Simple New Year's Mani

So I saw this manicure on Instagram by @alygaterrr. I really liked it so I thought I would recreate it!

It's super simple:

Paint a white base on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th nails (I used Zoya Snow White). When dry, on the 3rd and 4th fingers, I used a stamp from a Born Pretty Store stamping plate (L006) to create the leopard print design with a black polish (I used Zoya Raven; you can also just hand paint the design by making random c-shapes and squiggles). I then used Orly Luxe to fill in the centers with a thin nail art brush (you can alternatively use a dotting tool or a toothpick). On the 2nd finger, I added two black studs from a kit I got from Claire's. Add a top coat--be sure not to apply too much pressure because the black tends to smear.

On the thumb and pinky, I painted a base of Orly Luxe. I added two of the same studs on these fingers as I did on the previous finger. Add a top coat and that's it!

What are your plans for New Years?

Ornaments and Sparkles

Wow, I haven't done hardly ANY nail art this Christmas! I don't know what my problem is - I've just been doing plain ol' color for most of the month. I saw these on Instagram from @polishedtwins; if you haven't heard of them you need to go check them out! They always have a ton of cute nail art! 

So I did a gradient on my thumbs of Nailtini Lunar Eclipse and Silver Sipper; it's a darker charcoal color and a silver, so anything like that will work. I used Zoya Cho for the 2nd and 3rd fingers; Polish Me Silly's Hypnotic for the ring fingers; and Nailtini's Bloody Mary for the ring finger. 

After doing the gradient on the thumb, I added a coat of Nailtini's Vodka Topper (a clear coat) and sprinkled some of Lit Cosmetics glitter in Tinsel Town. I then added another coat of Vodka Toppet to seal it. 

For the 2nd and 3rd fingers, I made circles with dotting tools and Bloody Mary and Lunar Eclipse, then decorated each with the opposite color using a small nail art brush. I made the top piece of the ornament with Zoya's Raven, and drew a line to connect with my cuticle. 

And on the pinkies, I simply added a round silver stud I got in a nail art kit from Claire's.

Add a quick dry top coat and you're done! Are you all ready for Christmas?

Gold and Silver Geo Nails

I was sent this nail idea from a friend--she saw them on Instagram from user @hannahroxit. I love how simple they are but how elegant they look! The gold and silver contrast is so pretty. 

I used two pieces of nail tape put into a point on each nail. Then for the bottom part of the nail, I used Zoya's Ziv; for the top I used Essie's No Place Like Chrome. I peeled off the tape before the nails were dry to avoid stringy polish. I finished with a quick dry top coat! Easy peasy!

Glow In The Dark Galaxy Nails!

I've been gone SOOOOOO freakin long you guys! I've done a few manis but honestly, they've looked like crap so I didn't want to post them. I got a few new polishes in the mail today from Serum No. 5 and I felt inspired to do this glow in the dark galaxy mani! I kind of suck at galaxy nail art but I figured practice makes perfect, and if by some odd chance they happened to come out, they would be super freakin cool because they're glow in the dark! 

So here are the glow in the dark polishes I used: 

Blue Blazes, Orange You Sunny, Ultra Violet, Indi-glo, Dark Matter, Lights Out

I started with a base of Lights Out. Let me just talk about this one for a second. It's pitch black. And it's glow in the dark. Anyone else scratching their heads?? When I was ordering this, I was like There's no way a black is gonna glow in the dark!! and I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen pics on the site! And it really does (obviously)! Soooo cool!! 

Ok on to the post! So a base of Lights Out. Then I added a quick dry top coat. You don't have to do that, but you do have to wait until it's dry to move on to the next step. Next, I used a cut up makeup sponge to sponge on Blue Blazes, Indi-glo, Orange You Sunny, Ultra Violet, and Dark Matter (I used a separate chunk for each color). Dark Matter is another really interesting color--it's like a duochrome with a redish purple to green shift and a dark base. Super pretty color!

Next, the glitters:

China Glaze Fairy Dust, silver holo glitter

I added one thin coat of Fairy Dust. While it was still wet, I added a few chunks of holo (I think that's what it's called!! It's that really chunky glitter you see there!) glitter randomly on the nails. I did one nail at a time so the glitter polish wouldn't dry before I was done. I finished with a coat of Seche Vite.

So what do you guys think of them?? This is the best looking galaxy mani I've ever done, and I think it looks SOOOO cool in the dark! 

If you guys haven't tried Serum No. 5 yet, you totally need to! I've never really seen anything that glows in the dark the same color as it is in the light - except for maybe glow sticks. Most things usually glow that yellowish color. Anyway, I just think they are so pretty! Also, part of the profits are donated to charity which is pretty cool I think! Go check out their polishes! They also have other polishes besides glow in the dark if that's not your thing :) www.serumno5.com

Chrome Stamp with Purple Base

Wow, it's been a long time since I did a post guys! It's not even that I haven't done my nails or I've been gone or anything like that--I've just been too lazy to post! 😖

So I've been seeing IG posts from a girl I follow and she stamps with Essies No Place Like Chrome and it always comes out beautifully, so I had to give it a shot. I'm really happy with how these turned out! 

I started with a base of Zoya's Savita (it's actually a matte polish, but I didn't care if it was matte or shiny--I just liked the color! Ha!). I added a fast dry top coat (if you want it to stay matte, you'll want to skip that part and also the final top coat). When dry, I used this Cici and Sisi stamp with the Essie polish--

and I stamped each nail. I moved it just a bit for the pinky nails so there was more of those tiny flowers from the top left corner on that nail. 

Then I just finished with a top coat of Seche Vite! These are super easy, but I think they look really elegant. 

What color would you try for a base?

Glow-in-the-Dark Halloween Nails

Wow, I can't believe it's already almost Halloween! These last few months have really snuck up on me!

I saw these Serum No5 polishes on @chalkboardnails on IG and I really wanted to try them out--I've never really seen glow polishes that are colored other than yellow (maybe I'm sheltered?). I ordered them from serumno5.com. 

So for these I did a black base (Orly Liquid Vinyl) on fingers 1, 3, & 5. I then painted my design on these fingers first with a white polish (OPI Alpine Snow) so that the polish will glow better. I painted a jack-o-lantern on the thumb, ovals for eyes on the middle finger, and a ghost shape on the pinky. Then I used Serum No5 Orange You Sunny on the thumb, Solar Power on the middle, and Krypton-Brite on the pinky. I used the black to make the pupils on the middle finger and the eyes and mouth on the pinky. 

For the pointer, I used Serum No5 I Gleam in Pink all over the nail, then black with a small brush to make the bat, two white dots for the eyes, and Solar Power over that to make them glow. 

For the ring finger, I used Serum No5 Ultra Violet all over the nail; then I used black and a small brush to draw a cat. I did the same with his eyes as I did with the bat.

As always I finished with a top coat! 

Opal Nails

I saw this design from basecoat-topcoat.tumblr.com (also on IG @kellyohstein). I had to try it because I'm an October baby and our birthstone is an opal (sometimes some pink stone, but I like the opal better haha!). I had tried it once about a week or two ago and it came out terribly, so I thought I'd give it another shot. 

So, to save myself the trouble of having to remember the name of each and every polish, I'm going to post a photo of the polishes I used, and then just refer to the color instead of the name, that way if you want to know the exact color, you can check the pic! 

Ok then, moving right along! I started with a base coat (not shown--any will do!). Then using a light blue, I took the brush from the bottle and made random spots of color. I did the same with the light purple, light green, light pink, bright orange, and finally filling in spaces with yellow (it's ok to overlap--it will add to the effect!). I then applied a couple of coats of a sheer nude--you want it to look cloudy. I applied 1 coat of some micro glitter polish (not shown), but I don't think that's necessary as you can't even tell in the final result. 

I then took the smallest dotting tool I had and applied random dots and squiggles of each of the colors--I used one of my opal earrings to reference how much of each color I wanted. I applied some cellophane polish to add some chunky sparkle to it. I added a two more coats of nude polish to make it milky, then added some more cellophane polish. I finished with a top coat. 

I know - it's a ton of layers of polish! But that's how you get the cool milky effect of an opal! I actually am pretty pleased with how this turned out--I think it came pretty close to the earring I have pictured! Do you think I did it justice??

Monkeys, Bananas, and Thermal Polish

I 💚 these little monkeys and bananas! I started with a base of PolishMeSilly's I'm Bananas Over You (two coats). When dry, I painted the monkeys on the thumb and ring fingers. I started with Zoya's Louisa and made the head shape; I made his ears with a dotting tool and the same polish. Using Zoya's Spencer and a large dotting tool, I made the inner part of the face; I used a small dotting tool and the same color. I took Zoya's Purity and a large dotting tool to make the whites of the eyes; using a smaller dotting tool, I made the pupils with Wet n Wild Ebony Hates Chis; and with a teeny little dotting tool, I made light reflections in the pupils with the white. Using that same super small dotting tool and Louisa, I made 3 little hairs on top of his head. I then made a nose and a little tiny mouth with the same color/tool. For the other 3 fingers of each hand, I used a stamping plate from Winstonia. I first stamped the bananas with yellow (Zoya's Pippa), then filled them in with that same yellow. By the time I was done, they were dry enough to stamp over with black. I added a top coat and that's it! The top pics are of the thermal polish when your fingers are warm--it shows up as a light yellow. The bottom pics are after I've submerged my fingers in ice water--it turns to a bright green! Absolutely love this polish, it's so fun!

I found these monkeys on the YouTube channel called nailynails :)

Multichrome Nails With Stamping

I ordered a few bottles of these beautifu lmultichrome polishes from Polish Me Silly on Etsy! This one is called Mystery. It changes from a purple-ish red to a grass green. I just stare at them all day! Haha! Then I used a couple of stamps from my Cici and Sisi stamping kit to add just a little more to the thumb and ring fingers--a flower with flourishes on the thumbs and a couple of butterflies on each ring finger! I finished with a top coat and voila! 

Gradient with Matching Glitter

Words cannot express how much I love this manicure! Seriously. This may be the last mani I ever do, cuz I never want to take this one off! Haha! (It'll be off in a couple of days, we all know 😉). 

I saw this on @chalkboardnails Instagram; you can also find it on her blog! 

I used Sally Hansen Pacific Blue (original formula) and Zoya's Shelby to create the gradient with a makeup sponge. I applied 3 layers, allowing drying time between each. Then I applied two coats of Polish Me Silly's Mr Bubble! If you've never tried Polish Me Silly, you need to check them out right now! They have a shop on Etsy and they hand make all their polishes. They have so many fun colors! After the glitter, I applied a top coat!

Mint Chocolate Chip Watermarble Nails

I decided that I need to get better at watermarbling! So I picked a few colors and went for it!

I used Nailtini's Adopt-Aperitif, Zoya's Snow White, and Zoya's Louise. I dripped each one into a cup of room temp water and made my bullseyes. I used a dotting tool to make my designs. I taped my fingers so only my nails were showing, and dipped my nail into the design. Here's what I came up with! What colors would you like to see next??

Vintage Roses

I saw this mani on IG from user @willpaintnailsforfood. I thought it was absolutely gorgeous so I had to try to recreate it! I started with a base of Nailtini Cement Mixer. I made a couple of large dot clusters toward the tip of the nail with Odette; these will be the bases of our roses. I also made smaller dots with Odette on the rest of the nail. Then using OPI Midnight in Moscow, I made dot clusters in the Odette dot clusters; I left some of Odette on the edges so it is still visible. While waiting for that to dry, I made leaves on some of the roses using Nailtini Venom. Taking a dotting tool, I made smaller dots inside the dots that are all over the nails using Zoya's Ziv. Then, using that same polish and a thin nail art brush, I made small lines and swirls inside the roses to add definition. I also added a little to the centers of the leaves. I finished with a top coat. 

I couldn't decide which lighting I liked better--the natural lighting (top) shows off the gold in the roses much better; the lighting inside (bottom) shows the base color much truer. 

Green and Orange Tape Mani

I was inspired by a mani I saw on Pinterest forever ago and decided to finally do it. The original poster is Southern Sister Polish. I started with a base of China Glaze Highlight of My Summer on all but the ring fingers; the ring finger base is China Glaze Peachy Keen. I added a quick dry top coat and waited about 10 mins for it to dry. I then made an off-centered T on my nails with striping tape, and painted Peachy Keen on all but the ring finger; it got Highlight of My Summer. I removed the tape after painting each nail so it wouldn't dry and stick to the tape. I added a top coat and that's it! 

Studded Nails

I think these nails are so freakin cute! I saw them on Instgram by user @lifeisbetterpolished. She has some great nail art so you should check her out! 

I started with a base of Zoya's Snow White. I added a clear polish when that was mostly dry in order to get the studs to stick. The gold studs and the mini gold beads are from Claire's; the colorful studs are from Born Pretty Store. I placed 3 gold and 3 colored studs on each nail. I then placed 4 mini gold beads around each colored stud. I finished with a top coat. 

On the ring finger, I painted a white base, then used a clear polish when it was mostly dry. I dipped the tips of a fan brush in loose glitter, then tapped it over the nail, concentrating it mostly toward the tip of the nail. I finished with a top coat.

Purple and Nude Gradient Nails

I saw these on Instagram by user @natashadangelo. Hers were slightly different but hers were where I got my inspiration. 

I started by placing Zoya's Odette and Cho on a makeup sponge, one on each half. I dabbed the sponge on each nail. When dry I did a second and third coat. I added a top coat of Seche Vite. With nail glue, I added a purple bow to the base of the ring fingers, and I added a diamond on the pointers from Hex Nail Jewelry. 

Realism: Roses

I am obsessed with these nails! I started with a base of Zoya's Anne; I had to do 3 coats to get them this opaque. I then placed various flower and leaf water decals on the nails. I ordered these from Amazon. I used a gold glitter nail striper to draw glitter around various parts of the nails. I finished with a top coat!

Abstraction

So I guess you can consider these nails to be "abstract" haha! Anyway, I really like how they turned out. They've got lots of different colors and they've got the pattern in there yet it's still a little random.

Start by painting a base of Zoya's Purity. Take 5 pieces of striping tape and place them horizontally across your nails, and try to keep them evenly spaced. Then using whatever colors you want (I used Zoya's Robyn, Caprice, Mira, and Rocha ) dip the edge of a fan brush in one color at a time and brush over a section of your nail. Clean the brush with polish remover between colors. Peel off your tape, add a top coat, and you're all done!

Yellow and Purple Half Moon Nails

This has been one of my favorite manis for awhile! I'm really digging the Zoya Daul polish - it looks yellowish in some lights, brown in others, and purple other times! It's just just a beautiful color! 

I started with a base of Lime Crime Crema de Limón. When that was dry, I used some of those little French tip  nail stickers and placed those at the bottom of my nails. I then added two coats of Daul. I took off the stickers before the polish dried, then added a quick dry top coat! What colors would you try with this manicure?

Fiesta Like There's No Mañana!

I LOVE these "Fiesta" nails! They've got sugar skulls, dancers, mariachi chilies, banners! 

So I'm not gonna go try naming all the polishes because that will take me all day. I'm including a pic with the names, so you can check that if you're curious of the exact color (the black is Ebony Hates Chris--it wouldn't fit in the 2nd pic lol).

Ok, so I started with a yellow base. When that was dry, I used a Winstonia stamping plate (if you'd like to know the exact number, leave me a comment and I'll dig it back out!) to stamp each of the designs on the nails. They're all from the same plate so that makes it easier! You can check the picture and see which colors I used for what. Just dab them in those specific areas, scrape them, and stamp! Pretty simple! 

Fall Nails

Fall--the most wonderful time of the year! I used mostly Nailtini polishes for this mani. I did a gradient with Bloody Mary, Mai Tai, and Ginger Lily using a makeup sponge. It took a few coats (it probably would have been ideal to paint a white base, but I wasn't feeling it! Ha!) but I think it came out beautifully! After the gradient dried, I stamped a full-nail leaf pattern with a Ceci and Sesi nail plate. I finished with a top coat. Yay for fall!! What's your favorite season?

Lightning Nails

I had a friend send this nail art idea to me on Pinterest ages ago and am just now getting to doing it! The watermark said justtryinyournail.tumblr.com. 

I started with a base of Wet N Wild Ebony Hates Chris; let dry. Using a small makeup sponge, I dabbed Zoya's Caprice, Mira, and Yummy in random patterns, leaving some parts black. Then using a thin nail art brush, I drew squiggly lightning bolts down each nail. I finished with a top coat!

Pastel Galaxy Nails

Another boring galaxy nail design?? (Ok they're really not but just go with it!!) Heck no--we're going pastel with this sucka! I got this idea from Sammie over at thenailasaurus.com. 

I started with a base of Zoya's Purity. When that dried, I used a small chunk of a makeup sponge and dabbed Zoya's Hudson in a few areas of the nails. Then I did the same thing with Zoya's Shelby and Neely. Using a small nail art brush, I drew a good-sized star on each nail, and a few small dots to represent smaller stars. I finished with a top coat and BAM!

Paisley Nails

These are pretty straightforward nails. I googled "paisley" in images, picked one I liked, and tried to recreate it.

I started with a base of Zoya's Arizona. Then I used a small nail art brush to draw the paisley design with white acrylic paint. I finished with a top coat! 

Geometric Nails

These didn't turn out quite as I had hoped--I seem to have trouble with masking tape sticking completely to my nails, so some always gets under on one part or another and then looks sloppy. Anyone have a better suggestion?

I started with a base of original formula Sally Hansen Pacific Blue. Then I made a square in the top corner of the nails with Zoya's Neely using the brush from the polish. I then taped off triangles that overlapped the squares after the squares had dried. I thinned Essie's Big Spender and painted the triangles. I finished with a top coat.

 

Watermarble Nails

I started out this mani by painting a coat of Elmer's glue around the edges of my nails and down my fingers a bit. I then painted a coat of Zoya's Purity. 

Next, I took Essie's Big Spender, Mojito Madness, and Go Overboard and a cup of cold water, and dripped a drop of each polish, alternating through them until I had a huge bunch of concentric rings. Taking a dotting tool, I drew lines through the circles to make crazy designs. Then I dipped my fingers into the design where I liked it. Then, I could peel off the glue like this--

I had much less clean up to do this way! I finished by cleaning any excess polish and adding a top coat. 

Flowers, Stripes, and Polka Dots

Love this mani! It makes me wish it wasn't already fall! I saw this on Pinterest--original artist is IG @adelislebron. 

I painted a base of Lime Crime's Crema de Limón on the thumb, pointer, and pinkie fingers, and used a small dotting tool to dot Zoya's Pippa all over the nails. On the 3rd and 4th fingers, using a small nail art brush, I alternated different strips of Zoya's Dove, OCCs Pool Boy, and Crema de Limón. Using the same brush and white acrylic paint, I painted half-flowers on top. I finished with a top coat.

Foxy Nails

A friend sent me these nails on Pinterest and I've had them in my list of nails to do, and now I'm finally getting to them! The original artist is at eeeeknailpolish.com. 

I started with a base of Zoya's Purity. Using a thin nail art brush and Nailtini's Mai Tai, I drew in the head of the fox on my middle finger. I drew a curve from the top middle of the nail to each of the outside edges to make the markings of the face, then a half moon shape across the nail to make the head shape. I then drew two little tufts of hair coming off the top of the head. I drew a triangle on either side of the hair for the ears. Using a dotting tool and Zoya's Raven, I made a dot at the top middle of the nail for the nose, then one on either side of the face close to the markings for the eyes. I also drew a little eyelash with the nail art brush. Taking a smaller dotting tool and Purity, I made a small white dot in each of the eyes. For the tail, I just drew a kind of S-shape, then one below that and connected them. I then filled in the part that would be closest to the body. When I got toward the end and with no extra paint, I dragged what was left over to make the streaky end part of the tail. On all the other nails, I used a large and small dotting tool to make footprints along the nails. I finished with a top coat. I think these are so cute!!

Stripes, Glitter, and Half Moons

I used the circle stickers you can buy in the office section of Walmart to tape off my half moons. I then painted a coat of Zoya's Purity. Then, using a purple nail striper, I made horizontal lines across the white, being careful not to get it in the half moon place. I then took a pink glitter striper and traced the half moon shape. I added a top coat and it's done! 

I found this nail art on Pinterest. The picture was not watermarked but the image came from ameblo.jp (?). 

Teal and Brown Polka Dots

I saw this on Pinterest and the original artist is heartnat.blogspot.com.

I started with a base of Zoya's Spencer. Using various sized dotting tools, I used Zoya's Louise and Bellapierre Aqua Teal to make large and small dots tapering down the nails. I added a top coat and that's it! Super easy and super cute!

Skittle/Monochromatic Mani

This is a pretty simple mani. All colors used are from Zoya. I started with Purity on the thumb, Dot on the pointer, Shelby on the middle finger, Caprice on the ring finger. I used a Nailtini polish on the pinky--Valentini. I finished with a top coat. What colors would you use for a skittle mani?

Black and White Stamped Nails

I started with base of Wet n' Wild Ebony hates Chris on all but the ring fingers; they are a base of Zoya Purity. Using Winstonia stamp plate W203, I stamped the white swirls on the black nails and black swirls on the white nails. I finished with a top coat of Seche Vite! 

I can't really tell the difference between white over black and black over white, so it really doesn't matter if you do that--you can just do it one way or another!

Primary and Secondary Tape Mani

Hiiii! I saw this awesome tape mani on IG forever ago from @vanessa_carinaa. All polishes are from Zoya; the red is Tamsen, yellow is Pippa, blue is Robyn, orange is Jancyn, green is Tilda, purple is Mira, and matte black is Dovima.

I did red, yellow, and blue (primary colors) and then orange, green, and purple (secondary colors) on alternating nails. I painted equal-sized vertical strips of each polish; let it dry or use a quick drying top coat.

Using 3 pieces of striping tape on each nail, make different designs. Paint with the matte black over each nail; take off the tape after each nail so the polish doesn't get tacky and make a huge mess for you. 

Do NOT finish with a top coat, because that defeats the purpose of the matte polish! 👍😊

Geometric Neutral and Blue Nails

I pinned these nails to my Pinterest ages ago and have never quite had the energy to try to get all those nice, straight, crisp lines. I decided that the time is now!

I'm not sure of the original artist; the link takes you to imgfave.com and the image wasn't watermarked or anything. 

I used Zoya's Ryan, Zoya's Flynn, and a custom color I mixed myself! It was a purple from OPI, & a blue and black from Sinful Colors. I mixed them in one of my empties from my Nailtini Lacquer Cabinet box. 

I started with Flynn and painted all my nails from cuticle to end; I did a coat of Seche Vite and waited about 5-10 mins for it to dry. Then I used scotch tape and taped a diagonal section; the section should leave open the tip part of your nail, not the part closer to your cuticle. I used my custom color to paint this section of nail, and removed each piece if tape as I went so the polish wouldn't get tacky. I painted a coat of Seche Vite and let it dry 5-10 mins. Then I taped the opposite diagonal section (once again making sure the open part is closer to the ends, not the cuticle) and painted a coat of Ryan; I once again peeled off the tape as I went so the polish didn't get tacky. I finished with a coat of Seche Vite, and that completes the mani! 

What colors would you use for this nail look??

Stripes and Flowers

I've got a super easy mani for today! I started with two coats of Zoya's Neely. I then used a darker green striper from Shany Cosmetics to make diagonal stripes on my nails. I cut thin slices from a yellow flower Fimo rod and stuck these to my ring and thumb nails using a clear polish. I finished with a top coat of Seche Vite. All done!

Stripes and Checks

I was inspired to do this awesome nail art from YouTuber Meliney (search for Meliney nail art!)--she posts lots of cool nail art tutorials, so you should go check her out!

I started with a base of Zoya's Rocha. I then used a red nail striper from Shany Cosmetics to make vertical stripes down each nail. I used a Fimo rod I purchased from Amazon and a razor to cut a few thin pieces. I adhered these to the nail using clear polish, then sealed them on with a top coat of Seche Vite. I did this with each nail except the ring finger.

For the ring finger, I did a base of Rocha, used the red striper, then painted a coat of Seche Vite. I let this dry about 10 minutes, then, using a piece of Scotch tape, I taped off the top 2/3 of the nail, leaving the bottom 1/3 exposed. I painted this portion with Zoya's Purity. I waited for this to dry for a couple of minutes, then went in with a flat nail art brush and Ebony Hates Chris to make the checkered pattern. I then added a Fimo rod flower to the center of the nail and finished with a coat of Seche Vite.