Halloween Nail Art! Bats Emerging!

Hello everyone!

I hope you're all enjoying the long weekend - I sure have been!
It has been a while since we had a full weekend of sunshine and with the extra day, we've definitely taken advantage of it. 

Now, I know I'm a little early on this one. I was going to post this design next week but, due to my bad organization skills, you get it this week! Lucky you! Ha ha.
I 'accidentally' purchased several Halloween stamping plates a few months ago, so I have a lot of potential design ideas floating around in my head. But, let's start with something nice and easy; a simple gradient with some stamping. 

Halloween Bats Emerging Nail Art

I used these polishes for this mani:
Matte Purple by BYS Cosmetics
Mellow Yellow by Sally Hansen
Ready To Take Off by UNT Cosmetics
Kwik Dry Top Coat by Sally Hansen
Big Matte Top Coat by Sally Hansen
Black Stamping Polish by Emily de Molly

I also used these tools:
Liquid Latex by LuLaa
Stamping Plate BPL-031
Stamping Plate Celebration BPX-L007
Clear stamper
Scraper
Mani Saver
Cotton wool with acetone
Cosmetic Sponge

Halloween Bats Emerging Nail Art with Mellow Yellow

I started with Ready To Take Off for the base (this is just quicker than cotton pads and acetone, as I will be repainting my nails for an event next week). Once that was dry, I applied two coats of Mellow Yellow. For some reason, the second coat was taking quite long to dry, so I ended up applying Kwik Dry Top Coat over it to help the process along. While that was drying, I painted liquid latex around each nail.
After allowing that to dry, I applied Mellow Yellow and Matte Purple horizontally onto a cosmetic sponge and began dabbing it over each nail. I moved the sponge up and down to get even coverage whilst creating a slight gradient, reapplying polish to the sponge as necessary. Once I was satisfied, I removed the liquid latex and then applied another coat of Kwik Dry Top Coat before reapplying the liquid latex to protect my skin from the stamping polish.
Next, I gathered my stamping tools. I applied Black Stamping Polish over the design I wanted on plate BPX-L007, scraped over it, picked up the image and pressed it onto the nail. Cleaning the plate between uses with my mani saver and a cotton ball, I also removed the liquid latex after each stamp. I used this stamp on my index and pinkie nails. These steps were repeated for my middle and ring nails, with a different image on plate BPL-031. After allowing time to dry, I applied Kwik Dry Top Coat to seal it all in and finished off with Big Matte Top Coat. 

Halloween Bats Emerging Nail Art with Matte Purple

I'm pretty happy with this design. I didn't want to do another orange Halloween design like last year, so I decided to do purple and yellow because I feel that's still pretty Halloween-y. Plus, they're opposing colours of the colour wheel so you know they'll go well together!
I was aiming for a sort of creepy sunset look, with the bats coming out for the night. 

What do you think?
Do you do Halloween nails?
Leave me a comment below!

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Thanks for stopping by!

Peek-a-boo Nail Art Design

Hello all!

We have been lucky enough to have a full weekend of sunshine! It's almost feeling like summer, I can't wait to get my shorts out! Not to mention getting to do all the summer nail art. I really can't wait for that. So many stamps to try! I'm going to have to print out some of those printable sheets to plan designs.

This week I decided to take a walk down memory lane, back to a time when all the tools I had were polish brushes and striping tape. My collection has grown quite a bit since then, but I always enjoyed how much you can actually do with something as simple as tape and at least two polishes! Heck, you could probably do it with one, if you're into negative space. So this is my Peek-a-boo nail art - perfect for those of you just starting out.

Peek-a-boo Nail Art

I used these polishes:
Lady In Black by OPI
Blanc by Essie
Unicorn Magic by BYS Cosmetics
Top and Base Coat by Rimmel
Kwik Dry Top Coat by Sally Hansen

As well as these tools:
Thin striping tape

Peek-a-boo Nail Art with Unicorn Magic

I started this design with my Top and Base coat. After allowing that to dry, I applied two coats of Blanc. Next, I applied four coats of Unicorn Magic. This colour is very sheer and will change depending on what is used as a base (see here where I used a black base), which means four coats was necessary for this design. Once dry, I applied Kwik Dry Top Coat. This will protect the polish from being peeled up by the tape.
Once all that was dry, I began cutting up pieces of the striping tape. I always make them much longer than necessary so I don't risk messing up my nail art while removing them. Plus, it's cheap and I have so many rolls, I don't think I will ever run out!
I didn't prepare a set amount, I just cut a few pieces and stuck them to the edge of my desk until it looked like there were about enough. I then applied them at random over my middle nail then pressed them down securely to the nail before painting over them with Lady In Black. Once the nail was covered, I removed them one piece at a time. The same was done with my ring finger nail; keeping with the randomness and making sure not to duplicate the previous nail's design. Once I removed the tape, I allowed the polish to dry, then finished off with a Kwik Dry Top Coat.

Peek-a-boo Nail Art with Blanc

I am actually so happy about this design. I always love this peek-a-boo polish-style nail art. Of course, it always looks awesome with black over top. Probably because I love black polish more than any other. With the glittery colour underneath it makes a nice contrast.

Here's one of my very first nail art designs I did similar to this one. Be kind; it was quite a while ago and it took me three days to complete the entire hand because I had no real idea what I was doing. This one only took a few hours (including dry time). Next time I'm going to use a colour that isn't so sheer, so that it won't take as long.

What do you think?
Do you like the peek-a-boo designs?

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Give me a like once you get there.

Thanks for stopping by!

Dry Garden Nail Art.

Hello lovely people!

I hope you're all doing well.

It has been a nice, quiet weekend for me; I spent a good portion of yesterday in my pj's. It was fun, it has been a while since I've done that and today has just been nail art. Pretty much my ideal weekend - the only thing missing is reading, but I'll be doing that as soon as this post goes live. 

I decided to create a winter-ish design this week. Since it's still quite cold here and winter is showing no sign of leaving anytime soon, it gave me a chance to use some of the colours I don't very often get to. I also got to use another "new" plate!
I'm calling this one Dry Garden, due to the use of the dry brush technique, as well as the dark colours. 

These are the nail polishes I used:

Snuggle Me by Face Of Australia

Instant Adventure by Essence

Mixetaupe by Essie

Black Stamping Polish by Emily de Molly

Kwik Dry Top Coat by Sally Hansen

Top and Base Coat by Rimmel

I also used these tools:

Stamping Plate BP-79 by Born Pretty

Large Clear Stamper

Scraper

Liquid Latex by Lulaa

I started with Top and Base Coat. After drying, I applied two coats of Mixetaupe. Taking Snuggle Me, I wiped off the excess polish from the brush using the neck of the bottle. Once I felt I had the right amount of polish on the brush, I gently swiped it across the nail in varying directions. I continued this for all five nails, reapplying when necessary.
The same was done with Instant Adventure, making sure to leave enough of the base colour showing through.
Next, I applied liquid latex around each nail, then allowed to dry before continuing. I then gathered my stamping tools (see list above). Taking stamping plate BP-79, I applied Black stamping polish over the image, scraped off the excess, picked up the design with the stamper and pressed it onto the nail - rolling the stamper back and forth to make sure the whole image transferred correctly. Again, doing this for all five nails, making sure to clean the stamping plate and stamper between each use.
Once the stamps were dry, I applied a coat of Kwik Dry Top Coat to seal it all in.

I really liked this one.
I think it has a bit of an elegant feel to it, which I'm not so good at because, to be honest, I am not exactly very elegant myself! Hahaha!
I do like to dabble though. Besides, I like to do anything and everything on my nails.

I'm also trying to create more winter-themed nails, using those deep cozy colours. Every time I go searching online for ideas on winter nails, all I get is a bunch of snow related stuff, which is frustrating because it only snows in certain areas here, so it seems a little silly for me to do designs like that. 

I also get a lot of Christmas ones, which I don't even like to do during the holiday seasons. I'm not going to start doing them now. 

What do you think?

What do your winter nails look like?

Leave me a comment below with links to your nail art so I can check it out.

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If not, you should be!

Thanks for stopping by!

Hamsa Polka-dot Nail Art

Hola everybody!

I hope you're all doing well.

This week has been very draining on me. I think I might be coming down with something, but it's taking its time getting here. It's causing some serious headaches, so I'm sorry if this blog isn't my strongest. I'll try my best, and hopefully my lovely boyfriend/editor will be able to help.

I took some inspiration from a few images on one of my Pinterest boards. See if you can figure it out which one I used, here. I try not to take directly from other people's nail art, rather just draw inspiration and ideas from them. I had a vague idea of what I was doing, I just needed to pick some polishes and a stamp.
I recently picked up some discounted Sinful Colors from the pastel neon matte collection that has been sitting in the "to be used" section of my polish shelf for a little while now. Obviously, I had to use them. I'll leave the details for now, but you can find a list of polishes and tools just below. 

Hamsa Polka-dot Nail Art 

These are the polishes I used:
Under The Inbluence by Sinful Colors
Quick Study by Sinful Colors
Black Stamping Polish by Emily de Molly
Top and Base Coat by Rimmel
Big Kwik Dry Top Coat by Sally Hansen
Big Matte Top Coat by Sally Hansen

I also used these tools:
Stamping Plate BP-05 by Born Pretty
Medium dotting tool
Large clear stamper
Scraper
Mani Saver
Sandwich bag

Hamsa Polka-dot Nail Art with Quick Study

I started by applying Top and Base Coat. After drying, I applied two generous coats of Quick Study. I say generous because these polishes have a habit of drying too quickly and then I end up pulling the polish off my nails, which is not a good look. Unfortunately, this dose means a longer drying time, but it wasn't too bad.
Once that was finally dry, I grabbed a sandwich bag and placed a drop of Under The Inbluence on it. Taking my medium dotting tool, I dipped it into the polish and began creating a polka-dot design on each nail. I did this by creating a zig-zag pattern with the dots.
Next, I grabbed Stamping plate BP-05 and my other stamping tools. Choosing the design I wanted, I painted over it with Black Stamping Polish, scraped off the excess, picked up the image with my stamper and pressed it onto my middle nail. I placed the image on the lower half of the nail, with it angling to the right. Cleaning the plate with my mani saver and a cotton ball, I repeated this step with my ring finger, but angling the image to the left. As you can see, I didn't place this image quick enough and some of it didn't transfer, but that happens.
I then applied Kwik Dry Top Coat and, once that was dry, finished off with Big Matte Top Coat. 

Hamsa Polka-dot Nail Art with Under The Inbluence & Quick Study

I'm pretty happy with the results of this one. I have always enjoyed a good polka-dot design. These colours are perfect as well; there's nothing better than pastel polka-dots!

I have been trying to use all of my stamping plates; I still have so many with the blue film on them and I haven't bought any in months! The image I used came from one of these plates, which worked out pretty well for me. 

The Hamsa goes well with all the yoga-related designs I've been doing lately. I do realize the last yoga design I did was very similar in the way of stamping placement and that it was also matte. Obviously I liked it though, so why not do it again?
I'll try and be a bit more creative with the next one.

What do you think?

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Thanks for stopping by!

Sunrise and Silhouettes Nail Art

Hello everyone!

I hope you're enjoying your weekend. Today has been a beautiful sunny day, which is very welcome after a few days of clouds and rain. So, of course I decided to stay inside and do nail art instead of getting out and enjoying it... It did make it a lot easier to see what I was doing, though!

This week's nail art was inspired by a photo I took, or rather a photo I WANTED to take. A few weeks ago I work up early, hoping to get some nice photographs of the sunrise. Unfortunately for me, it was the worst morning for it -so overcast that we didn't get any sun until midday! I did end up with a really cool shot of a skeleton tree with the gloomy clouds behind it, though. So instead, I decided I'd create the sunrise on my nails, since nature didn't want to play... AND I had the perfect holos to create the sunrise look I wanted to achieve. I've called this one "Sunrise and Silhouettes Nail Art".

Sunrise and Silhouettes Nail Art

I used these polishes:
Big Hair Don't Care by Celestial Cosmetics
Mind That Mullet by Celestial Cosmetics
Care Bear Cuddles by Celestial Cosmetics
Black Stamping polish by Emily de Molly
Nail Base & Top Coat by Rimmel
Kwik Dry Top Coat by Sally Hansen

As well as these nail art tools:
Stamping plate BP - L015 by Born Pretty 
Larger Clear Stamper
Scraper
Liquid Latex by Lulaa
Cosmetic sponge

Sunrise and Silhouettes with Mind That Mullet

To create this design, I began by applying a Base Coat. After allowing to dry, I applied one coat of Big Hair Don't Care. While that was drying, I applied a coat of Liquid Latex around each nail, making sure to cover the tips of my fingers (my nails being so short causes the polish to flow over the tips and really makes a mess!).
Once that had dried, I painted one stripe of each colour; Big Hair Don't Care, Mind The Mullet and Care Bear Cuddles, across the cosmetic sponge and in that order to create the sunrise effect. I then dabbed the sponge over each nail, re-applying the polish as necessary. Being holo, it took these polishes quite a few coats to get the desired effect.
I then removed the latex and allowed to dry.
Before continuing, I re-applied latex to my middle two fingers, then grabbed my stamping tools, including stamping plate BP-L015. Selecting the design I wanted, I painted over it with Black stamping polish, scraped off the excess, picked up the image with my stamper and pressed it firmly onto the nail, gently rolling it a little to make sure it transferred correctly. I did this for both my middle finger and ring finger nails, making sure to clean the plate between uses. I finished it off with Kwik Dry Top Coat. 

Sunrise and Silhouettes with Black stamping polish

I love this design!
I know, I know, I say that every week. But it's true!
I have a big thing for trees, especially skeleton trees, and the sunrise look is amazing. Using holos added a nice touch of magic to the whole design, and if you've ever seen the sunrise, you'll know how magical it can be. 

These holos are so amazing, I love using them. I should really try to use them more often. I'm still sad that Celestial is no more. They are the perfect blend of colour and holo, I couldn't get enough. Maybe one day they'll return. 

What do you think?
Let me know by leaving a comment!

Thanks for stopping by!

Chevron Nail Art

Hi all!

I hope everyone is doing well!I didn't think I was going to make it in time for this post today. My computer is slowly on the way out and I have a bad habit of leaving my photo editing until the last minute, which means I was about ready to give up.
But, I got it together and here we are!

This week I was inspired by a canvas I found on Pinterest. It looked so exciting, so I decided to put my own spin on it and turn it into a nail art design. I did keep it a little less messy, simply because I did not want to spend too long on clean up (I'm a bit lazy, ha ha). It's a combination of dry brush and chevron vinyls. Dry brush being my favorite technique and chevrons being my favorite pattern (besides paisleys, but that's a different story).

Chevron Nail Art

For this design, I used these polishes:
In Your Elemelon by Sinful Colors
Wonder Mint by Sinful Colors
Acid Test by Sinful Colors
Lilac Out Loud by Sinful Colors
Lady In Black by OPI
Nail Base & Top Coat by Rimmel
Kwik Dry Top Coat by Sally Hansen
Big Matte Top Coat by Sally Hansen

As well as these products:
Chevron Vinyls

Chevron Nail Art with Lilac Out Loud

I started this design with Nail Base & Top Coat, then applied two coats of In Your Elemelon. After allowing this to dry, I grabbed Lilac Out Loud. Using the neck of the bottle, I wiped the excess polish off the brush, then swiped the brush across each nail in various directions.
I repeated this with Wonder Mint and Acid Test, taking care not to overpower the In Your Elemelon underneath. I did go back in with Lilac Out Loud to make sure it came through. This dries pretty quickly, so I was able to do one colour after the other.
Once I was happy with the dry brush, I applied a coat of Kwik Dry Top Coat. I allowed the top coat to dry completely so I could apply the vinyls without ruining the whole design.
I placed two thin chevron vinyls on the lower half of my index finger (I only had thin ones, but you could use thick ones if you would prefer), making sure there was no space between them. I then applied two on my middle finger, leaving space between them. Skipping my ring finger, I placed two more on my pinky nail in the center, again, making sure there was no space between them. Before moving on, I made sure each vinyl was secured to the nail. Using Lady In Black, I painted over all nails except my ring finger nail, removing the vinyls before moving onto the next nail to avoid making a mess.
After allowing Lady In Black to dry, I applied Kwik Dry Top Coat. 
To complete the design, I applied Big Matte Top Coat.

Chevron Nail Art with Acid Test

I was pretty happy with the final look. It's not exactly like the image I got the inspiration from, but that's how inspiration works!

This one was fun to wear as I love chevrons, pastels and black... so all my favourites were covered in this design!

Most of these Sinful Colors are from their Pastel Neon Matte collection, so they're obviously made to go together. I do wish I had the whole collection, though!

What do you think?

Where do you find your inspiration?

Let me know by leaving a comment below, or find me on social media here.

Thanks for stopping by!  

Yoga Pants Inspired Nail Art

Hello beautiful people!

I'm sorry I didn't get time to do a post last week - I had a very busy day and by the time I got home I was too tired to even look at my nails. However, I have had a lot more free time lately, which means I have added to my collection of nail art and now have back ups for days just like that. 

This week's nail art (in case you didn't read the title) was inspired by my fantastic new yoga pants, which I managed to get for free (using a loyalty program!)
These are the yoga pants for comparison.

The design on these pants is just so cool, that when I bought them, I knew I had to recreate it in nail art form. I was hoping to use holographic polish for this nail art and, luckily, I was able to find ones that matched pretty closely. 

Yoga Pants Inspired Nail Art

I used these polishes:
Sample by Celestial Cosmetics (I received this as a gift with purchase)
Big Hair Don't Care by Celestial Cosmetics
Mind That Mullet by Celestial Cosmetics
Mermaids Tale by BYS Cosmetics
Ready To Take Off by UNT
Kwik Dry Top Coat by Sally Hansen

I used these tools:
Sandwich bag
Fan nail art brush
Short nail art brush

Yoga Pants Inspired Nail Art with Mind That Mullet

I started with one coat of Ready To Take Off. After drying, I applied two coats of Sample. Once dry, I grabbed my brushes and a sandwich bag, then applied a few drops of Big Hair Don't Care to the bag. Using the fan brush, I picked up some polish and lightly brushed it across part of the nail. I did this for all five nails, making several passes, as Sample was quite dark and detracted from the lighter colour.
Moving onto Mind That Mullet, I applied some polish to the bag. Taking the short brush, I scooped up Mind That Mullet and painted the nail where Big Hair Don't Care hadn't been previously applied, whilst still leaving space for the third and final colour. Again, I had to make several passes on each nail.
Lastly, I repeated these steps for Mermaids Tale. This one didn't require quite as many coats, due to the iridescent nature of this polish. I then went back in with Sample to create some space in each colour, giving it more of a textured look.
To finish, I applied a coat of Kwik Dry Top Coat. 

Yoga Pants Inspired Nail Art with Sample

I had a great time creating this design. It took a whole lot more work than I was anticipating, but it was interesting to see the way the colours reacted to each other. Mermaids Tale comes out pretty majestically over the dark colours. This is part of the fake Holo collection from BYS Cosmetics (they labeled it as Holographic, but we all know it's not). You can see more of that here.

It was pretty cool to have my nails match my clothing for a change. I always wanted to be someone who changed their nail polish every day just for the effect, but I struggle to find time to do them even once a week, let alone once a day!

Next time, I would probably use Big Hair Don't Care as the base colour. It would have been so much easier, but I wanted to stick with the inspiration as much as I could. I definitely learnt something from this one.  

What do you think of the mash of holos?

Have you recreated the design of your yoga pants?

Leave me a comment, photo or link.

Thanks for stopping by!

Gradient Garden Nail Art

Hello hello!

I hope my fellow Aussies are enjoying the long weekend. Usually, I'd be away right now. Sitting by the fire, wine in hand, looking over the dam. But, here I am, bringing you more of my nail creations. I'm okay with that though. It has taken me about 4 hours to get my photos ready for today (lesson learnt, I'll be getting my photos edited in advance from now on). Photoshop was being a pain in the butt, but I finally got it sorted, so here we go.

This week, I have a fun gradient with some stamping. I have no idea what to call it... gradient garden? I think that will do. It includes some of my favorite nail things; gradients (obviously), pastels and stamping! Details on polishes, tools and directions are below. 

Gradient Garden Nail Art

I used these polishes:
Rose Libertine by Rimmel 
Roll In The Green by Rimmel
Lovey Dovey by Rimmel
White Stamping Polish by Born Pretty
As Black As Night stamping polish by Hit The Bottle
Nail Base & Top Coat by Rimmel
Kwik Dry Top Coat by Sally Hansen

I also used these tools:
Liquid latex by LuLaa
Cosmetic sponge
Large clear stamper
Scraper
Stamping plate 05 by Born Pretty
Cotton ball
Mani saver

Gradient Garden with Purple

I started with Nail Top & Base coat. Once dry, I applied two coats of Roll In The Grass. After allowing time to dry (at least to the touch), I applied liquid latex around each nail, then continued to let dry. Next, I grabbed a cosmetic sponge and applied one stripe of Roll In The Grass, Lovey Dovey and Rose Libertine across the sponge. I then gently dabbed over each nail, making sure each colour was evenly distributed on the nail whilst not blending them together too much. This took a fair few coats for all five nails, and I needed to reapply the polishes to the sponge a few times. Once I had an even gradient, I removed the liquid latex and allowed the polish to dry. I then gathered my tools and stamping plate 05. Picking my design, I painted White stamping polish across the design, scrapped off the excess and picked up the image with the stamper. I pressed the design onto my index nail, making sure to roll the stamper in order for the stamp to completely cover the nail. Then, using some tape, I removed what had transferred onto my skin (I may have forgotten to use latex this time). Remembering to clean my plate between each use with my mani saver and a cotton ball dipped in acetone, I repeated this on my middle finger. I did the same for my ring and pinky finger, only using As Black As Night stamping polish instead. To finish off the design, I applied a coat of Kwik Dry Top Coat. 

Gradient Garden with Green

I initially intended on continuing with the white stamping, but after doing two, I decided black would look better. Since I had already done the white, I was not starting again and decided it was more fun with the two different colours. If I were to recreate it, I'd stick with black. I feel like it brings out the pastel colours underneath so much better. These colours deserve to shine! I love this green, I'm a little obsessed with it and I probably have about 4 similar ones. Woops.

What do you think?
Would you try this design?

As always, let me know.

Thanks for stopping by!

Boho Gradient Nail Polish

Good afternoon readers!

I hope you are all well.
As for me, unfortunately I've had a cold for about a week now, but it's slowly working it's way out. Luckily, I am currently well enough to do some nail art.
Let's hope it get better from here!

As you're most likely aware, I didn't get a post out last week... For that, I'm slightly sorry. Only slightly because I was extremely exhausted after my trip. But, I did have fun while I was there. Happy to be home though, always happy to be here.

This week's nail art was inspired by two polishes that I had sitting next to each other...Happens all the time! I love my organization skills, haha!
I decided to do a gradient for this one, but soon realized it was missing something. So I added some stamping!
I present to you now, the Boho Gradient!

Below you'll find a list of polishes and tools I used to create this mani. 

Boho Gradient Nail Art 

These are the polishes I used:

Summer by piCture pOlish 
Orchid by piCture pOlish
Sparkling Cyan-ide by Hit The Bottle
Tipsy Grasshopper by Hit The Bottle
Ready To Take Off by UNT Cosmetics
Big Kwik Dry Top Coat by Sally Hansen

These are the tools I used:

Cosmetic sponge
Stamping plate BP - 152 by Born Pretty
Large clear stamper
Plastic scraper
Cotton balls
Mani saver
Liquid latex by LuLaa

Boho Gradient with Orchid 

I started by applying one coat of Ready To Take Off base coat. Once dry, I applied liquid latex around each nail, then painted two coats of Summer on each nail.
After allowing to dry, I grabbed my cosmetics sponge and brushed Summer and Orchid across it. I then dabbed it on each nail, re-applying polish to the sponge after every few dabs. Once satisfied with the gradient, I removed the liquid latex.
After allowing ample time for everything to dry, I applied Big Kwik Dry Top Coat. While that was drying I grabbed stamping plate BP - 152, a stamper, a scraper and the stamping polishes. I chose the design I wanted, then painted a few blobs of Sparkling Cyan-ide and Tipsy Grasshopper over the design. I then scraped off the excess polish, which also blended them together, then picked up the image and pressed it onto the nail. I did this for all five nails, then finished off with Big Kwik Dry Top Coat.

Boho Gradient with Sparkling Cyan-ide & Tipsy Grasshopper

I enjoyed this design, both wearing and creating it. I did mess up a couple of the stamps, due to the polish drying out a little too quickly. But, that's nail art life for you! Ha ha.
These colours are so fun together. So much holo!

The gradient was a little harder to do than usual. Both of these polishes contained glitter, which meant I was basically just dumping it straight onto my nails.
I did get there in the end though, and turned out amazing, if I do say so myself. 

What do you think?
Do you like this as much as I do?

Thanks for stopping by!

Holographic Aztec Inspired Nail Art

Hello everyone!

I hope you're enjoying the weekend. It has been raining on and off for the last few days here, which is amazing and much needed! I love rainy days; staying inside with cozy clothes and all the internet I can poke a stick at. I spent most of yesterday looking at various nail art to get some new ideas. It didn't turn out as successful as I had hoped, but it's always good to see what everyone else is doing with their amazing nail skills.

Today, I am bringing you this fun, holo-filled, Aztec-inspired nail art. I have these fabulous holographic polishes from Celestial Cosmetics that are dying to see the light of day again! I am always so scared to use holo in nail art, but I think this one has helped break me out of this a bit. Hopefully you'll get to see more of it. 

Holographic Aztec-inspired Nail Art

For this design I used these polishes:
Blanc by Essie
Classy, Sassy & A Little Badassy by Celestial Cosmetics
Hell In High Heels by Celestial Cosmetics
Broken Glass by Celestial Cosmetics
Crystal Ship by Celestial Cosmetics
Black Stamping Polish by Emily de Molly
Big Primer Base Coat by Sally Hansen
Kwik Dry Top Coat by Sally Hansen

I also used these items:
BP-L048 Stamping Plate by Born Pretty
Large clear stamper
Scarper
Liquid Latex by Lulaa

Holographic Aztec-inspired Nail Art with Hell In High Heels

I started this design with Big Primer base coat. After drying, I applied two coats of Blanc. I then applied liquid latex around each nail. Taking Broken Glass, I wiped the excess polish off the brush using the neck of the bottle, then gently brushed it on to each nail. I continued with Crystal, Hell In High Heels, and Classy, Sassy & A Little Badassy. I did go back in with the polishes that I felt needed a stronger presence. I then took BP-L048 stamping plate, painted Black stamping polish over the design I wanted, scraped off the excess and used my stamper to transfer each design to the nail. I used three different designs, all from the same plate. After allowing the polish ample time to dry, I applied Kwik Dry Top Coat to finish. 

Holographic Aztec-inspired Nail Art with Broken Glass

So that's all for this one!
I love dry brush nail art - with the addition of holo and stamping over top, it's such a fun design! I love the colour combination of this design, the variation of strong bright colours with the soft ones create a nice juxtaposition. 

I decided to use different designs from the same plate. I don't do this too often, and I'm seeing why - I'm not all that pleased with how it turned out.
If I were to do it again, I'd use the diamond on my pinky, and possibly only on two nails, to really let that dry brush holo shine. Either way, it's still a cool design (in my totally biased opinion).

What are your thoughts?

Thanks for stopping by!

Marble & Stamping Nail Art Design

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to start by saying sorry for my extended absence recently. I have had a lot going on in my personal life, some good and some not so good things which have kept me occupied. Unfortunately, I have been a little too busy to do my usual weekly posting or even nail art in general!

It appears that the dust is finally settling and things are returning to some form of normal. In my time away, I have made a few changes. I'm currently playing with the idea to change the day I put out new posts, although I'm undecided on when/if that will happen. I am still very interested in doing this blog, because I do enjoy it and it's a little bit of a routine I'd like to keep. So, all I can ask is that you bare with me over the next few weeks until everything comes together. With that, let's get onto the nail art!

I have mentioned in other posts that I want to start doing more involved nail art, so I decided to throw a few things into one design and created a marble background with stamping over top. I have these seriously beautiful stamping polishes from Hit The Bottle and they're just sitting there looking pretty, so I'm breaking them out and giving them some time to shine. If you'd like to know how I created this mani, keep reading.

I used these polishes:
Big Primer Base Coat by Sally Hansen
Sparkling Cyan-ide by Hit The Bottle
Paint The Town Violet by Hit the Bottle
Lady In Black by OPI
Blanc by Essie
Cocktail Bling by Essie
Kwik Dry Top Coat by Sally Hansen

Side note, these nails were done about three weeks ago, and I forgot to take note of which grey I used so there's a possibility it could also be Sunny London by Essence.

The products used are:
Stamping Plate 181 by Born Pretty
Plastic Scraper
Large Clear Stamper
Liquid Latex by Lulaa
Thin Striping Brush

I started with one coat of Big Primer base coat, allowed to dry then applied two coats of Blanc for the base. Whilst drying I applied liquid latex around each nail. Using Blanc, Lady in Black and Cocktail Bling, I applied a few drops of each polish to my stamper. I tried to use as little black as possible as it tends to overpower the other colours. I then pressed the stamper onto the nail, rolling and dabbing to get a good blend of colours. Once I was satisfied with the marble, I used an orangewood stick to remove excess polish around the nail and removed the latex. I repeated this for all nails. Once I had finished stamping the marble design, I decided to add just a little more black. Using my thin striping brush and Lady in Black, I created some thin wavy lines. I then used a little bit of acetone to blend it out. For the stamping, I reapplied liquid latex to each nail. After drying, I grabbed my stamping plate, stamper, scraper and Paint The Town Violet. I painted the polish over the portion of design I wanted, then scraped off the excess. Picking it up with the stamper, I quickly pressed the image onto the nail, then removed the latex. I did the same for all nails, except switching to Sparkling Cyan-ide for my middle and pinky nails. To finish off the nail art, I applied a Kwik dry top coat.

I thoroughly enjoyed this design. It was so fun to create and even more fun to wear! I'm sure everyone went through that marble stone obsession that took over the internet in the last year or so, but I'm still stuck on it. 
I love the way these stamping polishes look over the marble. Especially this enchanting blue! It's such a beautiful colour. I wanted it on all of them, but I thought the purple would look just as good. I think I was right, ha ha.

What do you think?
Are you still obsessed with marble too?


Thanks for stopping by!