardless of what it is you can stamp over it.  So here's what I came up with.

Hot Off The Stamping Press: Pet'la Plate Festival Season Winter 2014 Nail Art Stamping Plates!

Hiya stamperistas,

What is beauty this season? For me it's the new Winter 2014 Collection by Pet'la Plate.  You know me and this brand well right? They are the Hungarian bronze gold colored plates that make me swoon.  I've been swooning for almost a year since I discovered this brand and with every release Petra the owner and creator gets a little more brilliant with her designs.  Don't believe me then get a load of these...

Calaveras

Good lord this plate is bloody brilliant! Beautiful and glorious.  I need it. Period that is all.

Pet'la Nail Art Stamping Plates Review

Hey stamparellas,

How is everyone today? For those that haven't been paying attention I have been lavishing my love onto a recent brand of plates I discovered - Pet'la Plate. The Hungarian indie brand with the brass gold tone plates that stole my heart!  Today I have a review for you of most of the plates she has released to date including the one of the limited editions that is no longer in production.   It's also important to note that all the plates from the Summer 2014 Collection were produced with shallower etching than the first 9 plates I will review.  I will be sure to remind you because it''s an important distinction.  As usual for these things I cover the brand, the full image sizes, swatches, etc so if you are interested in a particular section feel free to scroll through and as always comments and feedback are appreciated :) Now let's get this party started!

Pet'la Plate

Pet'la Plate is the first stamping company of it's kind to come out of Hungary.  Its run by the insanely sweet, hardworking, and imaginative Petra.  She slowly created this company and the designs out of a love for nail art and with friends that shared her passion.  Thus far she has released around roughly 20 or so plates give or take a few limited editions an re-vamps.

Hot Off The Stamping Press: Pet'la Plate Summer 2014 Nail Art Stamping Plates!

Hiya stamp champs,

I am trying to space out all the new nail art stamping plates that will be releasing or have released recently so as not to overwhelm your wallet and your brain. Lol! There are a lot of good ones out lately right?  Today I'm gonna talk about one of my favorite new brands Pet'la Plate, the indie Hungarian brand with the beautiful gold toned plates, that I introduced here.  The truth is this brand has been around for a little bit so even though I recently discovered them.   Petra, the owner, has already been quietly gearing up to introduce her latest collection - Summer 2014.  And lucky duckies that we are there's also a little promotion going on simultaneously to sweeten the deal, but I'll talk about that a bit later.  For now let's take a look at the new offerings.

Aloha is a Hawaiian themed plate packed full of images that are nostalgic of summer - beaches, shade, shells, etc.  I find this plate to be perfect for the the current season plus you all know I love ocean themed plates!

Summerics is a bit  more of the same Hawaiian theme.  I love this plate for the sunset image alone and the palm trees!

OhNomNom is exactly what it sounds like.  A plate aimed at those with a sweet tooth and a love of fruit.  I'd put this one in the basic category as in good general images to own in your stash if you don't have them already.  Kudos to the martini image - I like my dirty and dry with extra olives ;)

Golden Russian is a plate that reminds me of the kind of designs that initially drew me to the Pet'la brand. Don't get me wrong a brand needs room to grow and I love everything I've see so far but.. Bold, abstract and in your face - lol I like these designs the best. And this one is perfection from top to bottom!

Tu-Turkey-Key.  Oh my.  Be still my heart! I absolutely adore this plate like the  title it is utterly intricate and utterly beautiful!

Oorie.  Seriously another heart stoppingly beautiful plate.  Super detailed and I love it!

Puzzles.  Exactly what it sounds like - mazes, detailed abstracts, puzzles, brains and patterns.  Lol this is a plate that has a lot of offer.  Image in the top row 4th from the left is so intricate! I like the one a lot. The brain is perfect for Halloween ;)  Lol yes I am thinking that far ahead.

Seven Sins.  Hmm this one for me is a little different.  I like the mirrors, horses and guns. Lol  yeah I'm strange. But those pistols are perfect for some spagetti western themed nail art ;)

Shenanigans.  Strong finish lol.  I actually already own this plate since I purchased the first set during a group buy and had the opportunity to pick up one more for the road.  This plate is gorgeous.  I love the text and the animal print the tribal.  Pretty much everything!

So what do you think? Pet'la has a pretty awesome deal going on right now where if you purchase 4 plates you get a fifth random one for free (the Summer 2014 plates will be excluded from this random selection).  If you buy 8 plates you'll get 2 plates for free with the same caveat. Not bad eh? This is basically like saying you get free shipping on your plates since shipping to the US is roughly $9-10 USD.  You have to enter the code - WOHOO2014  to your order to receive your free plates.  Plates retail for $10.65 USD per plate.  They can be purchased here.  You can follow Pet'la on Facebook for the latest updates as well.  Happy hunting and I'll see you next post...

Hot Off The Stamping Press: Pet'la Nail Art Stamping Plates!

Hey lacquer ladies,

I'm thrilled to share my latest discovery with you today!  I think you are going to need a handkerchief to wipe up all the drool after you see these plates.   Pet'la is the first Hungarian based indie plate creator, and let me say the first couldn't have come one minute sooner!  The creator and owner of Pet'la is Petra and to date she has created 8 gorgeous plates one of which was a limited edition plate and no longer available.  The owner is extremely sweet and also speaks English so don't get intimidated by the Hungarian on her page.  I also highly recommend using Google Translate or some other translating service to view her webpage or going to the English website (the link is below).  Now let's take a look at the plates.

 Geomatrix

 Texty Text

 Wishes 2 (Wishes 1 was limited edition and retired)

 Basic 1

 Dandelion 2 (Dandelion 1 was reformulated to current plate)

 Feathers

Peacock 2

So holy smokes right?!?  What do you think? Favorites? Did you see that cat face image? Ladies around the world are going to go mad!  I'm also in love with the peacock feathers and the abstract in the left lower corner as well.  I also see more lace print on the Feather's plate that we all adore!  Even the basic plate has images I love and haven't seen on other plates i.e. the gradient chevrons.  The faces on the plate are actually the creators significant other which I find both cute and hilarious. I clearly have all these plates en route to me + the limited edition plate and one bonus from an upcoming release.

These plates are made of brass and have a brushed finish that makes the plates look gorgeous!  How cool is that!   Each plate has a style very similar to another indie brand I love (Loja BBF anyone?).  Ive been told that the plates measure roughly 15 cm x 30 cm while the images range between 2.5 cm x 1.8 cm to 2.5 cm x 2.2 cm  These plates retail for 10.80 USD per plate plus shipping which is around $9 USD to the US.  Pet'la plates can be purchased here, (Hungarian webstore) or here (English webstore). As an international customer I would encourage PMing Petra on Facebook or emailing at petra at petla dot com to make certain everything is correct with your order.  Well another to die for brand has been discovered! I will update you with a review and nail art when my plates arrive.  Thanks for reading and see you next post...