Messy Mansion Stamping: Koi Fish & Water Nails

This is another mani that I created using a Messy Mansion stamping plate.  Plate MM29 has some awesome aquatic imagery including a koi fish, seahorse, mermaid and various water images.  I started with three coats of Couture Milano, a soft pale blue.  I stamped a water pattern onto each nail using Kleancolor Metallic Aqua.

The coy fish on the middle finger was creating using the stamping decal methodology.  This was my first successful decal, but it took me a few tries before getting it right.  I’m learning that the key to making decals is having patience, something that I lack.  I applied a regular nail polish base coat (Seche Vite) onto a plastic baggie.  After it dried I stamped the fish image onto it and colored it in with a couple of Kleancolor polishes, Metallic Yellow and Metallic Mango.  After letting the decal sit overnight to dry, I lifted it off of the baggie and cut it out with scissors.  I painted a fresh coat of seche vite over my nail and pressed the decal onto the nail until I got it to lay flat.  I cleaned up the edges with polish remover and let the polish dry completely before finishing off with one layer of gel top coat.  I see more decals in my future!  Keep in mind when you’re using regular nail polish with gel polish that you have to let it dry completely before applying gel over top.

Here’s what the MM29 stamping plate looks like. I can’t wait to use the image in the center of the plate for some nail art.