February Nail Art Challenge Day 9

Holy cow, the February Nail Art Challenge is coming to a close already :(  Where has the time gone?!  I want to send out a big congratulations to all the girls who participated in the Challenge, you all did awesome!!

Today's theme is Recreate Your Favourite.  The idea is to either a) recreate a design from the rest of the days of the Challenge that you want to do-over or because it was your favourite to do, or b) recreate a design that one of the other participants did.  A couple girls asked if they wanted to recreate their tutorial day, could they use a different tutorial.  I decided that this would be OK, as I know there are so many wonderful tutorials out there!

February Nail Art Challenge Day 2

Good evening ladies!  I meant to have this up earlier today, but had to do some homework before being able to "play" tonight, so here I am, posting late again.

Day 2 of the Challenge is already upon us, I can't believe it!  Today's theme is half moons, and I have to say, from what I have seen already, the ladies joining me in this Challenge are pretty awesome at half moon manis.  Mine didn't turn out as crisp as I had hoped - sometimes using those hole reinforcements is trickier than it looks.

Christmas Wreath Half Moons

Well, looks like we all survived December 21, 2012!  Who wants to make t-shirts?!  ;)  And to top it off, we got some snow last night so *breaks into song* it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Today I have for you a Christmas twist on half moon nails - I have turned them into Christmas wreathes :D  I can't believe we are only 4 days away from Christmas day!  This month has gone by way too fast!  I remember when I was younger, December would always drag by so slowly because I was so excited for Christmas!  Christmas Day and Boxing Day also seemed to last forever too, but now it seems you do all these preparations for Christmas and then before you know it, it's all over.  Maybe we should do Christmas nails all through the year :D

Anywho, onto my wreathes...

For this I used 2 coats of Julep Alyson as my base colour.  Then with hole reinforcements, I created my half moon curve a little further down the nail than you normally would with a half moon and painted Avon Ruby Slippers on the tip.  After removing the reinforcements, I used Zoya Logan and my dotting tool to create the bottom of a wreath along the half moon line.  You probably could just do your nails half and half because the bottom of the wreath is what creates the half moon look in the end anyways.

Then using Julep Delaunay and my dotting tool again, I created little berries on the wreath :)  After all that, using Julep Felicity and Konad M71 I stamped bows on the bottom of the wreath.  It didn't stand out as much as I had pictured in my mind, so if you want it to stand out more, it would probably be best to freehand a bow rather than stamping.

I love the way this turned out!  Except for the bow not standing out as much as I hoped, it looks exactly how I pictured it in my head :D

Are you excited that we are so close to Christmas?  What is the favourite Christmas mani you have done so far?

November Nail Art Challenge Day 5

Good morning!! :D  I am SO excited to show you what I have for you today!  Today's post is for Day 5 of the November Nail Art Challenge -- Half Moons.  Now, when I first got into nail art I wasn't too keen on the half moon look, but I think they are pretty OK now :)  It depends how they are done and the colours used.

So, as most of you may know, Big Bang Theory is my favourite TV show of all time.  I have purchased the polish collection from different DIMENSION and decided that it was time to use one :)

My favourite episode is "The Einstein Approximation" from Season 3.  In this episode, Sheldon is trying to figure out the Einstein Approximation and is trying all different ways to get it.  My favourite part is when Leonard gets called to come and get him out of the ball pit.  Here is a link to a YouTube video of this scene.. LMAO OMG I love this show! :D  (I would have embedded the clip here so you wouldn't have to open the link, but it wouldn't let me.)

Without further adieu, here are my Half Moon Nails.

BAZINGA!!! Hehehehe!

For this I used Julep Mystery Yellow for my base colour.  Then, using a small paint brush I used Julep Deluanay to create my half moons.  I didn't have any hole reinforcements to create a smooth line :(  I filled in the bottom part with Deluanay, and then topped with different DIMENSION Bazinga! from the Big Bang Theory polish collection.  This is a clear based glitter with small yellow and red glitters, small yellow and red hexes, medium yellow hexes and large red hexes.  I meant to do red moons with Bazinga over the yellow to show the glitter better but didn't realize my error until I had painted 2 coats of Mystery Yellow on my nails, haha!  Oh well :)

So then to even out my wobbly lines I stuck some rhinestones on the line to bedazzle it up a little more :)

What do you guys think??  Do you love Big Bang Theory too?  What's your favourite episode and who is your favourite character?

Want to get your own polish from the Big Bang Theory collection?  Visit different DIMENSION's shop and pick yourself up a bottle :)  She also has Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock, PENNY!!!, and Soft Kitty Warm Kitty.

10 Day Challenge -- Day 8

Wow, where has the last week gone!  We are at day 8 of the Challenge, and the theme for Day 8 is Galaxy nails!  I think, besides dotticures, Galaxy nail art is my favourite type of nail art.  It doesn't matter if you are beginner, intermediate or advanced, everyone can master this design!

When I did my 31 Day Challenge back in the spring, I had never heard of Galaxy nails, so I had to look it up.  When I Googled it, it took me to cutepolish's tutorial video and that is how I learned to do them :)

Let's take a trip into space!

Erica's Nails and More Day 8 entry:

I LOVE galaxy nails! They are so super easy and look fabulous every time! It doesn't matter whether you are a beginner or advance, everyone can master this nail art design! For this I used Jordana Black as my base colour. Then I sponged on L'Oréal I Will! and Mango-Get-Em, and Julep Daisy for my galaxies. Then I used NYC In a New York Minute Pier 17 around the outer edge of the galaxies to blend the colours into the black background. Topped off with Jordana Crystal Glitter to give the appearance if millions of stars :D

Blog (you're here!) / Facebook

April Boulware Day 8 entry:

For me, these were the hardest. Weird seeing as everyone else thinks that they're the easiest. I used Tip Top Black Forest, Pure Ice Superstar, WnW How I Met Your Magenta, Sally Hansen Blue Me Away, and OPI Gone Gonzo.

dreamyMM Nails & Make Up Day 8 entry:

Today wasn't a very creative day for me... But I did my best to make something and have an entry... Is funny as had loads of different idea's how to make my Galaxy nails... Any ways things never work as planned LoL... What I used? Many different colours of nail polish and a sponge...

Blog / Facebook

Erin Fleming Day 8 entry:

These were seriously so much fun to do! I think I went sponge overboard though, hehe.

I started with a base of Zoya Ibiza. I sponged China Glaze Bahamian Escape, Zoya Fei Fei and Zoya Laney. I did the 'stars' with SH White On. I then capped it off with a layer of China Glaze Fairy Dust! That's a lot of polish!

Blog

Lustrous Lacquer Day 8 entry:

This one is a day late but I still wanted to share it with you.  Day 8 is Galaxy nails.  I can't believe I waited so long to try this.  It was pretty easy considering I threw this together in about 10 minutes.  I used a no name E.L.F. polish for the base.  A black sparkley colour with #2F01AS on the label.  Sponged on some Milani White on the Spot (my go to white), L'Oréal Tweet Me, Orly Glits for highlight, Sinful Colors Pink Forever and finally Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Blue It.

Facebook

Muffin Nails Day 8 entry:

Galaxy nails! I found these really funny because they'd been the design I was most worried about attempting, but they were the easiest ones I've done all week! They're just unbelievably fun to paint. I used the tutorial by Cutepolish (http://tinyurl.com/3t8uklu) as a guide, and then made a few changes to suite my tastes. Overall this has been my favorite design so far and I'm going to be so upset when I have to take them off tomorrow!

Blog / Facebook

Painted Nubbs Day 8 entry:

I wanted to do something different than the traditional black background, so I went with blue/green themed. I think it's pretty good for my first try. The base is WnW Teal of Fortune, and the other colors are Zoya Song, CG Bahamian Escape, Pure Ice Wild Thing, Sally Hansen Mint Sorbet, and Pure Ice Superstar, all topped with a coat of Pure Ice Don't You Wish. *I wish my stars were a little smaller*

Blog / Facebook

FingerFood Nails Day 8 entry:

Galaxy manis are one of my favourites - I love trying different colours every time. This time I started with LA Colors Black Velvet, then added Models Own Snow White and Sun Kissed, Collection 2000 Hip Hop, Jessica Electric Teal, LA Colors Wired and Sally Hansen Twinkle Twinkle for the sparkle :)

Blog / Facebook

Sandra Bickel Day 8 entry:

Ok, I had to do this one several times as a test before I got the right tools together to help me. I am still not *completely* satisfied...would be a lot easier with dotting tools that with just a brush. I used OPI DS Fantasy, Sinful Colors Snow Me White and Let's Meet, and Sally Hansen Delightful Dawn.

Blog

Partly Cloudy with a Chance of Lacquer Day 8 entry:

These were my first galaxy nails, and though they aren't perfect, I like the technique and look forward to trying it again. I started with LA Colors Circuits, then sponged on LA Colors Energy Source, Pure Ice Crimson, Pure Ice Celestial, and Sinful Colors San Francisco. I then used a dotting tool to add the stars and finished with Spoiled Shaken Snow Globe.

Blog / Facebook

See Jodi Polish Day 8 entry:
Blog / Facebook

Sparkle and Shine Nails Day 8 entry:

This was just too much fun, and I even got to use space themed polishes! I started with a base of Spoiled The Parking Meteor Expired. Sponged on some Sally Hansen White On, then Sally Hansen HD Laser. The finishing touch was the highly appropriate Claire's Night Sky :-)

Blog / Facebook

Amber Nolan Day 8 entry:

I finally got this right! I used Hard Candy Wicked for the base. Then sponged on Pure Ice Super Star, then Hard Candy Beetle, and Sinful Colors Kissy. I love the way this mani turned out!!

No Naked Nails Day 8 entry:

I was excited about this one since I have never done galaxy nails before! It was a lot easier than I thought it would be! The trick is just barely having any polish on the sponge, gives you a lot more control over where it goes and how much goes on. I love how it turned out. I will definitely be doing this one again. I used LA Colors Circuits (black) and Energy Source (white), Revlon Temptress (pink), Sally Hansen Green With Envy, Pure Ice Busted (purple) and white striping polish.

Blog / Facebook

(Missing Samantha Dobbs entry :( )

Erica's Nails and More Nail Art Challenge #1

So for this nail art challenge, I did some looking around in the online nail polish world to see what kind of challenges are out there, maybe there was one that already existed that I would want to give a try.  Not finding anything where I wanted to try everything on the list, I decided to come up with my own by taking ideas from other challenges and making one that I thought everyone would enjoy.  I also wanted to start off with only 10 days rather than a 31 day challenge, because 31 days can seem like they take forever to get through.  I tried to come up with a list of fairly simple nail art designs so that everyone can participate, no matter what skill level you may have, and in hopes that everyone who participates can use what they have and not have to run off to the store for each day because they require something in order to keep up with the challenge :)  If there are any questions about any of the days, please let me know.  I have also put up example pictures for each day so everyone has something to reference during the challenge.  There are a few ladies out there with great tutorials for all of the nail art designs I have included, so when in doubt, search Google or YouTube! :D

RULES

1.  You must be a fan of/like my Facebook page.
2.  Use your imagination to complete each day.  Try to incorporate some sort of nail art into each day.  Example -- for "favourite colour", try not to just paint your nails a solid colour, try to incorporate a little "flair" into it :)

3.  Submit your entry by either posting it onto the Facebook page or e-mail it to me at ericamccabe28@gmail.com.  I will be keeping track of all participants to make sure I get an entry from everyone each day.  I will post them into photo albums on Facebook as well as include them in blog posts (with permission from everyone of course), so make sure to include what you used in your design and your blog or Facebook page information if you have it so I can include it with the picture :)  Please try to submit your entry before 11:59pm EST for each day of the challenge.  I will post the day's photos on the blog the following day.

4.  The work must be your own and on your own nails, you may use fingers or toes.  Please include at least 4 fingers or toes in your photos :)

5.  You may use any type of polish or paint to create your design.  Nail stickers (except full-nail designs like Sally Hansen's Salon effects nail polish strips), nail stamping, loose glitter, rhinestones and/or other small 3D nail art add-ons are perfectly acceptable.  If you are unsure about something, let me know :)

6.  Start date:  Saturday, September 15.  End Date:  Monday, September 24.  I want to give everyone as much time as I can so that new people finding the Facebook page and blog are able to join in.  Make sure to invite your friends to like the Facebook page and join in on the fun!

7.  For the last day, you may recreate any of the other 9 days of nail art, whether it's because it was your favourite one to do or it was one that you wanted to "do over".  You may also choose to replicate another participant's entry from one of the other days, if you do this, please include who's entry you replicated with your entry (just an "I really liked <insert name>'s entry from Day 3, this is my attempt at it" kind of note) :)  Also, for day 10, I may do a Facebook vote for the favourite day 10 entry and have a little prize for the entry with the most "likes".  I will let you guys know what I decide before the challenge starts.  This will also depend on the number of participants.
8.  Please comment below if you will be participating so I have an idea on number of participants :)

9.  *The most important rule*... HAVE FUN! :D  This challenge is not about "who is the best", it's about showing off the talent you have :D

Examples:

Day 1 -- favourite colour
Either paint a base colour with your favourite colour or create nail art with your favourite colour.  Make sure to let us know what your favourite polish is (brand and name).

Day 2 -- favourite animal
Show us your favourite animal on your nails and tell us why it's your favourite :)  It's like Show-and-Tell! :D

Photo Courtesy of Mary at Swatch and Learn

Day 3 -- favourite season
This can be either seasons (spring, summer, fall, winter) or holidays (Christmas, Easter, Hallowe'en, etc.).

Day 4 -- seran wrap nails
This is a fairly simple technique.  Simply paint your nails a colour.  With one or more other colours, simply put a drop on a paper plate/piece of tinfoil, scrunch up a piece of seran/plastic wrap and dip into your drop of polish.  Dab onto your plate or foil to take off excess polish and sponge onto your nails.  You can search Google for tutorials.

Day 5 -- gradient nails
There any many different methods for this, use whichever method works best for you!  Check out Google for all the different ways to accomplish gradient nails :)  For this picture (my first attempt) I used an eyeshadow brush to apply each colour.  It didn't turn out quite how I wanted but I still liked the effect :D

Day 6 -- polka dots
Use dotting tools, toothpicks, ball point pens, needles/pins, stamping, etc. to create a dotticure!

Day 7 -- flowers

Create flowers in whichever way you find easiest!  I used nail art stickers for these as I wanted to use them up!  Use dotting tools, toothpicks, needles/pins, brushes, stamping -- whatever you are comfy with :D

Day 8 -- galaxy nails
These are fairly simple to execute and look great no matter what!  Check out Google for great tutorials!

 
Day 9 -- French tip variant
Put a spin on the Classic French Manicure with polka dots, lines, stamping, etc. -- use your imagination!