Pinspiration Challenge Day 11: Tutorial

We did it! The last day of the challenge is finally here! And I'm happy to say that I'm going out on a strong note. I wanted to do something fun and graphic for the tutorial inspired challenge, and this particular design by @myawesomebeauty kept coming back to me:

I got a buy one get one free China Glaze deal today, so I used my two new (gray and For Audrey mint) polishes to accent the Shower Together base. Here's what I came up with:

I really like how these turned out! They're fun, and a satisfying end to this challenge. I'm glad it's over, as I'm pretty tuckered out, but it was good to challenge myself, and who knows- maybe others will be inspired to try the challenge at some point. Thank you to all of you who stopped by to see my designs! 

Happy Painting!

Pinspiration Challenge Day 4: Colors

Today's challenge was an interesting (and messy) one. I decided to try out a tutorial pin from my board for a blow dryer technique. I got a new scarf over the weekend and thought that the colors would be really pretty for this design. Here is the original pin by the Neverland Nail Blog:

Here is part of my scarf that inspired my colors:

And here is the result:

Not terrible for my first attempt, but they're not the most beautiful thing I've done either. But still, the colors are pretty and I finally figured out how to get the paint consistency so that it will spread right. It was fun to try.

Happy Painting!

30 Day Challenge: Inspired by a Tutorial

We did it! Well, maybe. I'm perplexed. Some people think this is the last day of the challenge and others are going with 31 days. I don't know.

I'm getting this out a day late since I ran out of time after finishing this design yesterday. I was going to do an apple tutorial but then pulled out my China Glaze Peachy Keen and decided I wanted to used it, so I did my own take on this tutorial by Jennifer Marcus.

Kind of cool, right? It's sort of like a tribal print, which I'm generally not too great at, but I like a few of these. It's hard to tell, but the light color is a pink from Sinful Colors.

Because I was going out in public and didn't want to look weird with only one hand painted, I went for a full on manicure. With the exception of my pinky (which was basically a lost cause), I actually think I like how my right hand turned out better than my left.

The lines are far from perfect, but compared to some of the earlier challenges, I think I've come a long way. This challenge has been difficult and tiring, but awesome practice and really fun as well. So, perhaps in a few days I'll throw in the 31st challenge, but until then, I want to thank those of you who have liked my posts and commented. The feedback means so much to me and has been very encouraging. I'm excited to see what everyone comes up with post-challenge!

Happy Painting!

30 Day Challenge: Gradient (with step by step instructions)

Well, this is the second time I've ever done a sponge gradient. My first time was a bit splotchy, and while everyone says it's an easy process, I still messed up more than I wanted to. So for today's mani I decided to do a step by step with some tips and tricks. Granted, it's still not the best gradient you've ever seen, I'm sure, but it's much better this time. And I really like the colors! So let's get started:

Step 1: Pick your colors/gather your materials

For my basecoat, I used NYC In a NY Minute. This is pretty great if you only want to keep your mani for a day or two, as your polish will literally pop right off after 24-48 hours. But, as the name implies, it only take a minute to dry.

Originally I planned on just using the Sally Hansen Lickety-Split Lime and China Glaze Shower Together, but decided to add the navy last minute. It was a good choice, as it added more depth to the gradient. And finally, I topped it off with everyone's favorite top coat- Seche Vite. 

Step 2: Apply as base color

Other tutorials recommend using the lightest color for your base, which is wise. It's hard enough to build up the dark colors on top of light, so I imagine unless you're using white on a dark color, stick with the light color as a base.

Now you have to be patient and let the color dry completely so it doesn't smudge when you start sponging. Like, REALLY let it dry. In the meantime you can get tape ready to protect your fingers since sponging gets pretty messy. I only taped my left hand, and yes, while it's annoying to tape every finger, it really does speed up the clean up process.

Step 3: Cut your sponge into a shape slightly smaller than your nail and prep your colors.

Do NOT use a sponge like the one pictured above! It will not work well, trust me. That is, unless you're really into getting strands of fibers stuck in your polish. Get a good blob of paint down on foil (I prefer foil over plastic) and put your colors close so that they overlap. You can use two at a time or three. I found two to be easier for building up the colors. Make sure you add the color you chose for your base, otherwise it will not blend very well. Then let the sponge soak up all the paint, and quickly dab it over your nail. I'd go up and down and to the sides to get a good blend. You'll have to do this a few times if you want the paint to be true to color. It goes relatively fast, however. 

Step 4: Continue sponging with additional colors

This is what it looked like with two colors. I had wanted more of a transition to a blue hue, but the bright lime made my shower together look more green, so I decided to add navy. 

(Also, use a sponge like the one shown in the picture above) So after a little trial and error, I found that pairing up the second and third color is easier than trying to use all three at once.  And although it's not pictured here, I'd recommend using your top coat as soon as you've finished each finger, since it will help it blend the colors even more (my right hand is more blended, but I didn't take pictures of that hand...so imagine this one, but better).

Step 5: Topcoat and clean up

Once you take off the tape you'll see how much time you saved on cleaning up the mess! Or maybe I'm just a messy painter...no, I definitely am, but considering the nature of sponging, it's pretty hard to not get it all over your fingers. 

Step 6: Marvel at the final result

Besides my pinky, which got messed up from using the wrong sponge, I think this looks pretty cool. It definitely looks awesome at a distance. Actually, you can see the gradient much better from a distance, and it looks pretty smooth. Not too shabby for my second attempt. And I love the colors, it's great for summer.

Do you have any tips on using the sponging technique? If so, share them in the comment section.

Happy painting!

P.S. Do you agree that the pictures look much better with the lightbox I built last week? I think it has really enhanced the quality.

Splatter Toes (with mini tutorial)

Today was filled with firsts. First splatter nails, first time using new polishes, first time taping, and first (mini) tutorial. Let's get right to it.

WARNING: The pictures are all very grainy. I had bad lighting and because the flash distorted the design, I had to resort to less than awesome photo quality. Sorry!

I bought a few new Sally Hansen polishes this week and I'm not sure how I feel about them. I have wanted to start investing in better polishes, but have yet to find any that are reasonable and still effective. I had good luck with the Insta-Dry kind, but not as impressed with the Xtreme Wear. I have some Seche Vite and a China Glaze on the way, as well as some actual dotting tools. I'm looking forward to seeing how those all work out. What brands do you find work best for nail art? Anything on the less than $5 side?

I wanted to go with a yellow constant, as I was hoping my new yellow would work out. It's not as opaque as I was hoping, but it wasn't neon either, so I guess color wise it was a draw. I got out all the colors I planned on using, came up with an idea of the colors I thought would go well together, and started with a base coat. Then I taped.

As I mentioned earlier, this was my first time taping. I'm so glad I did, as the splatter method really is rather messy. I now realize that you should tape first before applying any polish, since I smudged a couple nails as I applied the tape. It worked really well and didn't take any of the color on my nails off when I removed the tape. I'll definitely be using this more often. It saved me a ton of time and acetone.

Next, I got my small coffee straw (which in the tutorials I've seen were recommend), put down my tinfoil, and dipped the straw in.

It took a surprisingly long time to get the method down right. I had to twist my leg around, hold my foot at what was hopefully the right angle, and stay that way long enough to get the paint on the straw and blow. It didn't work very well at first. I thought I could use a bigger straw, so I got creative and used an old pen (just take the ink out and use the shell). It worked MUCH better (although it was still tricky). I think another contributor to the difficulty was that my paint was a bit thin and fast drying. If you've done this before and have some tips on what tools/polishes work best, please leave a comment.

I started to get the hang of the technique, and eventually figured I was close enough to getting it right to call it quits. Before clean up, it sort of looked like a nail salon threw up on my feet (which actually looked pretty cool).

And although it was hard to blow on my toes, it was not hard to hit my fingers!

I let everything dry for a while and cleaned up in the meantime. Eventually I became impatient, took the tape off, cleaned up the edges, and put on some top coat.

Each foot had a few toes that turned out pretty well, and each had some that were a little sad. But overall, I'm pretty happy with how they turned out- especially the big toes.

So that's it! If you haven't tried this method, give it a shot. It's pretty cool. 

I'll definitely try this again, although I may need some assistance next time.

Next week I'll start the 31 day challenge. Because I'm busy and don't like to change my polish that frequently, I'm going to change it to 31 weeks, most likely with a few interruptions in there. Have you done the challenge? Link to your pictures.

Happy painting!