Signature Style

Hi guys! Today I'm continuing to work through the manis I did in January for the 31 Day Challenge that I couldn't finish. This mani is done with Orly Pretty Ugly and accents of KBShimmer Happily Ever Aster and stamping from MoYou London Suki 04. The prompt for this one was Signature Style. I had actually come up with the design a few weeks before for another challenge and just decided to save it.


When I'm working on some simple and quick nail art for myself because I have to go out or I can't come up with anything new to try, this is my go-to. I pick a base color and either do some accent stamping or a glitter topper. My accent nails are always my ring, my middle finger, or both. So for this mani I combined both glitter and stamping accents.

The base is Orly Pretty Ugly, which happens to be my favorite shade of blue/aqua but not my favorite polish. Pretty Ugly is a very sheer polish with shimmer, and not sheer as in jelly, just simply an annoyingly sheer creme that takes way too many layers to be opaque and does not dry quickly due to said layers. I used 3-4 layers, the formula is awful and I only put up with it because I love the finished look.

From the latest swatches I've seen of the Zoya Delight Spring 2015 collection, Rayne seems to be a similar color so I'm dying to get my hands on it and compare. I also saw a really similar color pop up in the new Orly ColorBlast Frozen themed collection that's currently available at Walgreens. It looked exactly the same and I wouldn't be surprised if they just re-branded some old colors. I have no idea if the formula is any better.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is KBShimmer Happily Ever Aster. I have yet to find a KBShimmer that I don't love. This was actually my first one and it's just perfect. It's got my favorite color combo, blues, teals, purples, and white hex glitter in different sizes plus some small holographic glitters for extra sparkle. One easy coat for great glitter coverage.

I did the stamping using MoYou Suki 04 and Wet n Wild French White Creme and my Messy Mansion Med-Firm stamper head. 

A note about the pictures. Since doing these, I've done changes to the way I angle my light so that the pictures don't have that blue tone to them. I've done my best to color correct these but I feel like the macro is a bit bluish and the other two are blurrier than I'd like. So that's why I mention that these are from January and I think that the changes I've made make for better pictures like the ones you've seen in the last swatches I've posted. Mainly, the Shinespark ones.

Do let me know if it's all in my head and these swatches are fine and I'm just being too overly critical of my work. I always appreciate the feedback. And tell me, what's your signature mani/nail art style?

Stalking is encouraged! Go follow Mama Hearts Polish at Bloglovin, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!