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

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! 

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!

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! 

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! 👍😊

Back to School Nails

I have been MIA lately!! I already mentioned this in a previous post, but I've actually been doing a collab on Instagram with a group so I've been doing some nail art stuff there and just haven't been posting it here. Anyway I decided it was about time to do one! I saw this design from Elle over at ellesees.blogspot.com - if you haven't been to her blog you need to go check it out right meow! She does all sorts of fun stuff from DIY's to reviews to tutorials!

It's very close to that time...Back To School!! A kid's worst nightmare and a mom's dream come true! I used SO MANY polishes in this mani that I decided to just take pics. First one--the nail stripers! They're from Shany Cosmetics. They are an OK brand of polish...not my very favorite but I have a whole set of stripers so I use them when I need them! I used a silver glitter, a pink, a sky blue, and a bright red.

Next from Zoya! I absolutely LOVE Zoya! First, it's a great quality polish and it usually lasts a decent amount of time. Secondly, when you go to their site and you click on a color, one part of the description tells you how opaque the polish is--that wins me over hands down over any other polish brand! I can't tell you how many times I've bought a polish and thought it was so beautiful, only to get it home, try it on, and find that in order to get the color that's in the bottle I'll have to throw on 16 coats of polish. I absolutely HATE that! So, the fact that Zoya specifically tells you how opaque a polish is, it's just a dream come true for me! I never have to wonder if it will actually show up when I paint with it! Hooray!! So...I used a black (Raven), a matte black (Dovima), dark grey (Kelly), a mid-tone brown (Dea), yellow (Pippa) and white (Purity). 

And last, I used two Nailtini polishes. They are also a great brand for polish. I get a Lacquer Cabinet subscription from them every month and that is really fun to find in the mail! If you are interested in trying that out, head to their site at https://www.tinibeauty.com/product/lacquer-cabinet/ . You can also buy the polishes individually if you don't want to do a subscription service. I used a red (Bloody Mary) and a lime green (Absinthe).

Now, for the nails!! I painted a base of Purity on the thumb, pointer, and middle fingers. For the thumb, I used the blue and the red nail stripers and painted lines to look like notebook paper. On the pointer, I used the red striper to draw a pennant flag, then a thin nail art brush to trace around it with Raven. I used a dotting tool and Bloody Mary and Raven to make various-sized dots, and the thin brush and Raven to draw a "C" in the flag. I drew an apple on the middle finger using a dotting tool and Bloody Mary--I made two dots with the sides just barely touching, then two closer together and overlapping a bit; then I connected the two to make the edges smooth. I then used Dea to make a stem, and Absinthe to make a leaf (using the thin nail art brush). I also cut off a thin strip of apple from a fimo rod and stuck it in the corner. I'm not sure I like that part of it, but hey, it was a good thought haha! The ring finger was the funnest one! I used Dovima to create a "chalk board", then used my nail art brush and Purity and drew a "2+2" and an "A+". DO NOT put a top coat on this, because it will make the matte polish shiny, and obviously that would be a moot point. For the ring finger, I painted a base of Pippa, then drew a strip of Kelly, and finished with a strip of the pink nail striper. I also added the silver glitter striper over the Kelly. I finished with a top coat of Seche Vite (except on the ring finger!!). 

On Elle's post, she used permanent markers which would be a great alternative for anyone who either doesn't have nail art tools or who is uncomfortable using them. Her's came out awesome!

Are you excited for back to school?!

Summery Stamped Nails

I ordered some stamping plates from Amazon last week and have just gotten around to using them. They are by Cici and Sisi, and they came with a scraper and stamping tool. I have a Konad stamping and scraping tool; I found the scraper in the Cici and Sisi kit didn't scrape all the polish off the flat part of the plate, which left residue and made the image hazy. I tried it with my Konad one and it scraped fine (so it wasn't just the quality of the plate or anything like that). However, I do prefer the Cici and Sisi stamping tool over the Konad one; it is more squishy and pliable and I found it gets into the sides and base of the nail much better than the Konad one. If you'd like to check out this set, you can find it here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00HD4F8DK/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1402879905&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40

I used various images from this set; I stamped them with Zoya's Purity. The base color is Sally Hansen's Hard As Nails Xtreme in Pacific Blue--I think it is a perfect summery color.

Roses and Stripes

I got this nail design from The Nailasaurus (www.thenailasaurus.com) - I thought it was so pretty and girlie!

I started with a black base coat (Raven by Zoya). I made white stripes with a white nail striper (ironic, yes?!) from Shany Cosmetics. With a large dotting tool, I made 3 blue dots on each nail (OPIs Suzi Says Feng Shui). Using a thin nail art brush and a dark blue (Michelle by Julip) I made "shadow" pieces inside the roses. With the same brush, I made highlights with a light blue color (Essie's lilacism - I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be a light purple but I think it could swing either way). Then using a light green (Essie's mojito madness) and the same thin brush, I drew 1-2 leaves on each rose. I finished with a top coat (Seche Vite) and that was that!

This is probably some of the most detailed nail art I've done in awhile but it was just so pretty that I couldn't pass it up :)

Glittery Ombre

I LOVE all the nails by The Nailasaurus (www.thenailasaurus.com), and these are some that I've been wanting to try for a couple of months now. I think they look a little like a snow storm--gray clouds and white ground. And the glitter just makes the whole manicure!

I did this manicure by painting a small chunk of a makeup sponge with Zoya in Purity, and the chunk above it with Nailtini's Caviar Cocktail. I dabbed the sponge over each of my nails, and when they were dry I did the same thing to add another coat and make it more opaque. Be sure to move the sponge SLIGHTLY up and down the nail to achieve an ombre effect. I then swept Formula X by Sephora in Chaotic over the top of the nails.

Now, guys, this manicure is MESSY! Be sure to give yourself enough time to clean up your fingers afterward. I literally had polish all over my fingers surrounding my nail. But it just can't be avoided when doing this! I used a q-tip dipped in nail polish remover, and any extra cleaning closer to the nail I used a nail art brush.

Of course, I finished off with Seche Vite top coat.

Dr. Seuss-ish Nails

I got this idea from Jenny Fox over at polishandpearls.com - for some reason it reminds me of something you would see in a Dr. Seuss book, like where the Lorax might live ;)

I started with a base coat of China Glaze's peachy keen. Then I drew a curved white area with Zoya's Purity. On the opposite side of the nail, I made a curved purple area with Essie's play date. Then toward the bottom, I drew a curved pink area with Essie's sunday funday. I drew the black lines with a Sally Hansen nail art pen after the manicure was dry. I finished it off with a top coat of Seche Vite.

My only complaint with this mani is that the sunday funday was not quite opaque enough to cover play date, so be sure that when you choose colors, you choose ones with adequate coverage or you'll see little borders in the middle!