Bright Ikat Nail Art

In an attempt to redeem myself after my last nail art snafu, I come to you today with this super fun and super bright ikat nail art! I've never tried ikat nail art before, but now that I have I think I will be doing it a lot more often! I can't stop staring at my nails today!

For this design I started with a base coat of China Glaze - Sunday Funday and let it dry completely. Next, I used a KleanColor-Mango and a small nail art brush to create small flame shaped areas in the corners of each nail.

Next, I added another layer onto the flame shapes using China Glaze - White on White. The great thing about this look is that you can be messy! The key to these steps is to apply the polish with jagged edges, because if the polish splotches are too neat, then the look will not come together properly at the end.

For the last and final step, I used Orly - Liquid Vinyl and created the last layer of black by using my smallest nail art brush and very light jagged strokes. As always, I applied my secret weapon, Seche Vite for my glossy finish!

Polishes used: China Glaze - Sunday Funday & White on White, KleanColor - Mango, Orly - Liquid Vinyl

I really love this color combination! What do you all think, did I redeem myself? ;)

Nail Art Featuring Zoya Darcy & Josie

Happy Wednesday, friends! To be honest with you, I think mid-week fatigue must be setting in for me today because this color combination and design looked a lot better in my head then it does on my nails, LOL! I'm not even entirely sure what this look is, but alas I shall still present it! Feast your eyes on these shebangys!

This look was done using two coats of Zoya - Josie as a base, then one coat each of China Glaze - White on White and Zoya -Darcy for the design on the nail art. For the shiny finish I used Seche Vite topcoat.

These totally remind me of egg splatters, what do they remind you of? I've just gotta know! What do you see when you look at them?

Bright Cheetah Print Nail Art

Gathering inspiration from my trip to the local zoo, today I am rocking this super fun and super bright yellow, black and blue cheetah print nail art. Animal prints are some of my favorite designs since they are so eye catching and easy to do. This simple cheetah print design can be created using nail art brushes, dotting tools, or even toothpicks in a pinch. As an added bonus, with cheetah print the color combinations are endless!

Polishes used: China Glaze - Happy Go Lucky, Ruby Kisses - Teal Envy, Orly - Liquid Vinyl, Wet N' Wild - Silvivor

I'm an old lady now and the zoo wore me the heck out, so I'm just popping in for a quick post today, but if there is enough interest, I may try my hand at putting together a tutorial on how you can re-create this look. Let me know what you think in the comments!

Wet N' Wild Violet and Lavender Color Blocked Nail Art

Today I have a great Springtime look that I put together using two of the new Wet N' Wild Megalast nail polishes - On a Trip and Through the Grapevine. Both of these purple polishes caught my eye and were just too lovely for me to pass up and leave sitting there on the shelf.

I don't have too much experience with the Wet N' Wild brand, so I was a bit surprised when I pulled the cap off and got a good look at the brush. The brush is a bit on the thick side and is also awkwardly shaped in an uneven arch. According to the sticker on the top of the bottle this is called their "ManiCurve Pro Brush," and unfortunately I have to say that I am not a fan at all. I found that the bristles are way too stiff and the brush itself was also too thick, which made polishing a very messy task. For that reason alone, I think I'll be staying clear of the Megalast polishes for a while.

I started this look off by painting my nails with two thin coats of the lighter lavender polish, called On a Trip. If you are recreating this look, you will want to be be absolutely certain that the first layer of nail polish is completely dry before moving on, or you're going to have a bad time. Once the lavender layer had dried completely, I started to move on to the next step.

    

  

Using short strips of manicure tape, first I started by dividing each nail up into four equal quadrants. Next, I used the darker violet color that is called Through the Grapevine to fill in both the top and bottom sections. While the polish was still wet, I pulled the tape off and let the violet sections dry completely. A little pearlized bead glued smack dab in the middle finished off the look, and viola, adorable Springtime color block nail art!

Green Camouflage Nail Art With China Glaze and OPI

Those of you that follow me on Facebook and Twitter may already know that I got a little overanxious yesterday and decided that I was going to leave my nails naked and bare without nail polish until my Zoya Earth Day Promo polishes arrived. Upon noticing that my nail polish order is not due to arrive until the 29th, I suppose that was a bit over-ambitious. 

We all know I can't go that long without painting my nails, I just can't. Based on that and that alone, I present to you my camo inspired manicure for today's nail art look!

I decided to start out with painting a base coat of one of my lesser used polishes, a light Army green color called Kaki by a brand called IrisColors. I found this polish at a small neighborhood beauty supply store a while back and always forget I have it. My apologies that you will probably not be able to locate this exact color easily, but any light Army green will do for this look.

Next, I just used my polish brushes to begin to randomly splotch small areas of the nail in three accent colors, which are:
O.P.I - Did You Ear About Van Gogh? 
O.P.I. Don't Mess With OPI
China Glaze - Holly Day

Polishes used: OPI - Don't Mess With OPI & Did You Ear About Van Gogh? China Glaze- Holly Days, IrisColors - Kaki

In order to increase the randomness of the splotches, I layered up a few of them. I found that this really helped give my nail art the authentic camouflage look.

At this point, my manicure began to look a bit bumpy from the different layers of polish that I had dabbed on. Not to worry though, one good thick coat of Seche Vite (what I consider to be my miracle topcoat) smoothed everything right out and left me with a high shine glossy finish.

Metallic Blue On Black Laser Tape Nail Art

Today's manicure is a fun metallic blue on black look that was made with laser tape. Originally, I had planned to place the tape, paint a second color over the top and then remove the tape to reveal different colored polish lines but once I put the tape on, I liked the look of this nail art and decided to skip the other steps.

Polishes Used: Orly - Liquid Vinyl, Seche Vite Topcoat, Blue Laser Tape

This nail art is pretty simple to create. Begin by painting the nails a base color (I used Orly - Liquid Vinyl), and allow to dry completely. Next, pick a colored laser tape and place strips in a random pattern across the nails. Snip the ends using a cuticle nipper and viola!

31 Day Challenge - Day 07: Black & White

- High Contrast Sugar Spun Nails -

For the black and white theme, I decided to try a technique that is new to me. I've heard lots about sugar spun nails, and honestly thought they would be perfect for day 7. I love the way my nails seem to pop with the white on black.

Polishes used: China Glaze - White on White, Orly - Liquid Vinyl

Sugar spun nails consist of using a dotting tool or toothpick to drag very tiny strands of goopy polish from side to side across the fingernail, which makes it extremely time consuming, but the end result is well worth it. 

I quickly found that there is a bit of a learning curve with this one, it took a bit of trial and error to get the strands to be the right consistancy, but once I got the hang of it, it was smooth sailing from there!

31 Day Challenge - Day 05: Blue

My Balloon Gone Wild

I felt like today's theme needed a little bit of extra oomph after yesterday's plain colored mani, so here we are with my balloon in the sky look.

I started by painting all the nails with a Orly - Snowcone. After they were dry to the touch, I sponged on a few white clouds using China Glaze -Snow, and added the red balloon and black string with a bit of acrylic paint I had lying around.

As you can see, I need quite a bit of practice with my brushwork. Let's just use our imaginations and pretend it's not all funky looking, alright? Pretty please?

Polishes used: Orly-Snowcone, China Glaze-Snow

To give you a few different views of the colors, the first picture was taken outdoors in direct sunlight and picture two was taken indoors.

31 Day Challenge - Day 02: Orange

Orange Gradient Topped Off With 3d Fruit Slices

The theme of the day is orange, and what better way to represent than with a bit of fruit on my nails? I started out by painting the entire nail in China Glaze Peachy Keen, then used the sponge technique to create a gradient by adding in CG Papaya Punch and High Hopes. 

Once dry, I dipped a dotting dool in topcoat and used the tip to pick up the orange slices and place them randomly on each nail. Finished with Seche Vite and viola, here we have day 2!

 

Polishes used: China Glaze Peachy Keen, Papaya Punch, and High Hopes

Rihanna "Rude Boy" Inspired Manicure

 "C'mere rude boy, boy..."

What else can I say? 
Well, I definitely have to say that I am FEELING this Rihanna "Rude Boy" inspired nail design HARD today. Looks like if you're in a polishing slump a little RiRi can work wonders! 
 

Here's a few images from the video that sparked my inspiration:

Polishes used : 
China Glaze - Papaya Punch

China Glaze - Happy Go Lucky 
KleanColor - Neon Green
O.P.I - Planks a Lot
O.P.I - French Quarter For Your Thoughts
Ruby Kisses - Teal Envy

If you haven't seen it yet, check out the video (I'll warn you though, it's catchy!)

What do you think, would this manicure do Rihanna proud? Any songs you'd like to see manicure-ized?

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

It's a cold, damp, and dreary day here, and while I usually try to combat the bad weather blues with bright sunshiney colors, today I just felt like embracing those falling raindrops with a grey, turquoise and black manicure. 

I started by giving all my nails a healthy base coat with Seche Clear, and then grabbing my O.P.I French Quarter For Your Thoughts and covering each nail with two coats, allowing them to dry between. 

Once dry, I freehand painted the just the tips of my pinky, middle, pointer and thumb with Orly Liquid Vinyl, which just happens to be my absolutely favorite go-to black, so I love finding ways to incorporate it into my manicures!

After this, I felt like jazzing up my ring finger a bit by adding a  happy little "cloud" theme with Orly Green With Envy and Orly Liquid Vinyl. (Did anyone else just get a flashback of Bob Ross's voice in their head when they read the words "happy little cloud?" Good, me too. RIP Rossmasta!)

To finish off the look, I grabbed my dotter tool and decided on three tiny little drops of Orly Green With Envy on my pointer finger. 

Topped off with Seche Vite, I think this mani could hold up in any weather! 
(If Mother Nature's reading, just take my word for it. Let's not put that to the test, ok?)