Showing posts with label spots. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spots. Show all posts

Thursday, 8 November 2012

Mixed up monochrome - Nailed It's Two Bottle Challenge

Hey peeps

The first challenge of the week was Polish Days' MAN-icure, now it's time for Nailed It's 'Two Bottle Challenge' to celebrate the blog's one year anniversary and reaching an amazing 555,555 views, whoop!

The rules are simple - use two bottles of polish to create a design without the use of stamping or embellishments. You are allowed to mix the colours to create more colours but for me it had to be plain black and white because I love the monochrome look and you can create really striking designs. I also love mixing up designs because I'm a girl who wants it all - not just happy with the one design so I get carried away. So here it is...
My two bottles were Models Own Pro in French White and Barry M Nail Paint in Black. I used striping tape to create the straight lines on the ring finger and a dotter for the polka dots, but everything else is free handed.

I then did the same designs but mixed them up on my right hand...

I love it! Hope you do too. Head over to Nailed it to check out the other entries and of course her fab blog. Happy Blogiversary Nailed it!

Happy painting.. the nailist xxx

Wednesday, 17 October 2012

Unleash your inner pink... take 2!

I wasn't very happy with the last ones so here's a second attempt at a Breast Cancer Awareness Month inspired design... much better I think! What do you think?

Colours used:
Pale pink - Models Own Nail Polish in Pastel Pink
Dark pink - Bourjois 1 Second Nail Polish in Rose Cupcuke
Silver details - No7 nail art pen from a Christmas 2011 gift set

I had to use a striping brush (very thin paint brush) to create the detail in the dark pink

Happy Painting... the nailist xxx

Tuesday, 2 October 2012

Greyed out

I love grey polishes and W7 Nail Polish in Grey is one of my faves. So using this as a base I've played around with three Models Own nail art pens. The plan was just to have a heart on one finger but as usual I got carried away! Unfortunately, I made a rookie mistake and didn't wait long enough before applying top coat, so I've smeared one of the design .. grrrr!


Happy painting... the nailist xxx

Thursday, 20 September 2012

Spotty tiger

I've had one of those weeks which started kind of OK (Mondays are never great!) and then every day has gradually got more stressy (is that a word?!). This resulted in me not having much time for nail painting but I can't go bare nailed (even the thought makes me cringe) so cobbled a quick design together after the Snow Leopard surviving, unchipped, a good 4 days. I've actually ended up with a design I really like, albeit very simple. 

It took me a while to think of a name as it was more impulsion lead rather than inspired but I've landed on spotty tiger as the striped nails remind me a little of Toni the Tiger! They're gggrrreat!
The base colour is a new purchase - W7 UV Nail Polish in Disco - love the colour but haven't tested out the UV-ness as yet. I then added detail with black and white nail art pens. Trick to get tapered stripes is to draw from outside edge in, pressing firmly to start with and giving lighter pressure as you draw towards the tapered end.

Happy painting... the nailist xxx


Tuesday, 4 September 2012

Polish Days - Geometry

So although I'm a nail art pro amongst my friends, it has become very apparent that I'm a novice in the blogger community. A whole new world has opened up to me... I had no idea how big the nail blogger community is... and I love it! The challenge is... how to break in to this cyber world of loveliness? Some of these bloggers have been posting for years with professional looking sites and thousands of followers. Some of my personal favourites are The Nailasaurus and Polly Polish and it's Polly who's presenting an opportunity for me to feel part of the vast blogger community.

She's created 'Polish Days', where a theme is set and all subscribed bloggers post a design around that theme all at the same time, with links to all other blogs.

So this is my first stab at the latest 'Polish days' theme - 'Geometry'.

My first thoughts were of the doodles often created in the margins of many a school work book where you end up with lots of little triangles, which inspired the design on the thumb. And things developed from there... basically, it's all about angles with a tribal neon theme to make them pop.

I started with a base of Models Own Pro Limited Edition in French White. Then I created the designs with three Models Own nail art pens in yellow, black and pink (I'm not sponsored by Models Own, honestly!). Then finished off with a layer of Seche Vite top coat. I repeated the designs on my right just mixing up which design was on which finger.

You definitely need a steady hand for this one, so for those of you who want to try something more simple, I've resurfaced a previous 'geometric' design from last month.
You can see the 'how to' here

Check out what the other bloggers have done...


Happy painting... the nailist xxx


Monday, 3 September 2012

Spots and stripes

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. I've still been taking photos but due to busy evenings and weekends away I haven't had a chance to post. So plenty of designs to update you on!

This design obviously came to me subliminally, as I was in NYC at the time and inadvertently ended up with a very stars and stripes American flag look. The base is actually orange, rather than red, but there's no getting away from it... I was brainwashed into patriotism!

I used a base of Rimmel 60 Second Nail Polish in 440 Sun Downer followed by a corner sweep of Max Factor Max Effects in Candy Blue. Spots and stripes added with black and white nail art pens.

Happy painting... the nailist xxx

Sunday, 19 August 2012

Cupcake dreams

So one of my many dreams (I'm a bit of an idealistic dreamer!) is to one day own a cupcake cafebar, famous for the best cupcakes in town which you can buy to take away or sit in an enjoy with a cocktail. There would of course be somewhere to get your nails done while sipping your cocktail. I imagine the decor will be retro glam - think American diner meets Breakfast at Tiffany's! Well, one day maybe... In the meantime the dream has inspired my latest design, 'Cupcake Dream's, and here's the how to.

(By the way, it would be really good to hear your thoughts on my blog. I know I have some followers via facebook but it would be great to get your comments and following on the actual blog)
This is a bit of a complex one so here goes...

Step 1  - Base colours
After a good base coat to avoid staining, apply a light pink to eight nails and lavender colour to one nail on each hand - choose a different nail on each hand. I used Bourjois So Laque Ultra Shine in Rose Satin for the pink and Prevail Nail Lacquer in Lush Lounge for the lavender.

Once dry, using a white nail art pen such as Models Own Nail Art Pen in white draw a deep semi circle on the lavender nails

Step 2 - Outline semi circle
Then fill in the top half of the semi circle with one coat of white - I used Models Own Pro Limited Edition in French White

Step 3 - Fill in outline
Allow the white to dry and then create the cupcake base by adding a pink tip with a 'frilly' base. Just paint across the tip moving the brush in a zigzag motion to give the impression of frosting. I used Models Own in Pastel Pink.

Step 4 - add cupcake base
While that dries, start applying the various designs to different nails. Firstly, I created candy stripes using a thin brush and Bourjois One Second Texture Silcone Gel Nail Enamel in Rose Cupcake (apt name!)

Step 5 - Candy stripes
On another nail I did a 'hundreds and thousand' style design adding random small dots of various pastel colours, just using the corner edge of each brush. My selection of colours were Rimmel 60 Seconds 620 'How do you Lilac it', No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour in Minty Fresh, Nail Paint by Barry M in Lemon Ice Cream, Ruby & Millie Nail Colour in Green 710C and Bourjois One Second Texture Silcone Gel Nail Enamel in Rose Cupcake.
Step 6 - Hundreds and thousands
On my little fingernail I created a simple white polka dot design using the dotter on the Models Own white nail art pen.

Step 7 - polka dots
Now, going back to the cupcake fingers apply vertical stripes to define the cupcake case. I used a Models Own Nail Art Pen in Pink.

Step 8 - Define cupcake base
On the last nail add a wide tip using the lavender base colour of the cupcake nail

Step 9 - Lavender tip
Now back to the cupcake finger, using the colours used on the 'hundreds and thousands' nail add some small random flecks to the white part of the cupcake and a bejewelled cherry on top. I used a pink rhinestone from an assortment pack, Broadway Nails Fashion Diva 3D Art Deluxe Nail & Body Art Kit. The best way to apply these is to add a dot of clear top coat to the nail and then using a toothpick, deep the end in some clear top coat, pick up the rhinestone and dot it on.

Step 10 - Finishing touches to cupcake
Add a shiny top coat to all nails and there you have it... nails good enough to eat (not literally!)!
Here's a shot of the other hand...

and here's the kit

The kit


Happy painting...the nailist xxx

Monday, 23 July 2012

Teeny tiny polka dotty

I didn't have much time today but seen as the sun is finally out I opted for a bright pink and pepped it up with some quick polka dots.

No long step by step 'how to' needed for this one... all you do is select a bright colour for all over your nails. Paint two coats and allow to dry. Then using a nail art dotter add some tiny polka dots - keeping the pattern random. You can either do all the same colour dots or alternate colours on every other nail as above. Or if you have a bit more time mix the colours up on each nail so you have a multi-coloured dot effect. Finish off with a high shine top coat.

Here I've used Urban Retreat 'UR hot' for the base hot pink colour and then black and white Models Own nail art pens for the dots.

Happy painting... the nailist xxx