Wednesday, July 18, 2012

All Dressed Up

......The names Bond....James Bond.....

That was the first thing that came to mind after I finished my latest experiment :]

I absolutely love tuxes! If I were a guy I would totally wear one all the time for 2 reasons......1) Girls think guys look really good in them and 2).....well guys look really good in them! lol

Hahahah I'm kidding of course (mostly ;) ) But I do think they're very classy and handsome :)

So to start things off all you need is a black and a white striper. It's very easy, but it looks like you spent forever on it! You can of course alter the colors to whatever you want, and even add more details if you wish!

 Step 1: Use your black to make lines that way you can see where your going to put your white and your black. You can make it as wide or as narrow as you want, but make sure you leave enough room for a bow tie!


Step 2: Next you need to start filling it in! You can use a full sized brush, but I just used my stripers because they were already open.. :]

Step 3: Now for the fun part! Make a bow tie by making two triangles with a dot in the middle. Make it any color you want! I chose the classic black, but I thought about making it hot pink :D Then put little dots for the buttons, put on a shiny top coat, and your all dressed up and ready to go :)


See?? I told you it was quick and easy!! This is only my first time trying this, but I can guarantee, Ill be doing it again!!



Try it out and share your success here!! Im looking for some more fan photos!! Good luck! :D

Monday, July 2, 2012

4th of July!!! :D

Every year, I always have to do my nails red, white, and blue for the 4th of July. Its a habit, and it makes me feel more festive (without having to wear a flag all that week lol) Most of the time I just do stripes. (creative, right?)  But this year I decided that I needed to do something different........very different :]
  I was experimenting on each of my nails, trying to figure out which one I wanted to do. But then I realized.......I really liked the look of having each of my nails look different! So with that, I painted my left hand in the same designs I did on my right! 





See what I mean? They are all verrrrrrry different (But I love them!) =)

To save you from reading a mile-long post with step-by-step instructions on each of my nails, I figured I would take each nail and kind of explain how I did it, and give you tips if need be. Ready?? Ok, then let it begin :]

With my thumb, I just took my red, white, and blue stripers and made little arcs with them to make swirls... if you were extremely talented and practiced up, you would be able to make the swirls with one stroke of the brush. But this being only my second time making swirls, mine are far from perfect! After I made my swirls, I took my glitter polish and made dots/swirls. I did that mostly, because I love glitter, so when I have the opportunity, you bet Im going to put some glitter on it :]
  With my pointer finger, I put my favorite design of all time: Polka-Dots! I put 2 coats of white as my base and put blue and red dots on it... To give it that sparkle, I put my glitter polish over my dots that I had already made. That way you can still see the red and the blue, but it gives it extra dimension :]

TIP: Hold your brush as straight as you can to make a perfectly round dot. The lighter you press, the smaller the dot. The harder you press, the bigger the dot!
My middle finger (or Mr.Tall Man we call it in Daycare :])  was the hardest one for sure. I used the blue striper and made 2 lines going up and 2 lines going across as the start of my plaid. Then I took my red striper and put it right along the left side of my blue and my white on the right side of my blue. But the trick is, dont put the red and the white across the blue at the cross sections! If you want to try it, then go right ahead, but I like it so much better like this =) And then, to add the sparkle, I put the glitter on the cross sections.

Now my ring finger didnt exactly turn out like I wanted....... It was supposed be an exploding firework, but it ended up looking more like....well.... I dont exactly know! lol But I still think it looks cool, so I kept it :] I used a red as the base color, and used the blue and white stripers to make the lines. I put the glitter only on the blue lines, so that it wouldnt be overly glittery (surprising for me ;) )
And the last one is my pinky, which is my favorite one I think... Mostly because I started with a french tip. But also, because it was so easy! All you do is put a white stripe across the top of your nail, and dont worry if its not straight, your just going to cover most of it anyways. I started with a red and made a slightly curved line going up to make the tail of the firework. Then, to make the top, put as many lines as you like, but make them curve downward, because fireworks...you know.....fall lol Then do the same thing think with the blue, but as you make the line that goes upward, make it curve in the opposite direction. Then put the glitter on top of that and your all good :]

And there it is! My 4th of July look! Try only one of them, or try them all! Send me pics of the ones that you tried or post them on my Facebook Page!
 I'm excited to see what you guys come up with!!!

Thanks for reading this, good luck, and have a great Independence Day!!! :D


Monday, June 18, 2012

And The Winner Is.............

Hey everyone!! Sorry this one took me a while to get up! Ive been asking all you readers what you wanted me to try next via my poll. And so.......... after over 2 weeks, we finally have a winner! Only leading by 2 points......... Converse Shoes!!!!!! :D
 Converse is one of my favorite types of shoes, so I was ecstatic to say the least when this won!

This is the first time Ive attempted to do these, even though its always been on my "to-do list"....

 Its going to take a while, so make sure you have the time (and patience)! Okay, so let's get down to it! :]


   You don't need the exact colors I have, because we all have different tastes! My inspiration for my nails came from my 3 pairs of converse that I have... which happen to be my favorite colors lol

 Glitters a color, right?? ;)

SO, Step 1: After putting a coat of the clear polish, paint 2 coats of whatever color you want ( I chose hot pink, black, and silver)
 Make sure that each layer of polish is completely dry between each step! 

Tip: To give the glitter appearance, I pained 2 coats of the silver polish and then topped it with 1 coat of the fabulous glitter polish. (that way you dont need to put 5 coats of the glitter to have it look really glittery)


Step 2: Put a line of white polish for the "toe cap".  Make it as thin or as thick as you want, just don't round it like you would a French Tip, keep it straight across.. You may need to put 2 coats of this... it all depends on if you can see the base color underneath.

Tip: Remember my tip about using the striper to even out your line if its not as even or as straight as you want!


Step 3: Put 2 rows of dots in the middle of your nail, using your silver striper..... you can put as many or as little as you want, theyre just for the eyelets (where the laces go through).

Tip: They don't have to be exactly even, you can always alter them with the next step!

Step 4: Put a rounded black stripe closer to the tip of your nails.....try to have the stripe start under the white and end around the same place on the other side......I think it gives it more of a 3-D look! This makes the racing stripe!


If you prefer your Converse without laces, then this is the look for you! :D

Step 5: Using the black striper, put dots over your silver dots that you already have on there... this gives it the appearance of an actual eyelet!

Tip: Its pretty hard to get it right in the center with the tiny brushes, so aim to paint the black dots a little higher then you would think, and most of the time, it'll go in the center... if that dosent work, then try a little lower! One of the reasons that you wait so long in between layers is that you should be able to just wipe off the layer that you just messed up........... believe me, it helps!! :D
 Step 6: Take your white striper and make laces!! Cris-cross, or whatever way you like to tie your Converse! (some people have their own unique way!)

Tip: Its not gonna be perfect............so stop stressing!!


Clean up your edges, put on a clear coat and you have this!!! :D Adorable, right!?


So, now I'm going to show you why you need to wait for it to dry COMPLETELY........


I rushed this hand and then when I "thought" it was dry, I went on with my life.............. yeah, I think I need to take my own advice more often.. So let this be a warning lol

So, thank you for reading through this!! If you need any help, or have any questions, just let me know!!

And if you have anymore ideas for me to try, then PLEASE comment and share it with me! Im always willing to try new things!! :D









Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Easiest Design.... Ever! :D

Hey, so the other day, I was looking through pictures of nails and found a really cool one that had text on it!! Text!! So I did more research and found out how to do it..... the instructions were not that clear, so I kinda figured it out as I go. So here are some clear instructions ;)

I was looking for some newspaper and tried to find the Style section.... but our paper no longer has it :P Sooo I found a sports section (not my cup of tea).... But I found one that was about Tebow! He's awesome, so I was totally happy to use that story ;) lol Even though, truthfully, it dosent matter what the print says...you cant read it anyways. I just like knowing that what my nails say is something I like =)
So anyways.....

Step 1: After applying a clear base coat, put on 2 coats of your white to give it a crisp background...

 TIP: You may need more than 2 coats, it depends on how thick your white is... you dont want thin spots on this design! 

Step 2: Put 2 more coats of the almost sheer pinkish/orangish color, just so that it makes your nails look worn (in a good way, of course) =)
TIP: Remember that nobodys perfect with their brush skills! So if theres a mess around the edges, then so be it... itll always come off later! Knowing that will relieve the stress of trying to be absolutely perfect!

Step 3: After your nails are completely dry (it should take around 20 minutes for it to be where you want it) 
Dip your nails in the Rubbing Alcohol so that your nail is realllllly wet!


TIP: I just put the Alcohol in its own cover... no need to use a different bowl! 

Step 4: Press the newspaper on your nail with the print that you want facing the nail. Then take a Q-Tip dipped in the Alcohol and run it over the newspaper to make sure that it will transfer. After that, firmly hold the newspaper on your nails for about 10 seconds to make sure that it will stay.
TIP: Make sure that you press all around the nail (without moving it) to have the text be all around your nail.
If you wanted to make a cool fading pattern, just play around with how hard you press the paper onto your nail! (and let me know how it turns out!!)

Step 5: Take the newspaper off, and as soon as it starts to dry, put on a clear top coat!! This seals the ink on your nails, and wont let it fade more then it should! (plus, it makes it nice and shiny ;) )



And your DONE!! This is seriously the easiest design I've done in a loooong time :] Ill definitely be doing this again! 

I hope this was clear enough for you! Give it a try and let me know how it turns out! I can guarantee, you wont be sorry :D



<3


Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Summer Fever :]

Hey, ya'll!! So a while ago.....before spring even started... I had summer fever. Totally skipped spring fever and went straight to summer lol I'm a warm weather girl :] I love the sunny days and the warm nights where you wear shorts, flip flops, and a huge sweatshirt... The sweet tea, the salads, and of course the fresh fruit :) Ahhhh why cant it be summer right now?? Grrrr, anyways, back to my post lol
So as soon as I got that feeling, I had to do something about it! I couldn't exactly wear shorts and flip flops in at least 3 feet of snow outside, so I got my polish out and set to work :]

So what says summer like watermelons?? I actually hate the taste of watermelon, but I love the smell and of course the looks of them :D

So I actually took step-by-step pictures and I'm gonna explain the best that I can.......so ready? K, lets get started :]

First, take the pink/orange of your choice.....Mine is Wet 'n Wild's Dreamy Poppy (such a cute name, right?)and put on 2 coats.
 TIP: Be sure to wait 10-15 minutes between coats, otherwise it just not gonna dry right.
Of course, don't forget to put a coat of clear nail polish before you start anything! You don't want your nails to turn yellow from the dyes in the colored polish! 

Next: Take a lime or a bright green.... mines Sally Hanson's X-treme Nail Wear's Green With Envy....and put a stripe on the tips of your nails (1 or 2 coats, it depends on how dark you want it) It doesn't have to be a perfect line, because your gonna cover the bottom anyways. 

TIP: Let them dry FULLY before you start the next step... believe me, its a mess if you don't!

I took them as soon as I painted them, so please excuse the messy edges, I always clean them up when its said and done. 

Ok, now's where you gotta bring out your steadiest hand... or, if your worried, have someone else try it for you =) 
 Your gonna need your white striper for the rind. (remember the polish with the tiny brush) And run it right underneath the green, or on top of it if your stripe is kinda off.
TIP: You can paint it in however many strokes you need, as long as you like the end result! I started on the opposite side of my nail and pulled it towards me, in one stroke =)

My white striper is Kiss Nail Art's White ( it came in a set with black and silver )

And last but not least, most watermelons have seeds, so you gotta do seeds!
 In order to make them, grab your black striper and make vertical lines under your white stripe :]
TIP: Start the line where you want the seeds to end (like mid-nail) And pull the brush upwards. It helps give it a teardrop look and it gives you better control over the size/length.
Clean up your mess with some nail polish remover on a Q-tip (or you could just wait until you next take a shower.... the extra will fall right off) 
Put a clear coat on top to seal and you have Summer ready nails!! (even if its not summer out lol)
TIP: Please, please, please, wait at least an hour before showering or doing something that would scratch your nails!

Finished product!! :D

Every time I looked down at my nails, I felt soooo much happier..... and coincidentally a tad bit warmer ;) 
Hope you enjoyed learning how to make watermelons! And remember: Have fun with it!! It shouldn't be a chore, but a nice relaxing getaway from the world :D

Questions?? Just comment, and Ill answer :]

<3


Tuesday, May 15, 2012

The Beginning! :D

  So, today is GRADUATION DAY! Yep, thats right, I am now no longer in high school on May 15th (thank you homeschooling! ;) )
 Well my last assignment I had to do was a book report on a super long book.... which would be no problem because I had a couple of weeks to do it. But, heres the problem..... Im am a procrastinator. Big time. I get distracted very easily, and one of those ways that I get distracted is when I look down at my typing nails and see chips in my polish...
 I am a perfectionist on lot of things, but I think when it comes to my nails, its just bad lol
So of course I have to stop, take my current nail polish off ( gotta find the remover before I start chipping them off!!), and find some crazy design that of course takes me forever to do...
 And then it begins. The research (google images is my friend), asking peoples opinions and of course, looking through my huge basket of nail polish to see if I have the "perfect" colors :] 
 A little while ago, when I was asking for ideas on what to do, my boyfriend asked me if I could possibly do one of his favorite designs.... the John Deere logo. lol
So after some thinking about it, and looking up some pictures, I figured "You know what? Why not!" Im always up for a challenge!
So yesterday, after finding all the the polish I needed, I set to work! And after almost a half hour I came out with this:
 I thought it was pretty good! I only did my thumbs because I had to be somewhere, but this is my left hand (and I am left handed)  and it somehow turned out better then my right hand did! Go figure! :]
 Its definitely not perfect, but it was way better then I ever thought possible! I did it with my yellow striper (nail polish with a very small brush) And just kinda winged it! I thought about making a tutorial, and I probably could it you wanted me too, but its basically just going extremely slow until the nail polish goes where you want it to!

So thanks for reading my rambles! And Ill be putting up different designs and tutorials on how to do them, as I do them :]

<3