31 Day Challenge - Day 19: Galaxy Nails

- Glittery Galaxy Nails -

One of the best things about this ongoing challenge is all the new things that I am learning! I have always been a fan of Galaxy nails, but I honestly had no idea that they were so easy!

Polishes used: Orly - Liquid Vinyl & Sweet Peacock, China Glaze - Laced Up, White On White, Fairy Dust & Techno, OPI - I Have A Herring Problem

This was spectacularly easy to create! The only additional tools I used to create this look were a makeup wedge and a small dotting tool.  

While I was working on this design, one of the things that I learned is that you will definitely have better luck with wet makeup wedge than with a dry one. If the sponge is too dry, you may end up with tiny sponge pieces on your nails, which are a pain to pick off! 

The first step is to paint the nails with one coat of black polish. Once dry, I used the wet makeup wedge to begin sponging on a very tiny amount of the blue polish in random areas.
 

There is no need to wait for the blue polish to dry, just go ahead and sponge on a tiny amount of lighter blue/gray polish over the first. You want to keep a light hand with this, or you will cover your original splotches. 

Now it's time to add the pink. You want barely any polish at all on your wet sponge for this, it's only meant to give your galaxy a hint of pink. 

Once all the polish is dry, it's time to add the sparkle. This is where the magic really happens, and each nail begins to look like a real galaxy! I used a very thin layer of fairy dust and was amazed at how good it looked. I also hand placed the glitter from Techo in random areas to look like bright stars in the night sky. I finished off by using my smallest dotting tool dipped in white polish to add one or two randomly placed VERY tiny dots to each nail, which gave a bit more dimension to the finished look.

Topped off with a nice coat of Seche Vite, I've got a super shiny galaxy on each nail! 

Contest / Giveaway Roundup!

Today I want to spread the love and share with you a few great blogs that are currently hosting giveaways! If there is one thing most people know about me, it's that absolutely love entering contests and giveaways online. There are some great items up for grabs, so you definitely do not want to miss out on these!

• First in the round up is Haute Lacquer's Second Blogiversary Giveaway! In honor of 2 years in the blogosphere, Haute Lacquer has teamed up with the wonderful Shimmer Polish to offer 5 great shades to one lucky winner! The giveaway Ends Feb 22, 2013 and is open to US and Canada.  

• Next we have Amy Loves... Maybelline Giveaway! One lucky reader is going to win an   awesome Maybelline Fit Me Foundation Set, which includes foundation, concealer, and setting powder in the shade of their choice. The giveaway Ends March 1st, 2013 and is open Internationally.

• Finally, be sure to head on over to Nailtopia's Spectacular Giveaway and check out the 2 great nail polish prize packs that you could win! As an added bonus, I even spotted one of my favorite polishes, China Glaze - It's a Trap-Eze in one of the prize packs. I know someone is going to be very happy when this contest ends! The giveaway Ends March 8, 2013 and is open to US and Canada.  

There we have it, our contest/giveway roundup for the week of Feb 2 - Feb 9!

 

31 Day Challenge - Day 18: Half Moons

- Gray on Gold Half Moon Manicure -

I am loving today's look! 

The half moon manicure has been increasing in popularity lately, so I'm happy to hop aboard the love train! I went for a high contrast look by using a medium shade of gray and a bright gold glitter for this design.

Polishes used: China Glaze - Recycle & I'm Not Lion

The great thing about this design is that you can use reinforcement labels as a guide to create the perfect half circle on the nail base. 

After the base coat of polish is dry (in this case the glitter polish) place one of the stickers so that the outside round edge forms the guide for the half circle.

Paint over the sticker, and remove while still tacky/wet for a nice clean line. Tada!

31 Day Challenge - Day 17: Glitter

- Silver Glitter Gradient -

Today I come to you with a heavy heart, and a slightly lighter hand. You may notice that my nails are looking a little bit nubbier than usual today... (If you noticed this, kudos to you... You may just be my biggest fan!) Let's just say I had an unfortunate grocery unloading accident that is much, much too painful and gory to talk about. I will spare you the details, and only say that many delicious cookies, and a few nail tips perished as a result... 
A moment of silence please...

Polishes used: WetNWild  - Silvivor &  Essie - Set In Stones

On the bright side, this silver glitter gradient helped me forget my sorrows!

If you have never attempted a glitter gradient, let me tell you that it is a lot easier than you think! 

After a quick swipe of clear base coat, I started by painting just the tips of my nails with Silvivor, then used the brush to drag a small amount of the polish down towards the base of the nail. 

When dry, I applied Essie's Set In Stones and used the same dragging technique to pull the polish towards the nail base, creating the gradient effect.

Finished with a thick coat of Seche Vite, we have today's glitter challenge complete! 

31 Day Challenge - Day 16: Tribal Print

- Bright and Cheery Tribal Print Madness-

The tribe has spoken! Today I present to you my first and only attempt at tribal print! Not too shabby if I do say so myself! I was inspired by this picture to create this bright colored and cheery tribal look for today's challenge. 

Polishes used: OPI - Fly, Samoan Sand & Planks A Lot / China Glaze - White on White / Orly - Liquid Vinyl

I've always been very intimidated by the thought of tribal nails, but now that I have conquered them, I will definitely be doing them more often! Honestly, all it takes is a bit of time, a tiny brush, and a creative mind.

 I have found that it works best to have a picture to use for inspiration. Once you start getting creative, it's easy to get off track! The great thing about tribal patterns is the huge amount of variations. There are so many options and you can really let your creativity flow!