#31dc2015 Day 30: Inspired by a Tutorial

I got the idea for these from Meliney on YouTube/Naiqnaiq on IG. See how to here: https://youtu.be/QCUsMwFfJVM

I used Nailtini Silver Sipper as a base, then used Zoya's Ali, Jancyn, and Pippa in between the striping tape. 

Who inspired your mani today?

#31dc2015 Day 29: Inspired by the Supernatural

I love Halloween time--I'm big into SFX painting so Halloween is my faaaave! I used various polishes and stamping played for this mani, so I'm just going to post a pic of the polishes and list the plates. Some of the nails are glow-in-the-dark but they didn't photograph well, so I'm sorry they are blurry! 

Plates: Born Pretty Store BP-57, Winstonia W116, and W221. 

Polishes: 

What did your nails look like today?? 

#31dc2015 Day 28: Inspired by a Flag

Today's prompt was inspired by a flag, so of course I picked Old Glory! 

I started with a base of OPI Alpine Snow on the last four fingers, and a base of Zoya Ibiza on the thumb. I used a striper from Shany Cosmetics in 07 (red). For the thumb, I used plate BP-L013 from Born Pretty Store and white stamping polish to stamp the thumb. I added a top coat from all nails.

Which flag were you inspired by today? 

#31dc2015 Day 27: Inspired by Artwork

I really love Leonid Afremov's artwork--it's all so bold and bright! I didn't do the painting justice but here it is! Haha! 

I did a gradient-style nail using the following polishes on the thumb and pointer fingers: 

These were the ones for the middle finger:

These were the ones for the fourth and fifth fingers: 

I painted all the details with acrylic paint, then finished with a top coat. 

What artwork inspired your nails today? 

#31dc2015 Day 26: Inspired by a Pattern

I honestly really didn't have a clue where this was going until I already had the base color down 😂 I got this polish in my Ipsy bag this month and figured I'd try it out; it's Sephora Formula X in Ignite. I think it's a really pretty fall-ish color. 

I looked through my stamping plates and thought this design would be perfect. It's Bundle Monster number 404. I stamped the image with Mundo de Uñas 01 (White). I finished with a top coat. 

What pattern inspired your nails today? 

#31dc2015 Day 25: Inspired by Fashion

I saw this dress in a magazine the other day and I knew it would be a gorgeous nail design! 

I started by applying fake nails. Then I added 2 coats of Zoya's Dot. When dry, I stamped an image from a Born Pretty Store plate BP-17 with Mundo de Uñas 19 (Bronze). I finished with s quick dry top coat. 

What did you use for inspiration today?

#31dc2015 Day 24: Inspired by a Book

I decided to do nails inspired by the book The Martian by Andy Weir. I loved that book and when I saw they're making it into a movie, I almost pooped my pants! Hahaha! 

I painted the thumb with Zoya's Tamsen; on each adjoining nail, I painted less and less of the nail to make it appear planet-like. I filled in blank spaces with Wet n' Wild Ebony Hates Chris. I dabbed Zoya's Louise on the red areas, and Autumn, Dream, and Aurora on the black areas to do a galaxy design. I painted stars with white acrylic paint. I painted my astronaut with white acrylic paint. I painted his visor with Zoya's Ki; I outlined him with black acrylic paint. I finished with a top coat. 

What book did you pick for inspiration today?

#31dc2015 Day 23: Inspired by a Movie

For today's mani, I picked the movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! My favorite scene in that one is where they're going up the elevator and they start doing beatbox and rapping--DJ Mikey!!

I saw this mani done by Promise Phan last Halloween and have been wanting to try it ever since! Haha!

I started by applying fake nails. Then I painted them with Zoya's Dot. I then used various acrylic paints to paint each fingernail. 

What movie did you pick for inspiration today?

#31dc2015 Day 22: Inspired by a Song

I will have to say--this one had me stumped for awhile, I had no clue what song to pick. I went to a restaurant and Ellie Goulding's "Burn" came on and I was like Ahhh I could do that!! The "burned newspaper" idea was sent to me by a friend on Pinterest, and I've done flame nails like the other hand before. 

For the burned newspaper, I used Zoya's Cho as a base and added a quick dry top coat; I let it dry for about 20 mins or so (long enough for me to paint and stamp the other hand). Then I cut out small chunks of newspaper. I dipped my finger and the newspaper in isopropyl alcohol, then placed the newspaper on the nail and applied pressure for 15-20 seconds. Carefully peel it off and the print should have transferred to the nail. Do this for each one. Then using a black nail polish, I outlined the areas that I wanted "burned". Using a small chunk of sponge, I added Zoya's Louise to the borders; then I sponged black toward the inner parts. Using a q-tip and acetone, I swiped away polish from the inner parts of the circular burns and from the outer edges of the side ones. I added a quick dry top coat. 

For the flames, I did a base of Wet n' Wild Ebony Hates Chris. When dry, I stamped two different flames. With Mundo de Uñas 32 (Reddish) and MoYou London Rockstar Collection 01, I stamped the "base flame"; over top, I stamped the flame from Born Pretty Store plate L012 with Mundo de Uñas 27 (Neon Yellow). I added a quick dry top coat. 

What song inspired your nails today?

#31dc2015 Day 21: Inspired by a Color

I was inspired by some nails I saw on nailsbynivea's instagram. Hers were blue, but I really wanted to do this purple/pink color--I have a container of glitter this color and wanted the nail color to match. 

I started with a sponge around the same length as my nail; I painted it with OPI Alpine Snow on most of the sponge, then on the very tip, I painted Zoya's Mason. I sponged this on each nail, doing multiple coats until desired opacity was reached. 

I painted a small area at the base of the nail with clear polish, then using a fan brush I sprinkled a bit of glitter on top. You'll want to do this step one nail at a time so the clear polish doesn't dry before you have a chance to add the glitter.

Finish by cleaning the edges with acetone and adding a top coat. What color inspired you today?

#31dc2015 Day 20: Watermarble

I got the idea for this particular design from @yagala on Instagram. You can see my YouTube video for some other basic watermarble designs here:  https://youtu.be/xXDSfWoxUqI

or here: https://youtu.be/uVRv705gnjQ

For today's I used all polishes from Native War Paints polishes: Tickled Pink, Lala Orange, Canary Yellow, Patty O'Green, Rainbow Brite, and Shy Violet. I dripped them into a cup like a regular watermarble, then drew them out from the center. I did do this one with a white base, also. What are your nails today?

#31dc2015 Day 19: Galaxies

Galaxy nails are so frustrating to try to photograph! The colors in real life are so much cooler, but this was the best I could do for a pic. 

I started with a base of Wet n 'Wild Ebony Hates Chris; I added a quick dry top coat. Using small chunks of sponge, I randomly added bits of Zoya's Tanzy (gold/orange), Dream (blue), Aurora (purple), and Ray (green). I added dots of white acrylic paint with a small dotting tool. Then I placed a couple of small silver stars from The Sparkly Shop on each nail. I finished with a coat of Seche Vite. What are your nails like today? 

#31dc2015 Day 18: Half Moons

I saw this design by @yagala on Instagram and put it in my collection to recreate--I thought this would be a perfect time to do it! 

I started by painting half moons with China Glaze Happy Go Lucky using a small nail art brush; you don't have to be super precise because the dots will cover up any small mistakes. I then painted the rest of the nail with Madam Glam Midnight. Then I used two dotting tools, one small and one larger, and Wet n' Wild Ebony Hates Chris--I made larger dots along the border between the purple and yellow, smaller dots under those, and larger ones next to the cuticles. I cleaned up with acetone and a flat brush, and then added a quick dry top coat. What are your nails today? 

#31dc2015 Day 17: Glitter

I got a bit carried away today. Pretty sure this mani goes above and beyond "glitter" and into the "straight up bling" category :S Whatever, I like it anyway! Haha! 

I started with a base of Zoya's Ana, one of their satin polishes. When dry, I used one of those circle labels and placed it on the outer third of each nail. I also used Simply Peel liquid latex to protect the edges of my fingers. Then I took NYX nails polish in NPS-209 Ice Glitter and used a latex-free cosmetic sponge to sponge on the glitter. Using a sponge with glitter gives you a greater concentration of glitter with less coats. Next I coated the whole nail with a top coat and, working quickly before the polish dried, I added rhinestones and studs to the glittery areas. I didn't use any top coat on top of the rhinestones because it tends to smooth them over and I wanted a lot of texture on this mani. What do your nails look like today?

#31dc2015 Day 16: Geometric

I wasn't at all sure what to do for today, so this is what happened lol! 

On all fingers but the 4th, I painted Serum No. 5 Lights Out (black glow in the dark); on the 4th fingers are Serum No. 5 Krypton-Brite (green glow in the dark. 

Using Uber Chic beauty plate 3-02, I stamped the image using Mundo de Uñas stamping polish 39 (avocado) on all but the 4th fingers, where I used Mundo de Uñas stamping polish 2 (black). I finished withy a top coat of Revlon 720 matte coat. 

What did you do for your nails today? 

#31dc2015 Day 15: Delicate

I had no clue what I wanted to do for this prompt, so I started looking through my stamping plates and inspiration hit! I used Zoya polishes in Dot (pink) and Yummy (blue). I stamped the images using Mundo de Uñas Lavendar stamping polish and Uber Chic Beauty plate Fairytale-01. I added a quick dry top coat; then I added a cute little bow from Born Pretty Store to the ring fingers using nail glue. 

What are your NOTD?

#31dc2015 Day 14: Flowers

I saw something similar to this design on Instagram but I'm not sure who the artist was because I didn't screen shot it. Anyway, I recreated it using Sally Hansen Pacific Blue (original formula) as a base. 

Using my Uber Mat from Uber Chic Beauty, I put down a coat of clear polish, then stamped an image from Uber Chic plate 4-01 using Mundo de Uñas black stamping polish. 

I filled in the petals with OPI Alpine Snow and a thin nail art brush. 

I used Zoya Goldie for the center. 

I peeled up the design and trimmed it down, then I applied it to the nail. Then I finished with a top coat of Seche Vite. 

What do your nails look like today? 

#31dc2015 Day 13: Animal Print

I saw this super cute design from _nailoving_ on Instagram a couple of months and I wanted to recreate it, and now was the perfect time. I wish I would have gotten my cheetah print a little bit thinner-lined but cest la vie! 

I started with a base of Zoya Neely on the thumb, 2nd, and 5th fingers, and Zoya Sage on the 3rd and 4th fingers. I made random cheetah print shapes on the thumb, 2nd, and 5th nails using Wet n' Wild Ebony Hates Chris. Using Zoya Arizona and Madam Glam Heart Stone, I filled in some of the centers of the cheetah print. I used feather water decals on the 3rd and 4th fingers from Born Pretty Store. I finished them with a Seche Vite top coat!

What are your nails like today?

#31dc2015 Day 12: Stripes

Yes--these are fake nails! I wish my nails could grow that fast over night, but unfortunately that's not physically possible. That and my hair...but I digress! 

Today was stripes, and I wasn't sure was I was doing when I started. I painted a base of OPI Alpine Snow and thought about it while I put that down. Did I want to do striping tape? Meh, that takes forever. Did I want to do a stamp? Gah the fake nails are too long for a stamp to fit! I decided I'd just use a nail striper and neon polishes and do a "sloppy" stripe! Haha! Neons used are from Native War Paints (Lala Orange, Canary Yellow, Patty O'Green, Rainbow Bright, and Shy Violet). I just grabbed the striper and slopped it on in diagonals 😂

What do your nails look like today??