Galaxy Nails

Gave a go at Galaxy nail art! Definitely a lot of fun. It was quite difficult to create realistic looking galaxies, but I'm really in love with how it came out. I took a makeup sponge, which I grabbed with tweezers and ripped fingernail sized pieces off of. Dripped polish onto a piece of paper, sponged it up, and applied color with a sponge over a black (Sinful Colors Black on Black) basecoat.

On the thumb, pointer, and middle finger, I used Essies' Aruba Blue, topped with Zoya's Charisma, with a thin layer of Essie's metallic Blue Rhapsody (I did one more layer of Charisma and Aruba Blue since Blue Rhapsody is very overpowering/to add dimension). On top of that, I added a thin layer of Model's Own Indian Ocean, and used Essie's Set in Stones for the star effect.

On the ring finger and pinkie finger, I started with Essie's Aruba Blue, but topped it with a layer of Blue Rhapsody, and added China Glaze's Rare and Radient on top of that. I sponged Indian Ocean on top of that, and used Essie's Set in Stones for the star effect. 

The supply kit...

I thought using a duo-tone color like China Glaze's Rare and Radiant (from the Bohemian Collection) was a really fun choice for galazy nails, since it delivers such a dimensional effect. 

Neon watermarble

Blacklight water marble! Unintentionally created some wonderful clubbing nails last summer. Using lots of Sinful Colors *secretly blacklight glowing* polishes including Neon Melon, Irish Green, Fusion Neon. I went to a douchey club with some friends, and noticed my nails were radiating color! :P

 It sort of looks like there's orange in the below pre-blacklight image, but I'm not quite sure...

Another cloud manicure! Complex version

Yes. Cloud manicures are too easy, so one must go completely over the top with them! Remind me of lingerie for some reason. Anywho, Nina nude base (as usual), Zoya's Charisma* (pictured), Essie's Playdate,* and China Glaze's Bizzare Blurple (one of my all time favorite colors... those blue shimmer flecks though!). Also used some striping glitter from Sally Beauty by Stripe Rite. Will have to try again with some fun summer colors!

*Previously tagged

The Front Bottoms Nails

One of my all-time favorite bands, the Front Bottoms were coming back to Chicago. I had a free Sunday, so I went to town. This look was created using acrylic paint and topped with Seche Vite for shininess. Here is the inspiration for each nail:

Thumb and pinkie

Pointer

Middle

Ring

Of course, I showed them my art after the show and they loved it, which was the best feeling EVER. I had painted the other guy to the right (Mat) on my right hand, but he looked more zombie-like, which I'm sure he didn't mind anyway. NOW, I have to do nail art at each of their shows I go to because then they'll remember me as the nail art girl and then we'll get married.... sigh...

Rainbow dotting manicure

One of my favorite manicures ever! And my cuticles look uncharacteristically OK in this picture. Did these for pride week with multiple sized dotting tools. :)

Snowflake manicure

Had to go there. Used Snowball by Orly and (maybe) Models Own's In The Navy for the gradient in the background. I used a white nail pen to make the snowflakes, and added glitter from Essies' Set in Stones silver glitter polish with a dotting tool. Loved this one! From 2012, I believe.

Halloween Nails

Halloween - the best holiday ever.

I think this ghoulish purple is perfect for a pretty Halloween nail (OPI's Eurso Euro, I'm pretty sure*). The accent nails use a black striping polish (freehand, duh) and a Nina nude polish from Sally. 

*My friend showed up with this perfect blue/purple polish from Urban Outfitters at work one day, and I HAD TO HAVE IT! I have purples... I have blues.. I had no perfect blue purple until I found Eurso Euro!!! <3

Green Cloud Manicure

I luuuuurve cloud manicures. Not only do they look really great and clean, they're so easy to do! Here's a tutorial. In this manicure, I used Finger Paints Leonardo's Lime for the base, Finger Paints 15 Minutes of Frame for the second coat, topped with a striping glitter from Sally Beauty, and Fingerpaints Scenery Greenery for the top coat of color, which I'm having trouble finding on Sally Beauty's website.

Bohemian Water Marble

Sorbet Water Marble

Not a huge fan of this one, since the colors blend so well... too well... but I also kind of like it. Since the colors are so muddled, I have no idea what I used. I love adding dots to watermarble manicures, though. Yas.

St. Patrick's Day Nails from 2013

Unfortunately, with school and work, I didn't have time to celebrate St. Patrick's Day on my fingers, but last year I killed it! Used Sally Hansen's Mint Sorbet, and basically every single green Finger Paints has ever made. Dotting tool in different shapes and sizes. Also used the dotting tool to make the four leaf clover. Used a striping brush to make the middle finger.

BUMBLE BEE WATER MARBLE

So FUN. This was one of the first watermarbles I did and liked. I'm not even going to explain how to watermarble. You can find out here. Sinful Colors Neon Melon and Sally Hansen Black Out.

Elegant half moon manicure

Half moon. Freehand - no binder hole stickers. By the way, those are SO HARD TO FIND! Like, do people not use binders anymore?!

Interconnecting dots part 2

Yaaas.

Zoya Charisma, Finger Paints 15 Minutes of Fame (I think), and that mystery blue.

Interconnecting dots

SUCH GOOD COLORS. Models Own Hedonist with Orly's Luxe. Paint half of the nail each color. With the dotting tool, extend each color into one another. Add more dots. SUMMER, WHERE ART THOU?

Fall fall fall falling

Lace manicure. So fun and easy. No clue what any of these colors are - I can find out later. Anyway, do a regular cloud manicure *three swipes of polish, decreasing in length toward to one side, x3* and add dots of the color underneath, to make it appear as though it's peaking through.

 

Another fun dotting manicure, very easy - pick a bunch of colors you like and make different sized dots! I'm not a huge fan of these colors, but hey - I'm my own worst critic. Or these colors suck together. Whatevs.

Mix n' Match on a friend

Just like with makeup, you have to make sure you can transfer your skills to a friends nails! This is my friend Ambyre's hand. We had a wine, American Horror Story, and nails night and it was a blast! This is all freehand. Zoya's Charisma, fusion neon, Essie's Set in Stone glitter (SO PRETTY) and a random blue. Oh, and that Nina nude that I love (and yes, used up). 

:)

Nude is the best

Seriously... a nude nail with some detailing is so pretty. Here, I used a rosey nude by Nina. Not sure of the name. Used a dotting tool and a striping black polish. Topped it with a striping glitter polish. I need to do this again.

This is another fun dotting mani. Not sure of the polishes I used, but I loved the gradient dotting effect. The larger sized dots were actually a mistake but ended up giving the manicure some personality!

Pastel dots

Dots galore! This is a fun and easy manicure. Pick three colors that look daboooomb together. Mix and match. Here, I'm using Sally Hansen's Mint Sorbet (previously tagged), Sally Hansen's Black Out, Orly's Luxe gold, and OPI's Shorts Story. Funny side story about Shorts Story. I had a manicure with it, like, 10 years ago at a salon. I loved the color so much, but couldn't remember the name, for the life of me... I had a dream a couple of years ago, where I remembered the name in the dream. So. Yeah. kbye

Texture

Texture without being as obnoxious as Zoya's Pixiedust collection... Sorry. Not a huge fan of actually textured, sandy polish. I lurve a good topcoat. And I pick at it!

Here, I tried the saran wrap effect. First, placed two coats of Orly's Snowcone, and let it dry thoroughly. Next, I topped it with a darker blue, not sure what I used, but something like China Glaze's Queen B (which I may have used) would work great. While the dark blue is still wet, crumble up a very small piece of saran wrap, and dab at your nail. It will pull up some of the dark blue to reveal the light blue underneath! I topped the whole thing with Models Own Indian Ocean from the Beetlejuice collection, which is probably my favorite nail polish. Ever.

 

Deborah Lippmann's Mermaid Dream. Such a uniquely beautifyl color! Tiny blue glitter specks throughout. A little rough to apply, but worth it. I dotted the hex glitters down the ring finger using Deborah Lippmann's Happy Birthday polish with a dotting tool.

 

Vintage wallpaper!

Had a go at vintage wallpaper a while back. Very fun to do. This is actually after I'd chipped the middle finger, so I added the tip detail to cover that up. Used Sally Hansen's Sorbet (great Butter London Fiver dupe, a little more blue toned), topped with a white striping pen. Used random pinks for the flowers, and a random green for the leaves. Glitter is a striping glitter from Sally Hansen. Purdy!

WAH inspired mix 'n match part 1

Hello hello! I decided to take a page from the WAH girls in Europe, and tried a fun mix n' match manicure. 

Finger Paints Pink-ment, with Sally Hansen black and Sinful Colors white. The best leopard prints I've done, to date!

Morning Teleportation band nails

A band I really love called Morning Teleportation was at the Beat Kitchen in Chicago. The first time I saw them, I did my nails with themes and images from their various cover art and music videos. They're a, like, a rock-indie-psychedelic-grunge band. Everything on these nails is done with nail polish*. The thumb and ring finger on the second image below (right hand) are watermarbled, back when I was a beginner.

*When doing nail art, use acrylic paint! So much easier to work with and do details. I have posted an example of acrylic paint nail art in a newer post. Top with a top coat like Seche and it'll stay like regular polish.

Striping maddness

Striping striping striping! Super easy. Striping tape can be bought on Amazon or Etsy for cheap! This blog shows a fun way to store nail tape for easy access - otherwise, cut it with nail clippers or nail scissors

Butter London's Fiver with black striping tape, topped with Seche. #preppy

 

 Here we have white, pink, and dark pink stripes, painted over with striping tape. Easy peasy

 

Deborah Lippmann's Mermaid Dream, stripped and topped with a blue by China Glaze. Not sure which one because I have a gazillion.

Just the tip...

Some tip art for your enjoyment! Everything here is freehand.

Orly's Orange Punch, again, and Sinful Colors Fusion Neon. 

 Orly's Orange Punch

Sinful Colors Fusion Neon

Essie's Play Date

Sinful Colors Irish Green

Sinful Colors Neon Melon

Sinful Colors Neon Melon

Finger Paints 15 Minutes of Fame

No idea what the blue is, sorry! :(

Zoya Charisma

Thumb: Finger Paints Pink-ment 

Could you guess? Sinful Colors Neon Melon. Used individual glitters from Deborah Lippmann's Happy Birthday to border. <3

 Orly's Orange Punch

Sinful Colors Neon Melon

Sinful Colors Irish Green

That blue again! No idea wtf it is!

Sinful Colors Fusion Neon

Ah... that one time I ordered 4 Models Own polishes, without noticing they come from Europe and cost euros and shipping costed an arm!!! (sorry bank account, but totally worth it). This is Hedonist in the Hed Kandi collection and holy COLOR.

This wonderful color... no freakin' idea what it is. Will get back to you, but ain't she purty! *bonus wine bottle

Glittahz

Glitter polishes from the past year.

Here's a macro shot of Happy Birthday by Deborah Lippmann 

The purple is China Glaze's Bizarre Purple, and the glitter is Sinful Color's Hottie glitter.

The orange is Orange Punch by Orly, topped with Happy Birthday by Deborah Lippmann.

Sinful Colors neon yellow (?) topped with Meteor Shower by American Apparel 

Happy Birthday by Deborah Lippmann, layered over a nude color by Nina

Glitter Goblin by China Glaze over Essies' Blue Rhapsody

More Gradients...

Time to play catch-up! I'm back. :)

These are all fairly old, so I don't remember the colors I used, for the most part!

Sinful Colors Neon Melon (yellow) and Irish Green. Both dry Matte. Applied Seche Vite top coat.

This one is super fun since it is based on what my hair looked like at the time (Blue and pink ombre)! I used Zoya's Charisma and Essie's Aruba Blue, which is absolutely gorgeous.