Les Nail Smiths: December 2014 - Kaleidoscope/Leadlighting

Apologies for the late Les Nail Smiths post! While Millie has already graduated (with a B.S. in Chemistry no less!), I am still in college (currently a senior - the final stretch!) so I had to focus on finals before my winter break. Now, I am back and blogging! I realized how much I missed painting my nails as it's extremely therapeutic to me.

I have always wanted to do leadlighting ever since I found out about this interesting technique. Leadlighting is when you stamp an image using black (usually) onto a white base, filling in the image with jelly polishes. You can also make your own tinted polishes using clear polish and a few drops of colored polishes! :D

First, I applied a white base and then used black to stamp an image from Moyou Kaleidoscope Plate 05 (which is actually better for those with long/big nails). I'm still a stamping novice so please be kind to me about the terrible image placement. :P I'm doing my best and slowly improving! :) Coincidentally, Millie also used a plate from the same Moyou Kaleidoscope collection! I guess great minds think alike, huh? ;) Anyway, after the stamping was dry, I randomly splotched on the OPI Sheer Tints, making sure that the colors overlapped each other so I could create gradients. The sheer tints were thick and stringy and the brushes were TINY. I had a difficult time using them, but I got the effect I wanted so I guess it's fine. Feeling unsure of the mani because it didn't turn out as I imagined it, I topped it off with China Glaze Fairy Dust. It seriously makes everything magical!

Thanks for looking! See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle