Nail Design: Abstract?

Posted by Jenny
I wasn't entirely sure what to call this nail design... for once I wasn't painting little pictures to try and resemble real-life objects, but just creating a random design. This is my first time using a nail art brush, which I bought the other day at a Sally Beauty Supply store. I bought the smallest size I could find so that I'll be able to do lots of little details.
However, I only ended up using it for the yellow dots. (N.Y.C. Taxi Yellow Creme) The black is a stripe of L.A. Colors Art Deco Black, and the white is done with a Sally Hansen Fine Tip Manicure Pen. The base is a pretty green shade, Love & Beauty Teal. (The only place to buy Love & Beauty products is at Forever 21, by the way... you won't find this brand in drugstores or beauty supply stores!)
When I showed my sister my nails, she said they reminded her of a wrapped-up Christmas gift, which I think is kind of a longshot. But when I showed them to my mum, she said the exact same thing! Do you agree?

MOOOO!!

So last weekend with the rainy weather, i was inspired to use soft tones on the new nail design, and i came up with this:

I put a little sequin on the thumb nail to give it a sparkle :)
I though the design resembled blue agaves, don't you think?

However, I made the mistake of washing my hands too soon after painting my nails. So, well... the design got extremely messed up. It only lasted 1 hour on my hands :(

Frustrated, I came up with a simpler design, which I think turned out awesome!!

Basically, I painted my nails all white and then used a black sharpie to make the spots. Ta-da!

Nail design: Monster Mash

Posted by JennyThese nails are a little loopy, but absolutely perfect for my personality! You can see in the photo above what I was inspired by... as well as Mike, from the genius movie Monsters, Inc.The colors, from pinky to forefinger: L.A. Colors Color Craze Perfect Sunset, Claire's Cosmetics, N.Y.C. Fuschia Shock Creme, and Nail Fantasies Twist & Shout.
The white is done with a Sally Hansen French Manicure Fine Tip Pen, and the black detailing with L.A. Colors Art Deco Black.

My favorite nail was the thumb, below:
It made me smile every time I looked at it! I used L.A. Colors Color Craze Tropical Storm for this funny little guy, and instantly fell in love with the color. I hadn't painted an entire nail with this shade before, had only used it for small details. But painting an entire nail with the tubercular gray gave the effect that my nail was made of steel, which was really cool.
The only problem was that it chipped the very next day, so I think I'm going to invest in a good-quality silver nail polish. Maybe there will be Black Friday sales on nail polish tomorrow...?

Nail design: Under the Weather

I never thought the cloudy days and rain we’ve been having could be inspiring, but it gave me the idea for these bad-weather nails. My thumb is an angry thunderstorm, my forefinger is an overcast day, my middle and ring fingers are the sunny pleasant days that I wish we could have, and my pinky is a dismal little raincloud.
Before I began, I knew the light blue polish I would be using was thin and runny. So, I made sure that the base coat of Sally Hansen Nearly Nude Naturel White #1 was applied very very evenly, so the blue layer would appear smooth instead of having funky streaks. (I hate when that happens!) The white of the clouds is done with the same polish as the base coat, the raindrops are in NYC Skintight Denim Creme, and the yellow of the suns and lightning bolt are Love & Beauty Sunshine. All of the faces have been drawn with an L.A. Colors Art Deco, in Black.

Hello!!!! Right now my camera is not working so I can't give you guys a picture. Sorry. the design is a clear nail with the tips blue and a lightning bolt. I used Revlon Calcium Gel Nail Hardener for a base coat. For the tips I used Kiss Nail Art Pearl blue. this is probably the most tricky since you have to outline your tips carefully. Its easier if you have long nails. Make sure the base is dry before applying the blue tips and lightning bolt!!! for the lightning bolt, I used Kiss Nail art gold glitter. To make the lightning bolt start with a left diagonal line, then connect with a right diagonal line and a left one again. Just like the lightning bolts little kids draw!!!! Reapply the nail hardener and voila!!!

Nail Design: Watermelons

Posted by Jenny
Hi! I'm back with another fruity-themed nail design, watermelons. And again, it's a summer fruit that I'm going to have to wait a year to get in season! For now, I'll just admire how they look on my fingertips.

The seeds are done in L.A. Colors Art Deco Black. I used NYC Fuschia Shock Creme for the flesh, Nail Fantasies Twist and Shout for the inner rind, and NYC Big Money Frost for the outer rind, which is a shimmery dark green that I absolutely love. However, it looks sort of strange when I paint my entire nail with it. I don't know if it's because of my superpale skintone-- it's just not the right color for me. BUT this was an excellent chance to use it!

What I like the most about this design is how it looks a little like a French manicure, but very very modified. :)

Nail design: Bumblebees

Posted by JennyHello!
Today's design is inspired by the annoying little bugs that fly into your face and sink their stingers into your flesh. Bumblebees.
Soo, nobody really likes bumblebees, because mostly they just startle people and make them swat the air wildly. But they really are cute... at least in cartoon form, painted on your fingernails.
The base is Sally Hansen Nearly Nude Naturel White #1, followed by two bright coats of Claire's Cosmetics. You can't tell very well from the photo, but the yellow is bright enough to be nearly fluorescent, the glowing shade achieved by brand-new highlighters. I absolutely love how eye-catching and unique it is.
The black stripes are done in L.A. Colors Act Deco Black, which were very simple to paint with the thin brush that Art Decos are equipped with. The white bits of the eyes are done with the polish I used as a base coat.

Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

Nail design: Ladybugs

Posted by JennyThey're adorable ladybugs, and they're on my fingers!
Ladybugs are probably my favorite insect, just because they're so cute... plus, I've always loved polka dots.

I started with a base coat of Sally Hansen Nearly Nude #1 Naturel White, followed by a coat of NYC Big Apple Red Creme. The black detail is done with L.A. Colors Art Deco Black, and the whites of the eyes are in Sally Hansen Nearly Nude #1 Naturel White.

I think there might be a little variation on this design in the future, with bumblebees. (Stripes instead of polka dots, yellow instead of red...)

Nail Design: Under the Sea

Posted by Jenny

The seaweed is always greener
In somebody else's lake
You dream about going up there
But that is a big mistake
Just look at the world around you
Right here on the ocean floor
Such wonderful things surround you
What more is you lookin' for?

Under the sea
Under the sea
Darling it's better
Down where it's wetter
Take it from me
Up on the shore they work all day
Out in the sun they slave away
While we devotin'
Full time to floatin'
Under the sea

Down here all the fish is happy
As off through the waves they roll
The fish on the land ain't happy
They sad 'cause they in their bowl
But fish in the bowl is lucky
They in for a worser fate
One day when the boss get hungry
Guess who's gon' be on the plate

Under the sea
Under the sea
Nobody beat us
Fry us and eat us
In fricassee
We what the land folks loves to cook
Under the sea we off the hook
We got no troubles
Life is the bubbles
Under the sea
Under the sea
Since life is sweet here
We got the beat here
Naturally
Even the sturgeon an' the ray
They get the urge 'n' start to play
We got the spirit
You got to hear it
Under the sea

The newt play the flute
The carp play the harp
The plaice play the bass
And they soundin' sharp
The bass play the brass
The chub play the tub
The fluke is the duke of soul
(Yeah)
The ray he can play
The lings on the strings
The trout rockin' out
The blackfish she sings
The smelt and the sprat
They know where it's at
An' oh that blowfish blow

Under the sea
Under the sea
When the sardine
Begin the beguine
It's music to me
What do they got? A lot of sand
We got a hot crustacean band
Each little clam here
know how to jam here
Under the sea
Each little slug here
Cuttin' a rug here
Under the sea
Each little snail here
Know how to wail here
That's why it's hotter
Under the water
Ya we in luck here
Down in the muck here
Under the sea

Underwater nails, complete with fish and seaweed.

I had a little bit of trouble with the outlines, they came out too thick and sloppy-looking for my taste... but they can't all be winners, right?

I used Sally Hansen Nearly Nude #1 Naturel White as a base coat, Forever 21 Love & Beauty Teal for the sea water, Nail Fantasies Twist and Shout for the seaweed, and L.A. Colors Art Deco Black for the outlines.

The fish colors are as follows, from thumb to pinky: NYC Skintight Denim Creme, (for the fish) NYC Taxi Yellow Creme (for the sea star), L.A. Colors Color Craze Perfect Sunset, Claire's Cosmetics, NYC Taxi Yellow Creme, NYC Fuchsia Shock Creme.

I topped it off with two coats of Love My Nails Violets are Blue, a super pretty blend of blue, aqua, and purple colored glitter, plus purple spangles in the shape of hearts. The glitteriness isn't apparent in the photo, but the effect is really nice in the sunlight.
Love My Nails products are available at Wal-Mart, $1 for 0.5 ounces. If sparkly nails are your style, I recommend these polishes: not only are they extremely cheap, they have glitter polishes in dozens of different colors, including unusual mixtures of hues such as the one I used for this design.

<º))))>< <>< <>< <><

Nail Design: iPods

Despite never having owned an iPod, I've always liked their style... :]

This design is fun because you can use all your favorite colors at once, instead of having to decide which color out of the millions in your collection to paint your nails.

I started with a base coat of Sally Hansen Nearly Nude #1 Naturel White. The colors, from thumb to pinky: Wet n' Wild Wild Shine Eggplant Frost, Claire's Cosmetics, Nail Fantasies Twist and Shout, NYC Taxi Yellow Creme, NYC Big Apple Creme. Outlines are done with L.A. Colors Art Deco Black.

The screens and buttons are done with a Sally Hansen French Manicure White Tip Pen Fine Tip.
I've never been a fan of French manicures, only because they're pretty simple and, as you've probably noticed, I like to get creative with my nail art! But I use this tool whenever I need to do white detailing, the tip can make really really thin lines when I need it to. The only problem is that it chips off too easily, if you are going to use it for a French manicure, make sure you apply a LOT of topcoat!

Nail Design: Cupcakes

Posted by Jenny
Today's nail design is based off of everybody's favorite dessert, CUPCAKES!!
This was actually really easy to do; the icing is all done with a Sally Hansen French Manicure White Tip Pen Fine Tip, and the sprinkles are simply dotted on with a toothpick.
I used NYC Fuschia Shock Creme for the cupcake liner and NYC Big Apple Red Creme for the ridges and cherry. (The tiny lines were also achieved with a toothpick, which I consider one of the handiest tools in the nail art world.)
The sprinkle colors are: Nail Fantasies Twist and Shout, Claire's Cosmetics, and L.A. Colors Color Craze Perfect Sunset. But of course, feel free to use whichever colors suit you.

The only trouble with this design is that they gave me an enormous cupcake craving. :P

Nail design: Strawberries

Strawberries! The ultimate summer fruit! I definitely miss them now that we're well into the fall season.
Sooo, I painted them on my nails- perfectly sensible!
The fruit is done in NYC Big Apple Red Creme, the leaves are Nail Fantasies Twist and Shout, and the seeds, applied with a toothpick, are Taxi Yellow Creme.
I liked the green and red colors together. It was bright and pretty but didn't turn out Christmas-y, like I has feared-- just stawberry-y.