Guest Post from Crystal of Crystal's Crazy Combos

Morning folks! Today is the very last day of my mini vacation! I hope you all still want me to come back, because there have been some amazing guest posts that have just blown me away! ;) 

Today a very good friend of mine, Crystal of Crystal's Crazy Combos is taking over. Crystal and I actually started blogging around the same time and became fast friends on twitter. She is such a sweetheart and she always posts the most amazing indies that I instantly want to rush over and buy! She has created many a lemming for me! And today's mani she has to share with you is no exception :) 

As well as Crystal posting here today, we thought it would be fun if we just traded blogs for the day! So you can see a manicure that I did over on her blog! 

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Hello Everyone!! I'm Crystal from Crystal's Crazy Combos!!  I was asked by the lovely Stephanie to do a guest post for her!  I am so honored!  This is my first time doing this, and I love the idea!  I always love Stephanie's swatches and designs.  She is so talented and inspires me to do nail art!  I haven't really gotten up the courage to try anything fancy yet, but soon, as I have many I want to try of hers! ;-)  I usually end up with a tape mani though, because for me, that is fool proof!!   Oh, and I love pictures, so please don't be overwhelmed by them!!

There are a ton of awesome pictures on this one so they are all under the cut! 

First, I started with 2 coats of Nails Inc. Garrick Street with a top coat of Seche Vite.  I received this in a swap from my good friend, Saira.  I believe this came in a set that we split, but I don't think it is on the Nails Inc. website anymore.  In a Google search, I found it on Amazon and Ebay for sale.  Garrick Street is a lovely duochrome that shifts from a blue to purple.  There is a gorgeous shimmer in it that the sun brings out.

Seche Vite is a great, fast drying top coat to use when doing a tape mani.  I have to wrap my tips though, because sometimes the quick drying top coat causes the color to pull back on my nails, giving me tipwear.  I like to wait a little bit before applying the tape, because even though the mani might be dry to the touch, the tape can still leave slight indentations.  In about 15 minutes, I was able to start taping off my manicure.  Depending on how thick of coats you use, adjust accordingly on the length of time to wait.  You can always do a test nail with the tape, and if you notice it isn't dry enough, another coat of Seche Vite is great from smoothing any marks that are left from the tape.

A very important part of tape mani is that you must stick it to your hand to remove some of the stickiness.  I usually put it on my palm a few times until most of the tackiness is gone.  Clear scotch tape works best, because you can make sure it applied without any edges lifted on the nail (which can cause bleeding of the line).  For this design, I took two pieces of tape and applied them corner to corner to create a V at a 90 degree angle.  I placed the V upside down on my nail, with the tip of the V at the top center of my nail. Smooth the tape to make sure it is flat on the nail.

I only tape one nail at a time, but for me, it is not as time consuming as it sounds.  Once you get the hang of it, it goes fairly quick.  To speed up the process, you can always set up your tape pieces on the edge of the counter or table after removing some of the stickiness.  Then you just have to apply them to the nails.  I still recommend giving each nail individual attention because the tape pieces might catch on each other.  Once your tape is set, apply one coat of other color you are planning to use.  I used Essie As Gold As It Gets, which is a gold flakie polish in a clear base.  I've seen this in many stores, such as Walgreens, Ulta, Target, as well as plenty of places online.

I finished the look off with another coat of Seche Vite.  In the direct sun, I loved that the gold was almost hidden!  It was in the shade that the gold really sparkled! 

I want to thank Stephanie for letting me stop by and share my mani with you all!  I hope you enjoyed a little info on how I do my tape manis and hope you can try it out!  Part of the reason I love tape manis is the fun of coming up with combinations!  Do you have two colors that might look great together that a tape mani would work?  I look through my collection and try to grab two colors that might never be paired, sometimes it works great, and other times it is just ok.  Experiment and have some fun!

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Much Love,

Crystal

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So pretty! And now I'm completely lemming Nails Inc. Garrick Street. It just looks gorgeous! If you like seeing gorgeous swatches of fabulous polishes and someone with a great sense of humor? Just head over to Crystal's Crazy Combos and start following!

Hope you're all having a fabulous day and I'll be back to my regular posting soon! Don't forget to check out my manicure on Crystal's blog :)

Thanks for stopping by!