Flat (No Pattern) French Tip m19

Most Requested Manicure Tips are for a French...

OK, so I shot a french swirlie from plate m56 in April, and another one of what I call a french flat (flat meaning no pattern) in May...too much frenching around, and I had viral issues of the computer kind over the last week or so, so I am just getting around to getting it posted...the video needs to be reshot so that you can tell more easily how I stamp. I had terrible luck, as I stamped I would look down and my hand travelled out of the shot for most of the stamping.

I used an OPI shimmery base to jazz it up a bit...it is from the Designer Series 106, and is a shimmery pink. Honestly, I am not a big fan of the french since it's so finicky, but this time it worked ok for me. The key is have short nails, and have a smooth motion as you stamp. The slightest hesitation or pause as you roll the design on causes a ripple or unsteadiness to the design. Therefore, I do the swirlies from m56 since they are much more forgiving.

French Tip Swirl Patterns

One of my favorite designs, swirled French tips. This design uses m56, one of my favorite plates. It does take practice to get the curve in just the right place. I demonstrate a way to do that by lining up the stamper at a 90 degree angle to the nail bed so that you have a line of site to the targeted area, then rock it across.

As always, I use Konad Special Polish in white, since I just dont get good crisp images from other brands. More details later, enjoy!

Valentines Day Heart Tips

Happy Valentines Day!
Sometimes it helps to get in the mood by pampering yourself a bit..and it doesn't hurt that getting your nails done with a Valentines Day theme might remind a special someone that the holiday is coming up.

So, in the spirit of the holiday I have decided to show a few options to you. This first video uses Konad Image Plate m56 to apply a heart patterned french tip to my nails. French tipping takes a little practice, and the Konad plates can be shallow, so if you have particularly long nails (which I don't) you may have to "stack" or stamp twice.

I started with clean nails that I had painted a base coat of OPI Diamond in a holographic shimmer. I've had the bottle awhile, and the sticker has come off the bottom so I don't know the exact name of the color. I will check with the salon where I bought it and try to update this with the exact name for you at a later time.

The alignment of the tip design can be achieved by holding the stamper at a 90 degree angle to the nail. Look at where the design will line up when rocked across the nail, then make any adjustments to how you are holding the stamper and rock the stamper across the nail. I like to hold my hand just in front of me, with my finger braced between thumb on the bottom and the stamper at the 90 degree angle at the top. The video angle cut parts of the actual stamping when I pulled toward my line of vision to align the stamp on the nail. I will get better at this next time and not cut out the alignment and rolling, but I think I got enough in that you get the general idea.



Now to work on the Lovely Stamp Video