Black & White Love

The theme for today's Nail Art Challengez Black & White is stamping...You know that I was all over this!


 
Now I have to be honest....black and white is not my favorite combo.  It is a bit too stark for me, so I decided to do a stamping sandwich, kinda like a gellie glitter sandwich, only with stamping instead of glitter.

This started with my new favorite black, OPI Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees (SSitP from here on out).  This is one of those complex colors that I love.  How can black be complicated?  Well look at it.  In the shade it looks like a black creme, but bring it into the sunlight (or flash photography) and its true nature is revealed, black with a grey shimmer.  I have heard this described as a dark blue...or grey with a blue tinge.  I just don't see it.  Sure, the shimmer has a bit of a blue tinge to it, but even with the shimmer showing it still sits greyed black in my eyes.

Under some lighting it looks more like a very dark grey.  But below is the way I like it best in all it's shimmery glory.
 

Unfortunately the shimmer rarely makes an appearance, but the fact that I know its there is enough for me.  You know how I love a secret on my fingertips.  This is three coats.  I will tell you about the formula soon.

Next I stamped with Konad Special white and stamping plate QA10.  For a while now, I have been looking for a black gellie for gellie sandwiches.  I was beginning to think I was going to have to franken one somehow, until I found Suzi.  Here is what I mean.

This is one coat of SSitP over the stamping.  Here (and when I applied the first coat) the real formula of this interesting polish shines through.  It isn't a cream or a black filled with shimmer.  It is really a thin, transparent grey filled with tons of miniscule black particles, almost like it hasn't been shook up enough.  That is the only way I know how to describe it.  

  
After the first coat, I thought it would take at least four coats to become opaque, but it only took two.  I don't know how, but it is true.  One coat over the stamping makes the white look a mottled grey..

I love how this ended up giving this mani an antiqued feel, like a weathered love letter.  Of course, the dreaded Konad smeared.  Here comes the search for the perfect stamping white.

Thanks for looking and commenting!  Check out the other black and whites.