spider webs

its that time of year again when you can dress up as anyone you want. instead of dressing myself up, i chose to dress up my nails instead.

 

tools:

essie sand tropez

essie mochacino

essie sew psyched

black striper pen

step 1: paint two coats of essie sand tropez (nude).

step 2: once the base is completely dry, using a sponge, do a gradient nail using essie mochacino (mid nail) and sew psyched (nail tip). for instructions on how to do a gradient nail using a sponge see this video. 

step 3: paint one coat of seche vite fast dry top coat. this will blend the colors and even the surface.

step 4: using a black striper pen, draw three to four black lines starting at one corner of the tip of your nail. 

step 5: draw C's in between the lines to create the webs. the points of the C's should face down toward the cuticle. 

now it's time to enjoy your spidey nails. happy halloween!

matte leopard

i'm excited to announce that i finally got my hands on essie's matte about you a matte finish top coat! this allows me to transform any nail polish into a matte color. i decided on this design so that you can see the contract of a shiny top coat versus a matte top coat.

 

tools:

dotting tool

essie baubing for baubles

essie matte about you

clear nail polish

step 1: paint two coats of essie- bobbing for baubles on all nails.

step 2: paint essie- matte about you on the desired nails you want to have a matte finish.

step 3: on the shiny nails, using a dotting tool, draw leopard print using essie- matte about you.

step 4: on the matte nails, using a dotting tool, draw leopard print using a shiny clear nail polish. 

TIP: be sure to do this in bright light since it will be hard to see the design you are painting due to the opacity of the clear and matte for the leopard print design.

reverse french

i finally decided to implement studs into a nail design. too impatient to wait for ebay to send my order, i purchased a stud set from kiss. also seen here was my attempt at a reverse french which is similar to a half moon but upside down.

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tools:

kiss metallic nail art studs

tweezer

essie chinchilly

essie smokin' hot

page preforators 

seche vite fast dry top coat 

step 1: paint the pinky, ring and index finger with two coats of essie- chinchilly.

step 2: paint the ring and thumb finger with two coats of essie- smokin' hot.

step 3: paint one coat of seche vite fast dry top coat on each nail. 

step 4: when the nails are completely dry, cut the page preforators in half and place a half on to each nail, oval part facing down so it looks like a "U". firmly press down the edges of the tape so there are no bubbles or gaps to avoid polish from seeping underneath the tape as you paint.

step 5: after the preferators are set in place, paint the top part of the nail in the opposite color. paint pinky, ring and index finger in smokin' hot and ring and thumb finger in chinchilly. 

step 6: paint one coat of seche vite fast dry top coat on each nail and allow 10 minutes to dry.

step 7: apply the studs of your choice using a tweezer to pick up the stud and to place onto the nail. after carefully placing the stud in the desired place, press the stud down firmly using the tweezer. 

step 8: finish it off with one coat of seche vite fast dry top coat!

matthew williamson #lfw

ombre treatments and embellishments drew my attention to the matthew williamson collection at the london fashion week show. the collection was inspired by his love of India and the festivals of color, "Holi Festival".

step 1: begin by painting two coats of essie- lapiz of luxury.

step 2: paint one coat of seche vite fast dry top coat and allow 10 minutes to dry completely. 

step 3: using the gradient technique seen here apply using (from lightest to darkest- cuticle to tip) new york color in lavender cupcake, essie- play date, lapiz of luxury and bobbing for baubles.

step 4: repeat the gradient technique until you are satisfied with the color. 

TIP: free hand with the sponge by dabbing in access color to achieve your desired look. 

step 5: using the sponge, adjust the darkest color at the tip, essie- bobbing for baubles so that you have a french tip, half moon shape.

step 6: go over the tip with a dark blue glitter, essie- stroke of brilliance. 

step 7: wait about 5 minutes before applying your top coat so that you do not risk moving the glitter at tip all over your nail. 

dvf spring 13

the inspiration seen behind Diane Von Furstenberg's spring 2013 collection, "palazzo" was her own life. traveling the world with a bohemian spirit is what served to be the inspiration for the collection full of bright colors, bold prints, colorblock and embellishments. the second i saw this print i imagined how good it would look on a set of nails! 

step 1: paint two coats of mint nail polish. i used revlon- minted.

step 2:  paint one coat of seche vite fast dry coat on all nails and allow 10 minutes to dry. 

step 3: paint the top 3/4 of the nail in turquoise. i used essie- turquoise and caicos. 

step 4: paint one coat of seche vite fast dry coat on all nails and allow 10 minutes to dry. 

step 5: once the nails are completely dry, using sally hansen nail art pen in orange emulate the design on the dress and draw it on the nail where the mint meets the turquoise. these nail art pens are the best thing since striping pens and come in almost every color. you can find it at your local drug store. i found this one at rite-aid. 

TIP: feel free to trace the original design to create a thicker line until you have reached your desired look on the nail. 

step 6: complete this runway look with one coat of seche vite fast dry top coat. 

#nyfw

diligently watching the spring 2013 new york fashion week shows i noticed a nail trend. a lot of nude nails, french manicures, metallics, glitter and plum tone nails. I decided to combine the trends i had seen and this is what i came up with. 

tools: nude, gold, plum and gold glitter polish. page preforators, scissor and a dotting tool.

step 1: paint two coats of nude nail polish (except ring finger). i used essie- sand tropez. the perfect nude nail!

step 2: on the ring finger paint two coats of gold nail polish. i used essie- good as gold. 

step 3: paint one coat of seche vite fast dry coat on all nails and allow 10 minutes to dry. 

step 4: cut the page preforators in half and place a half on to each nail. firmly press down the edges of the tape so there are no bubbles or gaps to avoid polish from seeping underneath the tape as you paint. then paint the tips of the nails in plum. i used esse- sole mate. 

step 5: using gold glitter polish, paint 5 dots closest to the tip of the nail and then using your finger tip blend the glitter downward toward the cuticle. this creates a gradient effect from the most glitter at the tip and least going down toward the cuticle. feel free to apply the glitter as it bests suits you. you may be able to get the same affect with a sponge. i prefer this look best when i use my finger tip because it allows me to control the amount of glitter on the nail.

step 6: finish the look with your favorite top coat. i used seche vite fast dry top coat. 

the sophisticated kiwi

in honor of the end of the summer season i wanted to do a design of something i enjoy doing in the summer and then i thought of fruit! many times i have seen fruity nails look rather well, fruity and childish so i opted to do something that may look like a fruit but also works as an everyday nail. 

tools: white, green and black nail polish, paper reinforcers, and a medium sized dotting tool. 

step1: paint two coats of white, essie-blanc.

step 2: paint one coat of seche vite fast dry coat and allow 10 minutes to completely dry.

step 3: apply a paper reinforcer to each of the nails (apply one hand at a time) and paint one generous coat of green nail polish, essie- navigate her. 

step 4: using a medium sized dotting tool, apply black dots in an oval shape on the green nail polish outlining the half moon shape. 

step 5: finish with one coat of seche vite fast dry top coat.