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!

Day 10: Gradient Nails

I can'y believe it's day ten already! Time seems to be flying past lately, before I know it Christmas will be here...

Gradient nails had me a tad apprehensive, as I have never actually done a gradient design before. A long and drawn out google search for some inspiration led me to this particular technique. Nail Nerd has some amazing designs!

It was surprisingly simple to achieve, and looks pretty in real life. I had difficulty capturing the colours accurately in artificial lighting, so you should definitely try it for yourself.

I started with two coats of Sally Hansen "Emerald City". I then used a sponge to stamp black polish over my tips. Once this had dried, I sponged some more green over the black, to make it more subdued. 

With a top coat of Seche Vite, it almost looks like a duo chrome polish, or beetle wings!
What do you think? Is there too much black? It was hard to find the right amount to sponge on. Gradients and sponging are not my strong point. Practice makes perfect though, and I cant wait to try this with other colours.. blue.. purple..

I've got some big ideas for the next couple of days designs, so stay tuned!

Day 9: Rainbow Nails

Rainbow day! This mani is kind of fitting, as the weather here is finally starting to clear up after days and days of rain. Rainbow nails make me happy just looking at them.

I realise that the rainbow is only a small part, but I couldn't find a combination of colours that I liked to paint a more bold design on every nail. 

The base is two coats of Jezy 22. I used a dotting tool to paint the clouds, and used a white polish (Chi Chi). You can use acrylic but I have been finding lately that its too thick for such small designs. 

The rainbow was created using a tiny dotting tool I have, with an elongated, rather than round edge. From left to right, the polish in the rainbow: Ulta 3 "Scarlet", Rimmel "Tangerine Queen", Sally Hansen "Mellow Yellow", Sally Hansen "Emerald City", and Artmatic "Peacock Blue".

Ooh also my two new bottles of Seche Vite arrived today- much to my releif. My current bottle is getting tacky, so I think I will reserve it for glitters and that kind of thing. 

Happy Friday!

Day 8: Metallic Nails

Sorry for the not so exciting post today. I have been at work all day today, then had softball training thisevening, so I am exhausted!

This particular colour is one of my first bottles of China Glaze that I ever bought- China Glaze "Adore". I was so excited to have found somewhere that sells them in Perth! Anyway, I do love wearing this colour, it goes nicely with my skin tone, or at least I think it does. Plus the formula is great.

These two photos are two coats, but you could probably get away with one as it's so opaque. It doest seem to pull either which is a bonus. The major thing I like about this polish is that unlike many metallics, I didn't need a base coat to fill any ridges etc.

Isn't it so pretty?

Day 7: Black and White Nails

Hi everyone, black and white day! There are so many possibilities for these colours. I was thinking along the lines of board games, checkers initially. Then had the idea to create Chess nails!

The base colours were Jezy "Black" and  Chi Chi "White", and the chess pieces are painted with black and white acrylic.  

I have never been able to find a white polish that I am satisfied with. This particular white is nice, but it seems to be getting quite thick, despite me having used less than half the bottle :(  Any suggestions on how I can fix this? Do you have a favourite white polish?

I'm quite happy with the concept of these- chess board nails are cute. And again, its a design I will regret having to take off tomorrow!

Day 6: Violet Nails

Despite the fact that the majority of my nailpolish is purple, I was stumped for today's design.

Since I hadn't used my stamping plates for ages, this was the perfect opportunity. I started with 2 coats of OPI "Planks A Lot". This is a pretty greyish purple colour, and like most OPI, the application is amazing (sorry for the lack of photos of just this on its own).

I then used my Bundle Monster stamping plates, and Kleancolor "Metallic Fuschia".

I love this pattern. I finished this off with a coat of Seche Vite. Both of these photos are with the topcoat. Without the topcoat the stamped design looked kind of dull. (It wasn't particularly noticeable in real life, but I am picky!).

Oooh, and the first parcel from my online shopping spree has arrived! Some amazing cupcake books from Amazon, which if all goes well, I can use on the weekend :)

Day 5: Blue Nails

With the weather being cold and rainy, blue seems to be the perfect colour for today's nails.  I saw this awesome concept here at Copy that, Copy Cats' Blog. Her nail art is amazing! 

Here is my attempt at it- I started with 2 coats of Jezy "24" which is a deep, sparkly blue colour. I then found an old pair of denim shorts, and dabbed a bit of white polish (Chi Chi) on the material, and pressed it onto my nail. 

On my accent nail I hand painted a zipper-like pattern with Rimmel "Your Majesty". 

What do you think? Next time I think I will try a darker, less sparkly blue as it wasn't as opaque as I would have liked. 

So if you are looking for a fun, different manicure, this is a fairly easy design for beginners. It is definitely worth heading to Copy That, Copy Cat to check out her tutorial :)

Day 4: Green Nails

Two posts in one day- I'm on a role! What I now realise is that I have very few green polishes, which is a shame, because I do love my greens.

I've had a pretty hectic weekend, so I went with a fairly simple manicure today. This is 3 coats of  Revlons "Minted". I adore this pastel green, but I am not a huge fan of the brush. The consistency of this polish can be quite patchy, and the small, narrow brush can make it difficult to apply the polish evenly. Nothing that a few extra coats cant fix though :)

I also added a cute butterfly nail decal from Pink Fin. I got whole bunch of these for Christmas this year, but don't get to use them often enough. Because they are have a sticky backing, all you need to do is place them on the nail, and add a topcoat to seal it on. My go-to topcoat is Seche Vite, but sadly I am down to the last drops of my bottle. Do not despair though, I have two shiny new bottles on their way! 

Day 3: Yellow Nails

Hi everyone. I am sorry about my lack of a post yesterday- I am still trying to learn my way around this blog and how it all works, and I had tried to set this up to automatically upload. Alas, it did not work, and so here it is! 

Before I became utterly obsessed with nails, my polish collection consisted of many dark colours- purples, black, blues. Only recently have I been forcing myself to try brighter colours. I'm getting there... slowly. 

This is two coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear "Mellow Yellow, and the faces are painted on with black acrylic.

Extra points if you can guess the reference that this design is based on!