#NAGGDay13 - Hearts

This is, once again, nail art that I have been anxious to post.  It was one of the first ones I did for this challenge and I am smitten by it!

Why do I love it?  First, because it is not your typical valentine/hearts color scheme.  Secondly, I took a stamped mani and built on it until it looks more like intricate nail art.  Not that stamps can't look like intricate nail art...but let's be honest, they usually still look like stamps.  Please excuse the pic heavy post, I just love this one too much to limit myself!

This pic makes me miss my long nails *wah*  I started with two easy coats of Julep Millie, a 2013 dark blue top pic.  If you want to see a full review of this blue eyed beauty, you can find it HERE, along with all my other dark blue top pics for 2013.

Next I added Avon Royal Blue using the saran wrap technique.  Royal Blue is a suede finish, which basically means matte metallic.

I added top coat next, because....well I always add top coat to my base before stamping!  That way, if I mess up, I can remove the stamped polish without damaging my base.  Plus it made Royal Blue into a sparkle fest (tee hee).  I could have stopped here and been very pleased, but the prompt is hearts, so.....

  
I stamped with LeaLaC LLC-B and Revlon Copper Penny.  See the little hearts?  I love this image for its' versatility.  It could be some ivy under a flower stamp too!  You can purchase LeaLac plates at Llarowe HERE.  Be forewarned, they are pricey, but worth every penny in my opinion.  I have used this plate multiple times and know that it will continue to be a stamping staple (tee hee) for me in the future.  The images are HUGE and stamp like a dream!  

I knew I was going to layer polish on those little hearts, and felt they were a little to small for that, so I made them bigger with more Copper Penny and a large dotting tool.

Next I added Butter London 2 Fingered Salute with a medium dotting tool, leaving a thin border of Copper Penny showing.  I again top coated, as the final polish is textured and I wanted to seal everything in before adding it.  What good is a textured polish if you top coat it?  Well, actually, this one is gorgeous with or without top coat!

Finally I added FingerPaints Sparkle in the Sky with my smallest dotting tool.  Here comes the spam!

Since I remembered to take a pic of every step (don't faint!), I decided to do my first step-by-step tutorial....thingy.  Enjoy!

 

 Although I used a stamp for this, you could easily create the same look freehand.  Every time I look at this, I am bombarded by all the color combos I could use!  Thanks for looking and commenting!  And don't forget to check out all the other Valentine appropriate manis!