blue zebra

my first attempt at zebra print! what do you think? zebra, like leopard is an easy to-do design and all it takes is some practice. just remember, it's all in the wrist and doesn't have to perfect. 

step 1: paint the base color. i used two coats of lapiz of luxury by essie.

step 2: after the base is completely dry, using a black two-way nail stripping pen, alternate sides and interlock the stripes. i followed a video by Andrea from obsessedwnails blog. 

step 3: wait about 5 minutes for the black to dry then apply one coat of Seche Vite dry fast top coat. 

click HERE to see the video i followed to create this design. 

gold striper

i finally decided to use stripe tape that i bought from ebay months ago. for this design i used, essie's who's the boss from their 2012 wedding collection and splash of grenade (purple).

step 1: paint two coat's of each color. i like to paint one coat on all ten nails first, then go back to the nail i started from to apply the second coat. this allows some time to let the first coat dry.

step 2: using gold stripe tape, press the end of the tape firmly on the nail, roll it up the nail and cut the end of the tape right before the nail ends (as close to the nail tip as possible). Please note that for the ring finger instead of stripe tape, i drew one straight line down the middle of the nail using gold glitter nail polish. 

step 3: complete the look with one coat of Seche Vite dry fast top coat. this clear nail polish will have your nails dry in 10 minutes!

stripe tape is an easy and fun way to get creative with your nails making lines and abstract shapes. you can find it on ebay for .99 cents or less. 

mango gradient

after countless times of seeing gradient nails i attempted my own. but instead of the blue and purple gradient i've seen, i opted for a summer shade and thus the mango gradient was created! before beginning your manicure you will need three complimentary nail colors, a makeup sponge and a clear top coat.

step 1: pick you base color. i used essie's action and painted three coats because the color comes out very sheer and matte.

step 2: when the the base color is completely dry, on a flat surface (i used a business card), paint a generous amount of the two colors (aka a dot or two) right next to each other and make sure they're just about touching. i used essie's carousel coral and fiesta. using a toothpick or dotting tool, swirl the two colors together. the mix of the two colors determines the graduation. the more you blend the shades, the longer the graduation.

step 3: using a makeup sponge, dab it directly down on the nail polish to grab the colors. make sure to face the sponge with the lighter color facing the cuticle and the darker color toward the tip so that the colors blend from lightest (at cuticle) to darkest (at tip).

step 4: dab the sponge directly down on your nail pressing from left to right or right to left. either way will work to apply the colors on the nail and off the sponge. 

step 5: repeat steps 2-4 a second or third time until you are satisfied with the gradient color effect. 

step 6: apply a clear base coat. this will blend all colors and even out the surface.

if you want to see this step by step via video watch winter rose's gradient nail tutorial  on you tube. it was a great help to get me started and achieve mango gradient nails.

glitter tips

for the first time in years i bought a revlon nail polish. i am currently obsessed with the color mint, if you can't already tell from the colors i used for this blog. i bought revlon nail enamel in 'minted'. the color doesn't seem to last as long as essie does so i opted to do a gradient glitter on the tips.

step 1: for the base i painted 2 coats of essie's lilacism and on the ring and middle fingers i painted revlon's minted. 

step 2: after letting the base completely dry, i painted a strip of clear nailpolish on the nail tip. directly below, i painted another clear strip and dabbed my finger on it smearing the polish so that there was less clear polish below the highest clear strip which would hence produce the gradient affect.

step 3: i dipped my finger nail in a loose silver glitter pod.

step 4: after about a minute or two i let cold water run on my hands to remove the excess glitter and cleaned up with a flat q-tip dipped in nail polish remover.

bridal bouquet

this week i focused on a good friend of mine priscilla ines, the blogger for priskypaws.com. she is newly engaged and it being mother's day week i decided to do something floral.

a view of both hand's below.. 

step 1: for the base i painted 2 coats of essie's fiesta and lapiz of luxury. 

step 2: after letting the base completely dry, using a white striping pen, i made white lines on the blue nails.

step 3: after letting the white stripes dry (about 5 minutes) i dotted essie's fiesta to create the base of the flower. i allowed that to dry about 5 minutes as well, then using the white striping pen i drew half circles and dots on the pink dots to create an impression of a flower. 

step 4: to complete the vintage flower nails, using a dotting tool, i used essie's mojito madness and painted 2 small "v" shapes alongside the flower for the leaves. 

for a step-by-step video of the vintage floral nails, check out chelsea's get nailed tutorial.

the ari

this gray and yellow manicure was inspired by a facebook friend, ari zapata. ari is one half of the duo of erikmotta.com. she is a photographer and especially loves wedding photography. what's her favorite wedding colors you might ask? yellow and gray! being an august baby like myself, she is fierce and knows what she wants and so "the ari" manicure was created.

step 1: apply the base coat, orly's lemonade.

step 2: once the base has dried completely, rip off a piece of sotch tape. using the corner of the tape, point the tip towards the center of the nail, leaving room for the next color. push down all sides of the tape, so there’s no bleeding then paint the top part of the nail using essie's chinchilly. for the black leopard  i used a black  '2 way nail art brush pen' from ebay (please see my "leopard' post for the link).

step 3: peel off the tape IMMEDIATELY after painting the nail, pulling from the center upwards

step 4: for the additional accents i lined the "v" of the chevron with a silver glitter nail polish and topped it off with a small black rhinestone (see the link on my "leopard" post). 

i love how scotch tape can be easily used to create a nail design. the only downside is the wait time. i recommend to paint the base one day and the design the day after or if you have the time, wait an hour or two before applying the tape so that you don't ruin your base color.

bling, bling!

do you fancy my nails? i bedazzled my nails using rhinestones that i bought from ebay (link here > nail art rhinestones ). for this manicure i used essie's 'a crewed interest' and 'lapiz of luxury' for the base. i then used yellow, light blue and light pink rhinestones to complete the look. to apply the rhinestones, you first apply one coat of clear nail polish then almost immediately after, using a dotting tool or toothpick, wet the tip, with clear nail polish to pick up the rhinestone and apply it to the nail. wait about 30 seconds for the nail polish to dry a bit then firmly press the stone down into the nail to make sure it sticks. voila! you have blinged out your nails.