Thursday, December 9, 2010

Recent NOTD: Orly Candy Cane Lane Patchwork

Post-Thanksgiving, it was time to break out the Christmas collection polish. I started with Orly Candy Cane Lane, admittedly not the most Christmas-y choice since it's really just a classic red creme with a holiday themed name. I am a bit chagrined to admit I bought this a few weeks ago since I do have so many red cremes already, but I just needed this one and Glitz & Glamour to complete my 'Tis the Season set, and I had a Sally's coupon, and it's Orly, one of my favorite brands, so I caved and got it. At least I wore it almost right away, unlike some of my purchases.





After wearing it on its own for a couple days, I decided to plus it by trying a patchwork mani for the first time. I'm a quilter; it was inevitable that I try patchwork nails at some point. To complement Candy Cane Lane, I chose Milani My Network, a gold foil, and Finger Paints Evergreen Dream, a dark green shimmer.



I used Chloe's tutorial as my guide and found it very easy to follow. I will need more practice before my patchwork is as neat as hers, but for my first effort I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.





I used some really old tape, thinking it would be less sticky than new tape and so less likely to pull off polish, but it turned out to be not sticky enough. I got some seepage underneath the tape, which I tried to clean up with my trusty paint brush but was only partly successful. Next time, new tape. I also had some trouble with My Network, as it didn't quite cover the red in one coat and I ended up messing up my lines when I was trying to touch it up afterward. (It was also annoying to clean up; I gave up on getting all the bits of gold off and just let them wear off my skin.) Next time, I'll consider testing on a nail wheel first. And there will be a next time, for sure; it was fun to do and interesting to look at. Just when I'll find the time, I'm not so sure.

*****

Reminder: there's still time to enter my holiday giveaway.

17 comments:

  1. Oooh, this is fun! I find masking tape to work well for this sort of thing, overall. It's also good for making your own nail stencils!

    Something to keep in mind- nail wheels get expensive (at least, for me... I'm broke!). A cheaper alternative that works just as well is to keep some white paper where you do your nails. You can paint a small section of paper to make a base coat, and then paint over it to see how the polishes cover. It works like a charm!

    I've also painted onto clear plastic if I wanted to see how a polish looks against my skin. That's a different post entirely, though!

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  2. Wow the patchwork is cute, the red looks more like a brick red to me, which I do not like, but this color really looks great on your hands!

    What a great manicure idea..move over Ruffian..say hello to the Patchwork Manicure :):)

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  3. I've been meaning to try a scotch tape mani!
    :) I love the colors you chose for your patchwork mani. Very festive and funnnnn.

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  4. This look so cute! I got Candy Cane Lane back in the summer and I really liked it! But in an avalanche of holiday collections, I think I must have forgotten about it. Thanks for inspiring me to bust it out!

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  5. This looks very good for a first try!! My first was a huge fail, haha.

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  6. I've found that when doing patchwork, it really helps to do the lightest color first and work to darkest.

    But seriously, isn't it addictive?

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  7. I like it! I have never done that technique before /just tipping my nails using those French mani strips.

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  8. That is so pretty. Very festive. :D

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  9. Thanks for this post. Your nails look great! I love the colours you choose. I really want to have a go at this, expect a disaster! :)

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  10. Very festive! And the red is the kind of red I like, so I might have to put that on my wish list :D

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  11. you did a great job! we never get to see you do much nail art so when I saw the words NOTD on my blog roll I was at your blog lightning fast!

    i'll have to try this manicure design out! I hope the tape works for me..the tape always gives me uneven edges or leaking happens =(

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  12. A lovely red. I have all this collection in minis but I haven't tried them yet. So much polish, so little time XD
    I really like how your patchwork turned out. Fabulous!

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  13. It looks great! Better than my first attempt at patchwork!

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  14. I like the patchwork idea. That Milani Gold is just what I'm looking for, it looks awesome :)

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  15. That looks great, I love the colors!!!!

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  16. orly my love :X:X:X i don't think that patchwork is a good idea for my small hands and nails because:
    1. too much work and no place for mistake
    2. makes my hands look even smaller and my fingers fat :| :))

    and even for the lucky ones who have long fingers, i still believe in French manicure or 1 simple color :D:D

    also, too many things on the nails make me dizzy. i prefer to keep them simple but trendy. :)

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Thank you for reading and commenting! I greatly appreciate knowing I'm not just talking to myself here. :) I'm moderating most comments now due to the spate of spammers who claim to be looking for sexy times.