Electrifying

Today's post is a swatch of China Glaze "Electrify". This is one of many beautiful polishes that I received from my friend on my birthday earlier this year. It is full of red and gold glitter and is just so sparkly!! I found that it only took about 3 coats before the coverage was even with minimal bald spots. Application was pretty good compared to most glitter polishes, and there was no having to fiddle with the brush to pick up pieces of glitter. 

This is part of China Glaze's Capitol Colours collection- inspired by the book/movie The Hunger Games. Electrify is supposed to represent District 5, and with such bright shiny colours I think it is fairly accurate!

Funnily enough, my softball colours are red and white, so it gives me an excuse to wear this more often. Hehe.. not that I need an excuse.

 Regardless,  I think I am going to have to purchase some more of this collection, maybe Agro or Riveting? Decisions decisions....

Belated Halloween nails

I'm back! Sorry for the long hiatus, I have had a pretty stressful couple of weeks and I just didn't have the motivation or energy to paint my nails- let alone post.

Despite all this I couldn't resist the opportunity for spooky nails. Halloween isn't a huge celebration here in Australia, but my Dad often throws a small party just for fun. I made some skeleton cupcakes which were my inspiration for this design and my costume. There are so many different styles for skeleton or bone nail art, and I saw a similar design at Chalkboard Nails and have been meaning to try it out. 

Lastly, my cakes! I was so happy with these- I'm a bit of a cake nerd :P Also, sorry for the crummy images, these were taken on my phone... It's a bit of a short and sweet post today (no pun intended), but I promise I have more to come soon!

Day 31 Recreate your favourite challenge!

It's finished! After an extremely drawn out 30 days, I have finally reached the end of the challenge. There were times when I wasn't sure if I would get here but we persevered.

I decided that I wanted to recreate a combination of Day 11: Polka Dots (and kind of Day 30: Inspired by a tutorial). In my meanderings I have seen paint splatter nails, which are basically just as the name suggests- nail polish (or paint) literally splattered across the nails.

After looking at a bunch of pictures I figured I could replicate the style... I probably should have at least looked at one tutorial...

I started with two coats of Chi Chi white, and initially tried flicking the coloured polish. Trust me-this is not the way to do it. I then resigned myself to a dotting tool, creating alternate sized dots. I'm quite happy with the finished result of my paint splatter nails. It does remind me of an old painters drop sheet.

So this is it for the challenge, but in no way is this the end of my posting! I've caught the bug, and I am crawling with ideas for new designs. For those of you who have kept track of the challenge the whole way through, a huge thank you, and to those of you just joining me- please check out my older posts :)

Day 30: Inspired by a tutorial

I've been loving animal themed nail art lately, I suppose its my zoology side shining through. I went in search of a tutorial for any kind of animal design, and stumbled across this penguin tutorial at Nail Art 101.
It was cute, but I wanted the more realistic penguin figures.

I used a background of Jezy 22, and painted the penguins with black, white and orange acrylic.

(No top coat) 

(OPI Start to Finish top and base coat)

These cute little guys were so simple to do! I learnt my lesson this time and took photos before I painted a top coat, but the OPI didn't seem to smudge or dissolve the acrylic thankfully. I can't get over how adorable they are. Definitely check out Nail Art 101 for not only tutorials, but also many other tips and tricks :)

Day 29: Inspired by the Supernatural

There are heaps of supernatural themed nails around at the moment- Halloween is just around the corner!
In Australia its not something that is celebrated all that much, but my Dad likes to have a Halloween dinner, so I'm hoping to dress up and do a matching design for that at least.

This design was inspired by one of my favourite movies- The Nighmare Before Christmas. Ever since I was a kid I have loved it!

I used Chi Chi white, and black acrylic for the details. Cute huh?

Day 28: Inspired by a Flag

What a long day! I have just started playing softball, and had my first game today....

WE WON! (sorry- I was pretty excited!)

 It was so much fun, and despite being a complete noob, I am loving it.

But, I digress. On to the nails. For Australia day this year, I decided to paint a design similar to this, using my then limited supplies (toothpicks and a small stash of polish). I since have started using acrylic paint, and brushes, to get nicer looking lines.

These Australian Flag nails were created using two coats of Kleancolour "Metallic Blue", and then used white acrylic for the stars and Union Jack, and Ulta 3 "Scarlett" for the red accents.

The above pictures are actually my second attempt. I had these all finished, and thought I would add a top coat to add some shine. Now, I'm not sure if maybe I was impatient and didn't let the acrylic dry long enough, or if it was a strange reaction with the Seche Vite, but this is what happened:

The white acrylic and red polish accents began to fade, until they completely disappeared. So frustrating. Has anyone else had problems with polish reacting with acrylic? Or was it my impatience?
Nevermind, I got there in the end :)

Day 27: Inspired by Artwork

This was a little bit exciting! I wanted something bright, and eye catching. It got me thinking of pop art, and who was one of the kings of pop art? Andy Warhol!

While I didnt think I could replicate an actual Andy Warhol design on my nails, I came across this image. I've seen it in various places though, so I'm not sure who the original source actually was.

I used two coats of Sally Hansen "Mellow Yellow", Australis "Limited Edition 2", Jezy 22, Sally Hansen nail colour pen in Hot Pink, and Ulta3 "Purple Pumps".

I then stamped the lips from Bundle Monster plate BM02 (I used the same colours for stamping).

Like it? Im not sure about the yellow on the blue, but it might have been ok with a thicker polish maybe?

It's almost the end of the not-so-30 day challenge and I must admit, I'm kind of excited! I have some lovely polishes that I want to swatch and show you all. Stay tuned!

Day 26: Inspired by a Pattern

Hello again lovely readers. I thought I would dig out my stamping plates again for these nails. 

I wanted a green background but couldnt find a shade that I liked, so I made my own using a combination of Revlon "Minted" and I *think* Rimmel "Sky High". I then used my Bundle Monster plate 203 and stamped with Jezy black.

The finished product reminds me somewhat of the matrix. Not sure why! Also, excuse my wonky stamping, I got over enthusiastic.. Feel free to leave a comment or ask a question about this, or any of my previous posts! 

Day 25: Inspired by Fashion

I really need to stop writing these posts so late at night. My mind wanders and before I know it I've been stuck on the same sentence for over 20 minutes. Ooops...!

For todays mani I decided to pick a design from my all-time favourite clothing brand- Black Milk.

I have to say, I am obsessed, and now that I am working full time, they are claiming a large portion of my pay packet. 

They have some amazing, unique designs, and their clothes are so comfy. I could wear them 24/7. You may remember my Tetris nails- these are from the same company. Anyway, these are the Cross of St Peter leggings, and I figured them to be a nice and easy design for a Monday (I had a pretty crazy weekend, so Monday was not my friend today- not at all).

This was two coats of Jezy "Black", and white acrylic paint. Its so simple, and I actually liked the look of it more than I thought I would. I can't wait to turn more of their designs into nail art!

Day 24: Inspired by a Book

I have been waiting for this day to come around- it was a design that I had been planning for a while! I am a huge Harry Potter fan, and have been since the books first came out. With so many aspects that could be used in a mani, the Hogwarts houses seemed easily recognisable as "Harry Potter" inspired.

There are hundreds of images of the Hogwarts house's and although I had the idea in mind, I needed an image to base the animals on.

This image was found on Google 

I used Kleancolour metallic polishes as my bases, and then used a fine tipped brush to paint the designs on each nail. These polishes apply evenly, and are opaque with only 1 coat. Be wary though, because they can stain if a base coat is not used, and their smell is not appealing. I mean, nailpolish rarely smells nice but they smell horrible! I can look past this though as they are affordable, and they have a nice range of colours. 

After finishing the mani, my boyfriend suggested that I should have painted a lightening bolt on my thumb! Oh well, next time maybe. 

Day 23: Inspired by a Movie

Whilst looking for some inspiration for a design, I stumbled across this. Cheshire cat nails! I thought about painting something different on every nail, similar to my last design, but they all seemed too "busy".

This manicure was simple, but bright, and I am super happy at how the Cheshire cats face turned out!

I had to mix Ulta "Purple Pumps" and Ulta "Fruit tingle" with different amounts of white to get the shades I was happy with. The face of the cat was painted using these same colours, and a fine tip brush. 

Hopefully I can get myself some striping tape, and new brushes soon. I think using one set of polish for both acrylic and nailpolish is damaging them. Do you use different brushes? Does it make a difference?

Day 22: Inspired by a song

What to choose, what to choose- so many songs on my mind! I tried a few different designs out for this manicure, but wansnt entirely happy with their end result.

After a suggestion by my ever-so-helpful partner, I went with nails inspired by a childrens' song, so may I present...


Incy Wincy Spider nails!

The Incy Wincy Spider climbed up the water spout.

Down came the rain, and washed the spider out.

Out came the sun, and dried up all the rain

And the Incy Wincy Spider climbed up the spout again.

I used a grey from Opi's Pirates of the Caribbean collection- I cant remember if it was "Skull & Glossbones" or "Stranger Tides" (sorry!). All of the designs were painted in nailpolish, not acrylic paint. Each nail represents a different element of the song- a web for the spider, the "water spout" (or a dodgy drain pipe), the rain, sunshine and a lovely black spider!

Happy singing!

Day 21: Inspired by a Colour

Now it gets tricky- the "Inspired by.." series. I'm not entirely sure how to interpret some of these, but I guess that's not a big deal!

For today's design I decided to try out an ombre design, which has been popular recently. These red ombre nails were created using Ulta "Scarlet" mixed with varying amounts of white polish to create the gradient effect.

I liked how this turned out, but I think next time I might try a more obvious gradient. Not bad for a first effort though, don't you think?

Day 20: Water Marbled

This technique is one which many people seem to have trouble with. For those of you unfamiliar with water marbling, its basically where you drop different coloured nail polish on the surface of water, swirling it to create a marbled pattern, then dipping your nail into the water to pick up the polish. 

There are squillions of tutorials out there, each with their own tips and tricks- (just try a Google or YouTube search for water marble nails). Since discovering the technique  I have never really had any problems getting it to work. I think its just luck though! 

I have always tried to use filtered water- not sure if this helps, but lots of people suggest it. Maybe one day I should try filtered vs unfiltered to compare. The biggest component of water marbling is finding the right polishes, so that they don't dry before you have a chance to make the design. I don't have any particular trick for this, other than trying different polishes to see which work. 

For this  design I started with a white base (ChiChi), and used Jezy "Peacock Blue", Sally Hansen "Blue Me Away!", China Glaze "Sea Spray" and a light blue (Jezy "22").

Excuse the slight dings on my index and middle finger- I was doing this after softball training so was tired and not paying enough attention... 

I am pretty happy with this colour combo, and I am now itching to do some pastel water marbling!

Day 19: Galaxy Nails

My favourite! I have always been fascinated with space- probably thanks to my Pop :) I remember the first time I saw galaxy nails and I couldn't wait to try them out.

The biggest part of any galaxy design is the layering. It gives dimension, and you can achieve beautiful colour combinations. These nails started with a black base- China Glaze "Liquid Leather". I then used sponges to apply the colours. I used China Glaze "Grape Pop", "Ruby Pumps", "Adore". I think I used a Kleancolour green, and Jezy "Peacock Blue", but I'm not 100%. I used Chi Chi white to highlight particular areas, and to add the "stars". On my right hand I painted some areas with Ulta "Confetti" to add a bit more sparkle.

What do you think? I know that there are a lot of galaxy designs out there, but honestly they are so simple to achieve- give it a shot!

Day 18: Half Moons

I had big ideas for this manicure- most of which I will be hopefully testing out once I get the right tools.

Half moon mani's are not something I am overly fond of and before this challenge I had never even attempted. 

I think the trick is to use a sticker or something round to give that perfect, clean edge. I, however, did not have anything like that, and had to free hand... Much to my dismay.

I wasn't even sure what colour combo to go with. This is two coats of Jezy "Peacock Blue" for the base, and Sally Hansen Colour Quick Pen "Turquoise Chrome".

It can only be onward and upward from here!

Day 17: Glitter

So I had my graduation ceremony recently (Yay!!) and wanted a manicure that would be elegant, and not too outrageous. French tips were top of my list, so why not combine them both?

I used a nail glue pen to draw the tips of the nails. Sorry I don't have a brand, it was a gift, and I think from one of those stands in the middle of shopping centres. I then sprinkled super-fine glitter over the wet glue, and finished it off with 2 coats of Seche Vite. 

The glitter was something I picked up at a local newsagency, and is a mixture of aqua and green glitter. It was only after I did the manicure that I realised that the colour matched my graduation dress almost perfectly. The only problem I had was that no matter how much I brushed the excess glitter off, or waited for it to dry, I always had a bit of drag when applying the top coat. Has anyone else tried a similar manicure and had this problem? How did you get around it? Any suggestions would be appreciated :)

Day 16: Tribal print

Tribal print is something I have been meaning to try for a while, but never had the courage to try. There are so many different takes on this style of nail, and the opportunities are endless!

I wanted something bright and eye-popping. Starting with a white base, I used my acrylic paints and a super-fine brush to paint the black lines. I found it easier to mark out each strip of colour, then just draw the patterns over the top. I finished them all off with a Seche Vite top coat.

I also included an accent nail, incorporating a mask-type design. I'm not entirely convinced that the polishes I used (Kleancolour metallics) were entirely the best polish for this design, but I like the concept at least.

What do you think, yay or nay?

Day 15: Magnetic

Half way there! If you haven't already noticed, day 15 was actually supposed to be "Delicate Print", but this had me stuck for hours. I literally sat in my lounge room with all my polish around me and still failed to have that lightglobe moment.

So to break the rut I decided to change it up and try out my Ulta magnetic polish. I bought these a while back, and I was super excited when I saw these at my local chemist. I seem to remember buying at least two from this collection, but in my recent house move they seem to have been stashed somewhere so secret even I cant find them. Oh well, I'll find them eventually.

I have never tried magnetic polish, and so I wasn't sure what to expect. The colour I tried here is "Spellbound", a dark black/grey colour.The instructions say to paint one coat, let that dry, then paint a second thick coat. While this is still wet you are supposed to place your finger under the magnet. The application of the polish was smooth, and fairly quick drying. The colour itself is very pretty, and I would even wear that alone, without a pattern.

Each of these polishes come with a little magnetic pattern attached to a piece of cardboard. This folds into a triangular shape, in which you sit your finger to pull the design. I did struggle to get a decent pattern on my nails. There were a few nails where I touched the magnet and dented my polish. I also found that the image didn't appear evenly across my nail. I don't know if this is because of my odd shaped/curved nails, if the magnet isn't strong enough, or even if maybe I just need to leave my finger in place for longer. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Overall, I am glad the Ulta have come out with a magnetic collection. We don't really get many cool "effect" polishes here in Oz, and when we do they are so expensive.
These polishes are affordable, and look amazing. Definitely worth checking out!

Day 14: Flowers

There were so many options for this manicure. I had originally wanted to use a stamping plate for this theme, but couldn't find one that I was happy with. In the end I opted for a hand painted design.

I started with two coats of China Glaze "Grape Pop". This is a lovely purple with such great, even application. I have a lot of purples in my collection, and I have to say, this is becoming one of my favourites.

I then used my acrylic paint to draw the frangipani on my accent nail, and some "artistic" white dots across the rest. How do you think this looks? Are frangipani nails something you would try?

Day 13: Animal Print

Firstly, I should start off by saying sorry! Last week was feeling pretty lousy. I had horrible headaches and was exhausted, so my blog fell to the way-side. I have played catch-up though, so don't despair!

I just didn't have the motivation to paint my nails, and I must have been miserable, because my boyfriend offered to paint my nails for me! This shocked me- he's forever telling me I have too much nailpolish, or to move my collection out of the lounge room :P

He was so excited to do the animal print and searched through all my stamping plates before he found the zebra pattern. Here is his first (and probably only) attempt at Zebra Nails.

It was funny seeing him "colour in" my nails. What do you think? I'm impressed. There was no clean up on these, yet they are still fairly tidy- even for stamping!

Day 12: Stripes

Ooops! Looking over my last few posts I can see that the majority of the polishes I have showcased have been dark, . I do have lighter colours in my collection, I swear! 

Funnily enough, the inspiration for this mani came to me whilst watching tv the other night. Remember the old style popcorn boxes, with the red striped boxes? I saw one of these, and wanted the same style of stripes, but with pastel colours.

The colours from left to right: OPI "Planks A Lot", OPI "Sparrow Me The Drama", China Glaze "Sea Spray", Sally Hansen "Mellow Yellow", Revlon "Minted".  

I used my finest striping brush to hand paint the white lines (using Chi Chi White). I know scotch tape or even striping tape is better to achieve straight lines, but I don't have the patience to wait until my base coat has dried completely. Hahaha..

Hope you like it :)

Day 11: Polka Dots

Hi my lovely readers. I hope you have been having a good weekend. After a pretty grey and wet week, the last couple of days have been warm and sunny. Such a nice change.

I have always loved the contrast of bright neons against a black background, and thought that polka dots were the perfect way to do this.

The base is two coats of Jezy black, and I used a dotting tool to add the polka dots. I am kicking myself for not writing the colours down, but I know they were a combination of Ulta and Sally Hansen.

This is defiantly something that I will wear again, maybe with metallic spots instead? 

Anyway, I'd better go- work work work tomorrow. I can't complain too much- it pays for the polish!