Week 39 of the Year of Polish Challenge: Holoween Dry Marble

So Dry Marbling...good in theory but not so good in application!   While the Dry Marble method saves you on cleanup you need a lot of time and patience to let the marbles dry.  Essentially, you paint on a clear coat on a plastic baggie.  Then you paint on your base color.  In my case, I used Wet N Wild Black Creme.  I let that layer dry and then painted on another very generous layer of Black Creme.  Before it dried I dropped dots of Layla Ultraviolet and Sinful Colors Clementine and swirled all of the colors together.   After letting the decals dry, I pulled them (GENTLY) off the plastic.  I painted my nails with a clear coat and the applied the decals to each nail.  I cut down the edges to fit my nails and cleaned up any straggly edges with acetone.   I don't think I would do dry marbling very often but I like the practice of making decals on plastic.   I will do decals again soon!

Week 40 of the Year of Polish Challenge: Suede Animal Print Manicure

Playing catch up on the Year of Polish Challenge while I am in the thick of fall classes. 

Today I used a few of my Avon Suede polishes to complete some Suede Animal Print nails.

I painted my nails with Avon Fuchsia Feel, Blue Royale, and Sumptuous Rose.  I then used Revlon Gold Coin to paint on leopard and zebra prints on my nails.   I like how understated yet modern the suede polishes make animal print.  I predict my winter toes will sport some Suede Leopard Print in the future, yes, I do!

Week 41 of the Year of Polish Challenge: Holo Patchwork Nails

I got several Jade Holos from a Brazilian nail friend and one of my first manicures with them is this patchwork manicure.  I started with two coats of Jade Psychedelic.

Next I used striping tape to cordon off the patchwork triangles.  I then painted each section in random order with Jade Deja Vu, Violet Fascination, and Hypnose.

This manicure is so striking,  I can't stop looking at it and watching the holo rainbow dance on my nails.  I promise, more holo manis are in store!

Week 38 of the Year of Polish Challenge: Metallic Mani, in the style of Dots

This week's challenge was a metallic or magnetic mani.  I never really jumped on the magnetic polish bandwagon so I chose metallic.  I saw a retro 80s gold and black shirt with cool design and made it my own with Sinful Colors Black on Black and China Glaze Silver Platinum.    I love how graphic this nail art is!

Tape Mani: A Year of Polish Challenge, Week 36

Had to try out Sinful Colors Ocean Side from my recent Walgreens trip.  99 cent polishes are so hard to resist!

Tape manis are not my strong point but this seemed to work out ok.  I was able to pull off the tape to keep it from getting messed up.  One thing I found with this is putting on Seche Vite on top of my base color helps keep the tape from pulling up half dry polish. 

I added dots because, well, I am a dot accent kind of girl!

 

Zombie Cupcake Nails- Week 35 of the Year Polish Challenge

Meh...cupcakes but zombie cupcakes?  Awesome!

A Belated week 32 of the Year of Polish Challenge: Neon Watermarble Manicure

Watermarbling and I have not seen eye to eye in recent past and I finally figured out why.

Everyone (the watermarbling experts) kept saying that the water needed to be room temperature.  What I failed to realize is that, with my husband's penchant for sub zero a/c settings, not even room temperature water was in fact room temperature in our home.  I lowered the a/c and for the first time I was able to swirl the polish and apply the design to my nails before the polish dried to a messy skin on top of my water:)  I think it helped using some very good quality polishes from my newest stash of China Glaze.  

For these, I painted my nails with one coat of Sinful Colors Snow Me White.  Next, I taped up all of my nails in preparation for messy watermarbling.  I dropped dots of China Glaze Purple Panic, Turned Up Turquoise, and Sun Worshiper and used a tooth pick to pull the layers into a petal design.  I then dunked my nail carefully into the design and used a toothpick to pick up all of the excess polish off the surface of the water before I pulled my nail out.  The tape prevented a lot of cleanup but I still had to do a bit of touching up around my cuticles and nail edges.  I then applied dots of Snow Me White to each arc of color and topped those white dots with discs of holographic glitter from China Glaze Techno. 

All in all, very satisfied with my watermarbling experience AND with the resulting mani.  This won't be the last watermarbled mani you see on Nails Actually!

Week 34 of the Year of Polish Challenge: Bling Mani

So Week 34...Nice to meet you and can I just say, "Wow, girl!"

Week 34 is the Bling manicure and I brought out my neglected rhinestones and studs.  I was thinking gold, and diamonds, and silver studs.

I don't think I will be able to wear these long because I have a tendency to pick at stuff like this as soon as one pops off from wear and tear but I will wear it proudly until that happens. 

Anyway, these are a decent attempt for something I am not hugely into:) 

YOPC Catch Up: Week 31 Patchwork Crackle Mani

Bought some China Glaze Metallic Crackle polishes so I no longer have any excuse to skip the Year of Polish Challenge Week 31 Crackle manicure.

I painted my Orly Bonder nails with Loreal's Silver Star.  I then used China Glaze's Oxidized Aqua as the next layer.  Last I used little smudges of China Glaze's Latticed Lilac and Haute Metal.

It works ;0)

Fireworks July 4th Nails--Week 27 of the Year of Polish Challenge

I did these for an Independence Day Nail Art Contest but they also satisfy Week 27 of the Year of Polish Challenge.  I don't really get into holidays so much so you won't see my blog full of holiday nails but I do like the 4th, if only because its almost always a guaranteed day off for librarians and library workers!  I think I did a pretty good effort on the fireworks bursts!

If you have any tips for better bursts, let me know!  These were free-handed each with two separate polishes of similar shades and then topped with Nail's Inc Holographic top coat.  These nails make me think of this song:

Neon Gradient Zebra and Leopard Nails: Week 26 of the year of Polish Challenge

This week's assignment for A Year of Polish Challenge was a Neon Manicure.   Neon gradients are so striking so I did my nails up and they decided they needed something.  I decided to practice my freehand zebra and animal prints and I think it works well!   Another Lisa Frank inspired mani!

Gradients are on the challenge list in a couple of weeks so I am getting in some practice ahead of time!

Pride Month = Pride Nails, A Year of Polish Challenge

I did these nails specifically for Kyoti's Nails June LGBT Pride Nail Art Contest.  I have several very dear friends that are LGBT so this cause is dear to my heart!

I painted my base coated nails with the standard ROYGB rainbow hues.  My inspiration for these nails beyond the contest and my love of my gay peoples is a mixture of some posters and a t-shirt I've seen:)  The message, though, is clear...Love is Love, pure and simple.  I look forward to a day where my friends have the same rights their fellow Americans do and I am confident that it will happen in my lifetime!

Unique Purple Ombre Nails: Week 23 of the Year of Polish Challenge

This week in the Year of Polish Challenge is Ombre nails.  While I've seen Ombre nails all over the place, these type of nails are a first for me.  I wanted the ombre effect with some shimmer so I used Tokyo Pearl in different amounts mixed with an unnamed dark dark dark purple Ulta Polish.  (Brownie points if you have any clues to the name of the unnamed!) to get the different shades of shimmery purple.  I used a toothpick to mix the polishes together and used a large nail art brush to apply the shades to my nails.

The Unnamed Ulta Polish is hard to capture on camera so I took this extra picture to show you the deep purple hue.  

Girly Camo Splatter Mani -- Week 22 of the Year of Polish Challenge

The splatter mani is an elusive beast.  At one end you have a giant hot mess and the other you have oblong polka dots.  The perfect splatter mani finds a balance between the two and it takes practice.

I wouldn't say my Girly Camo Splatter mani is perfect but its the best I've done so far:) 

I started with Orly Bonder Base Coat on each nail.  I then painted my nails with two coats of Olympia.  Then using coffee stir straws that I've cut in half I dipped one end of the stir straw into Military Green and blew through the straw, repeating on each finger.  I then followed with Boom Boom, Nude It!, and Loving Lavender.  After a tiny bit of drying time I applied a top coat and the Girly Camo Splatter Mani is done!

Skeleton and Bows Nails: Week 20 of the Year of Polish Challenge

This design was one that I've had in my head awhile.  I finally drew out the design on paper and it is rare, but the drawing was cuter than the nails.  I am too lazy to do them over so here you go!  Nail Fail #4530 lol.

Tropical Nails aka Hawaiian Nails for tonight's luau: Week 19 of the Year of Polish Challenge

I am looking forward to winding down tonight in celebration of the end of my first semester of library school!  I am going to a luau where I will barely know a soul, I don't have a Hawaiian shirt, and I'm arriving late but I am determined to live it up tonight:0)   In preparation for the festivities and because the Year of Polish Challenge demanded some floral nails, I did some Hawaiian nails that turned out very cute.  I used several different techniques to make a collage of nail art that screams vacation!

I think you'll see me using a lot of blues and purples this summer.  I am inundated with blue and purple polishes and I love every, single one equally so I am going to try to give each polish some wear time even if its just on my toes!

These nails were easier than they look.  I started out with two coats of Inkblot Blue on base-coated nails.  Next, I used White On and a small nail art brush to make hibiscus flower outlines on my thumb nail, a leaf design on my index nail, and the word "Aloha" and the Hawaiian Island outline on my middle nail.  Next using a chunk of cosmetic sponge, I sponged on a half circle of White On to my ring nail and then sponged on  White On onto two-thirds of my pinkie nail in preparation for a gradient.  The gradient was an afterthought.  Normally I would just paint the total nail white and then sponge on the colors but you work with what you have:)

After all the white dried, I filled in the flowers on my thumb nail in Boom Boom, Let's Meet, and Amethyst.  I then filled in the leaf design on my index nail with Happy Ending and accented with Last Chance.  On my middle nail, I filled in "Aloha" with Cloud 9 and the Hawaiian Islands with Happy Ending.  On my ring nail, I sponged on a tiny bit of Inkblot blue to simulate an ocean wave.  On my pinkie nail,  I sponged on a layer of Let's Meet and finished off with a lower layer of Happy Ending.

The next step was some very quick accents.  I used Ebony Loves Chris to make the middle part or pistil of the hibiscus and accent the flower creases.  I used White on to accent the edge of the flower petals and put on the stigma (white dots) on the pistil.   On my pinkie nail, I used Ebony Hates Chris to draw in a oval shape off center at the tip of my nail.  I then dragged out two arcs and added more smaller arcs to the top of the larger arcs to make palm leaf outlines.  I learned this technique from several different youtube and picture tutorials but the gradient palm tree technique by Cute Polish on youtube is a great place to start!  A whole set of nails with the gradient palm tree motif is so cool looking!

Last, I covered all nails with a generous coat of iridescent glitter and a top coat.  The nails look ok without the glitter but I think it adds something extra.

Visions of hula girls dance in my sunglasses' reflections when I look at these nails!

Week 16 of the Year of Polish Challenge: Gradient Dotticure

I've been wanting to try a gradient using the one step sponge gradient technique from LaynieFingers so I  did it tonight.  But then I remember that my challenge this week is a dotticure.  And my brain smashed the two manis together and the Gradient Dotticure was born!

I did the gradient just like Laynie did with a white base color and gradient colors in Wild Rose, Disco Purple, and Iceberg Lotus.  I then applied small dots in reverse color order.  The Wild Rose didn't show up very good on top of Disco Purple so I added dots in Dream on.  These look pretty cool in my opinion!

Cute Easter Bunny Nails: Week 15 of the Year of Polish Challenge

I got home from the gym this morning and lamented my unpolished nails.  I had a little time before I had to take a shower and get ready for work so I sat down to paint my nails with one of my newest polishes, OPI's I Have a Herring Problem.  I love this color.  Its hard to tell because I painted over almost every nail with glitter but I Have a Herring Problem is a dark, slightly bluish grey with sparkles.  Its stunning by itself so I invite you to google its swatches from my fellow nail bloggers! 

After applying two coats of I Have a Herring Problem to base-coated nails, I applied one coat of Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails Rockstar Pink glitter polish.  I then free-handed this bunny in Sally Hansen's White On on my left ring finger nail and wrote the word "Easter" on my right ring finger nail.   This bunny is actually inspired by a bunny that Robin Moses did in this youtube tutorial!  Check it out because those nails are too cute to be believed! It may be hard to tell but I gave it some blue glitter eyes from a Milan Special FX teal glitter.  I filled in the lines with Ebony Hates Chris and filled in the nose and inner ears with Sephora's Techno Pink.  I covered all nails with a top coat and generous amounts of Julep's cuticle oil to prevent smudges while it dried.    These nails are some of my favorites!

Week 14 of the Year of Polish Challenge: Glitter Stripe Nails

I did these nails last week and had to schedule them in advance to post today because OMG-I-have-3-papers-due-in-April!  Sorry if April's post appear to be sparse but I'll try to get in at least one post a week:)  Such is the life of a grad student!

Anyway, this week is Stripes and there is nothing I like better that seeing stripes on my nails.  The only way you can make stripes better is to add glitter. Lo and behold...

These nails started with a clear basecoat.  I then added one coat of Secret Admirer.  Next I applied a line of Blue Bash diagonally down my nail and filled in the rest of the nail with a thick coat of more Blue Bash.  I then filled in the next section with Traffic Stopper Copper.   Last I filled in the remaining section of my nails with Magenta Magic and used a topcoat to seal all that sparkle in!

 I know I've said it before but it bears repeating...Jordana Glitters are SO awesome.  Ok, ok...the Sephora glitters are cool too.  I am an equal opportunity glitter buyer but I "might" have a tiny addiction to sparkly polishes.  Tiny?!

Love how simple these nails were yet they have major wow factor.  I will say that the only reason I used copper glitter was because I somehow have not bought some chunky orange glitter polish.  Its on my list now but the copper is just as eye-catching.   Wear nails like these when you want them to be noticed!

Week 13 of the Year of Polish Challenge: Purple Holo Ruffian

I am so glad that I chose to do the Year of Polish Challenge because its really encouraging me to try new designs and techniques.  This week's challenge is Ruffian manicures.  Of course, I went with my two favorite polish colors...purple and grey!

Love the Holo polish on top:)