Hot Off The Stamping Press: New Messy Mansion Plates + Sneak Peeks!

Yo lacqueristas,

I told you when it rains it pours!  Well pours stamping plates.  I'm probably alone here when I say yeah that would be a dream come true for me to go outside and see all kinds of plates falling from the sky.  <--- self delusional.  Lol in any case yes Mrs. McGowan aka Messy Mansion is at it again.  I feel like she is plotting to make me bankrupt.  I can't stop eying and buying her wares, and as if that wasn't enough she has recently released these sheer polishes called Lead Light polishes that make stamping in color a dream come true!  I need them all but there are problems getting polishes from the land down under to my door step :(  But for now let's take a look at the latest installment of plates from Messy Mansion...

Hello everything! Those who follow me on IG or read my plates I love series would recall this was one of the sneak peeks of the yet to be released plates at that time.  Ugh this plate is so perf it makes me want to scream!

Ooooh space the final frontier, and mission to boldly go where no man has gone before.  Lolol ahem in a return to my senses I will just say I love this plate and it's a necessity to my collection!  It also features some vaguely X-file ish imagery.  What's not to love?

OMG! I must make a decal using this pirate parrot! Holy shit snacks I love love love this plate!  So many tears are falling right now...the map!  Hurry to me darling one!

Kawaii bunnies everywhere! This plate is so adorable.  And of course is just in time for the upcoming Easter holiday :)

So this little plate is not actually a sneak peak.  This plate is real and ready to ship but Julia hasn't uploaded the photo yet with the gaps or spaces in between the individual images.  Initially, this is how the plate was intended to llok bu due to some manufacturing issues the images are now spaced apart. I for one do not care and need this plate desperately.  Who am I kidding?  I need all of her plates desperately.  Something is wrong with me lol!

Now for a bit of what's to come.  Yes everybody loves a good sneak peek so you can start planning out which organs you can live without in advance to fund your rapidly escalating stamping plate addiction.  Oh wait, maybe that's just me...

Lace y'all! I talked about my endless addiction to the stuff for ages when I reviewed the Loja BBF plates.  Again I can't get enough of lace images when they are well executed.  And all of Julia's wares fall into that category.  She is the definition of meticulous when it comes to her quality control.

This plate is a prime example of why I think Julia is literally in a class of her own when it comes to designing plates.  I have never ever seen imagery like this before.  Undoubtedly imaginative and beautiful.  These plates stand alone as works of art before you even put them on your nails.  I also believe this is what the fox would say lol ;)

Now about those LeadLight Lacquers...

Photo credit: Messy Mansion

         Photo credit: Messy Mansion

  Photo credit: Messy Mansion

Basically the LeadLight Lacquers are exceedingly sheer and can be used to fill in and color an image once it is stamped onto your nail as seen above with the floral pattern and the Egyptian plate.  Why does this matter when you can just make a decal? First, because it shaves loads off the time required to create and apply decals to the nail, and second look at the level of blending and gradation achieved with these polishes.  You can not do that with an ordinary decal! Unfortunately as I said before unless you are living in Australia these polishes will be unavailable to us in the near future.

So I hit you with a lot in this post.  What do you think of the new plates?  I'm particularly interested in what you think of these LeadLight Lacquers.  For now plates 32, 33, 36, 37 are available on the Messy Mansion shop.  I am uncertain when plate 38 (owl plate) will release Plate 38 with spaces is now released, and the sneak peeks (to be continued) are at least 6-8 weeks off. Plates retail for $7.00 USD + $2.00 shipping.  LeadLight Lacquers are $10 USD per polish + shipping.  I need a friend in Australia to visit soon or smuggle me some polishes!  Ok happy hunting ladies and thanks for reading!  See you next post...

Hot Off The Stamping Press: New MyOnline Shop Jr Plates!

Hey lacquer ladies,

Once again it's raining and pouring new plates!  Lol they always come in waves and spurts as opposed to one solitary release at a time.  It's tough on a girls wallet.  In any case this time it's MyOnline Shop releasing another set consisting of 5 plates from her Jr collection.  You may recall me blogging about the initial release of the first 6 sets here or the Valentines Day nail art I did using her plates here and here. These plates have been nothing short of phenomenal in terms of quality and design which is why I was shocked to see new plates coming out so soon from the initial release. Of course I also couldn't wait to see what Meann created next...

As you can see she started strong right out of the gate with more Harry Potter and Dr. Who imagery!  This plate is quite literally everything and I love it!

You all know I love a good floral so this plate for me is a good choice and features a lot of floral motifs I had not previously seen on other plates.

Oh Kurumi   So cute and so evil lol all you want is to rule the world and push My Melody out a window so you can finally get down to business. Her good intentions always get in the way of your best plots.  Lol which is why I can never resist an image of you.  This plate is Sanrio wonderland with Raggedy Anne and Andy thrown in for good measure.

Barbie, Tinkerbell, and Bratz oh my!  I have mixed feelings about this plate.  I wasn't really into the who Bratz thing when I was growing up but I was definitely a Barbie girl and a Disney fanatic.  I still remember my Totally Hair Barbie fondly.  Lol for that alone I would probably scoop this plate.

The last plate I absolutely adore but not for the reasons most people would think.  I am actually not a crazy cat lady or dog lady unlike a lot of my fellow bloggers lol.  I just have very fond memories of Lady and the Tramp and her run in with two very mischievous and plotting Siamese cats lol!  If you don't recall here's a little refresher for your memory.

Lol! So here we are another set of Jr stamping plates that are pretty awesome if I do say so myself.  Do you have any favorites in this new release?  These plates can now found in two locations at Meann's store on Store Envy or Amazon.com.  The plates retail for $7.50 per plate or $30 for the entire set, and are available for preorder now.  Happy stamping ladies and thanks for reading! I'll see you next post...

Hot Off The Stamping Press: New Vivid Lacquer Plates (Updated)!

Hey nail art aficinados,

Guess who is releasing new plates this Saturday? Yes one of my favorite indie plate makers, Anni of Vivid Lacquer, is releasing at least 2 new plates this weekend! You may be familiar with my love of Vivid Lacquer plates after all I just created those basketweave holo nails last weekend.  Ironically I discovered these while pawing over my VL plates and wondering when Anni was going to release some new plates.  Lol I think this is what they call serendipity or plate greed but whatever...

 

Lol it appears a lot of ladies are pretty obsessed with this dandelion blowing in the wind concept. If you recall the new Sugar Bubbles plates I blogged about also feature this imagery.  This is a great option for ladies that want to get a similar stamp stateside.  Also I happened to have seen some previews of the new Messy Mansion plates that are coming and one also features a girl blowing dandelions.  So there will be lots of options!

What can I say about VL025? Oh Anni you thrill me.  Ladies here may not know it but I was/am a big time knitter.  It's a hobby that is both expensive and extremely satisfying.  Lol a lot like my obsession with polishes and nail art.  I was already so in love with the knit pattern on an earlier VL plate, but the new one just blows it all away and made my day! 

Updates:  Oops, oops, oops missed one or more!  Anni just revealed this one today and I have a feeling it's not the last...

It's a very fleshy and sciency plate lol!  I am so in love with these hearts I don't know what to do with myself.  I wanted an image like this so badly a few months ago for Congenital Heart disease Awareness month.  Excited that now I will have it and did someone mention Dr. Who because I spy Galifreyan :)  FYI to those who want to know the binary code says "Science, bitch!" Lololol I'm not joking this is directly from Anni :)  The Galifreyan says Vivid Lacquer.

Pet plate! Super cute. I've nothing more to say :)

Lace - yes!  You know how much I love this kind of thing.  Lol somehow I feel all the great minds are thinking alike this is the 3rd lace plate I've seen in a month.  I am not you may note complaining, only cataloging the must haves of my collection! Lol

The library is open feel free to stop on by and pick up a book!  So let me tell you next to painting my nails and running codes reading books comes up there pretty high on the list :)  I'm trilled with the idea of this plate.  Favorite image here has to be the open book with flipping pages.  I believe in the Neverending Story...

So these plates will be releasing Saturday March 15th at 7PM PST or for my east coasters 10PM for preorder.  You can find these along with other plates and polishes in the Vivid Lacquer etsy shop.  Plates retail for $8 USD + shipping. Happy stamping and thanks for reading! I'll see you next post...

Loja BBF Neon Abstract Nail Art

Hey lacqueristas

Spring is finally in the air here in DC.  Just enough that I am clamoring for warmer nights and the abilty to wear shorts and hoodies and of course break out ALL the NEONS.   Of course I'm breaking out my Loja BBF plates too! I know lots of ladies have a vested interest in seeing these little pretties stamp, especially after my review which can be seen here.  Now let's get onto the art!

I started out with a white base because I wanted my neons to look more neon, and once again I turned to my Orly Baked Collection (I love these polishes immensely).  I also decided to break out a nail art method that I saw on IG and wanted to replicated.  It's called distressed nail art or something like that.  And I used it to create this base (I apologize in advance I really could not find a great picture I took of these before I started stamping).

Mani-louge

Base color: Wet N' Wild A Blank Canvas

Distressed nails: Orly Baked Neon Heat, Ablaze, Tropical Pop, Hot Tropics, and Saturated

Stamping Polish: Konad Special Polish in Black

Stamping Plate; Loja BBF 08

Studs - Daily Charme

Once that was done then I simply choose the plate I wanted knowing it was going to be abstract clean and simple to let the back ground pop and abracadabra I got this final product!  What do you think? I'm inordinately pleased with how this little project came out.  The plate stamped cleanly and easily and everything ended up meshing extremely  well together.  I left one nail unstamped and added studs and oval shaped gold studs from Daily Charme to show off the distressing.

 Recently I was talking with a friend and new stamper about techniques etc etc and how several times on IG I have been accused of cheating to create my nail art.  But the thing is stamping is a skill despite what others may think.  I would consider myself to be an advanced user approaching master level, but I am still learning more and more everyday.  A lot of my nail art is loaded with what I started thinking of as "nested technique" - double stamping, advanced stamping, decal method, gradient stamping etc, and that's before I even discuss what I have done with the base for the nail art.  It's easy for outsiders to pick apart a work thinking stamping is easy or not understanding how something that looks relatively simple is actually, in fact, quite detailed.  Well what can I do but keep on stamping and enjoying my craft? Apologies for the rant it just boggles sometimes how one dimensional people can be.  Thanks so much for reading and I'll see you next post!

Vivid Lacquer & Liquid Sky Lacquer Basketweave Nails

Hey lacquer ladies,

When I fall in love I fall hard, and these days the main loves of my life are few but treasured.  Today I had the pleasure of combining two of my loves into one cohesive statement of nail art.  Yes y'all know of love me some Liquid Sky Lacquer and you darn sure know I love me some Vivid Lacquer stamping plates.  In short, it's a love fest over here especially when a holographic polish hits the scene!

Mani-louge

Basecoat/Topcoat: CND Stickey / Sally Hansen Diamond Flash

Basecolor: Liquid Sky Lacquer Swerve

Stamping polish: Mundo de Unas  (navy)

Stamping plate: Vivid Lacquer VL00

Accents: Born Pretty 2mm square studs in gold

Swerve 

verb

1. To change direction abruptly.

2. To get the you know what outta here.

3.  All of the above + a badass holographic

Lol I bet you didn't know you were getting vocab lessons up in here!  No seriously swerve has been redefined about a trillion times thanks to pop culture.  I often use it in the context of the 2nd definition, but it is the 3rd that has me, if you'll pardon the phrase, squealing like a stuck pig ;)  Nothing in the world beats a well executed holo - Carolyn of LSL is undoubtedly one of the best.  Every time I get hyped about a holo these days its coming straight from her brand or Elevation Polish.  Swerve is no exception.  A delicious Cinderella blue that refracts the rainbow back from every single angle.



And what can I say about this basket weave pattern from Vivid Lacquer? Only that her plates are so perfectly executed that I never ever struggle to pick up an image.  As always I am so appreciative of the quality of her plates!

Do you like how this turned out? This is fairly simple nail art for me.  Sometimes it does to let a polish speak or let the pattern of a design declare itself loudly.  Today is one of those times when I hesitated to make the nail art too involved and wanted the perfectly done basket weave to stand alone.   And because it was so simple all I could do was stare.  I hope you are staring too :)  Thanks so much for reading and see you next post!

Hot Off The Stamping Press: New Sugar Bubbles Nail Art Stamping Plates!

Nail art enthusiats,

Have you noticed when it rains it pours? Lol seriously why do all these plate makers conspire against me to create such delicious drool worthy plates all at once? I cannot entirely recall whether I have blogged about this brand in the past before, but Sugar Bubbles is a brand worth blogging about for days!  This indie brand is based in Brazil.  I discovered it over a year ago, and I own all of the plates except for this most recent release and the last set of 4 holiday plates.  I love Sugar Bubbles for very specific reasons.  First, the branding of the company is adorable and spot on.  Second, the plates are EXTREMELY unique. The plates feature themes like Beetlejuice and the Corpse Bride (yes I have a thing for Tim Burton), sugar skulls everywhere, cupcakes, Santas belt, Betty Boop, V from V, Super Mario bros imagery, Psy from Gangnam style (before it got played out), and so much more!  Third, and finally the quality is exquisite! I have never once had an issue with these plates.   But please don't take my word for it after all a picture is worth a thousand words.

Florals are always a strong way to start for me.  I love them because it's easy to create beautiful nail art with a simple floral pattern.

Look at the detailing on the waves and feathers of this plate.  This is what Sugar Bubbles is so good at execution of fine detailing that takes the etching up several levels!

 Of course I'm loving all the Buddah's and Japanese imagery.   The lady in repose <3

She cannot release a set without skulls.  I swear it's almost a trademark.  The nested full image ones are killing me!

Waah this plate is so so cute! The tiny planets and stars everywhere I need this one!!!

And as if I weren't already committed everything about plate 25 is an absolute WIN!  These silhouettes are killer!

Monster High revisited  She has another plate with similar themes.  This one is even better! Love it ;)

 

This one is from her special edition series aimed at holidays.  Looks like Mardi Gras, Easter, and whole bunch of other cuteness all rolled into one!

So wipe your brow off and take a moment.  I know I keep showing you things that have you questioning your common sense in reading my blog.  After all who the hell goes broke buying stamping plates lolololol.  I bet that ramen is looking pretty good right now though when you contemplate all your nail art possibilities.  Now what do you think?  Aren't these all kinds of adorable.  The plates retail for $8-9 USD.  If you are international (i.e. not living in Brazil and about to enjoy all the awesomeness that is the Fifa Cup) you can order your plates here the instructions on how to go about that are here.  Shipping prices will vary if I had to hazard a guess roughly $20 USD.  That's why it makes perfect sense to buy in bulk and with some friends. So here we are one step closer to selling a kidney to meet our stamping needs ;)  Thanks so much for reading and see you next post!

Hot Off The Stamping Press: MoYou London Greek Mythology Collection Expansion!

Hiya lacqueristas,

Yes, the folks at MoYou London have hit their stride!  If you recall last week MoYou London recently released a Greek Mythology Collection, which you can read about here, after several semi lackluster releases.  As you know I wasn't too impressed with the Scholar or Sci-Fi Collection, and so it was with a heavy heart I regarded their annoucement of 100 or more so plates coming off the stamping presses.  Now I have to say if they keep releasing plates like these I will be firmly back in their little paws once more!  I threw in some fun facts for this release so read on and do try and control your drooling ;)

Poseidon - a brother to Zeus who lost the rights to Mt Olympus when they drew lots.  Fie and Shame! But at least he didn't end up in the underworld like Hades.  His weapon is the trident. He is second in power only to Zues and the god of water.  Worshiped and feared by sailors alike, and unfortunately known to be greedy, grasping, and capricious.  He invented the horse (to impress a lady), and if you really know your legends for some reason beyond comprehension was thought to have mated with Medusa creating Pegagsus.  Hmmm....

Ares - another son of Zeus mothered by the infamous Hera.  A murderer, adulterer, a practitioner of vengeance, and the god of war.  As such he is a warmonger filled with bloodlust and abhorred not only by the other gods but his own parents as well.  Beloved by the Spartans. Father of Nike (just do it!).  His bird is the vulture and his chosen animal is the dog.  He was once captured by giants and put in a clay jar (hence that imagery on the plate).  He and Athena are diametrically opposed.  While she is a goddess of war in such that she protects men and the cities they live in Ares loves nothing so much as the sounds men dying and the general chaos created by war.  In short ladies he's a real charmer... 

Athena has always been a favorite of mine.  She is the golden child of all of Zeus' many heirs that literally sprung from his forehead fully armored.  As such she is the only child (not counting Hercules) who can wield his lightening.  The goddess of reasoning, literature, the arts, and also happens to be a bad ass warrior.  Her bird is the owl and her tree the olive (yup they are lining up the imagery well). This plate is so well executed and the helmets are blowing me away!

Eros - the god of love; the erotic desperate inescapable kind.  Son of Aphrodite. Wielder of the arrow coated in a poison that causes unyielding lust and love in the poisoned or absolute disinterest.  He's not blindfolded here, but is often depicted as such since we all know love can be blind.  I find this god...disturbing.  I find the plate divine, minus the kisses!

So here's a quick recap of the myths/plates released thus far including today's release:
1. The Muses
2. Hercules
3. Hybrids
4. Orpheus
5. Dionysus
6. Zues
7. Poseidon
8. Ares & Athena
9. Eros

I hope the background info wasn't too much.  Let me know what you think! Which plate is your favorite? Mine would be Poseidon's.  I believe MoYou London is making a comeback for my affections with this collection, but then I love ancient cultures!  They are pressing all the right buttons for a former anthropology major.  I am still praying for a Jason and the Argonauts plate and I want the Fates.  As usual these plates will be available Friday and retail for 4.99 Euro.  You can find them on the MoYou London website here.  Thanks for reading and see you next post!