Mani-Monday: Sugar Skull

Since Halloween is right around the corner, I thought I would create something for it. I was inspired by the Day of the Dead (Dia de Muertos), which is a holiday that focuses on remembering the friends and family members who have passes on. For this nail design I wanted to create a Sugar Skull, which is used in honoring the deceased. There are so many beautiful interpretations and creation of the Sugar Skull, but my main inspiration for my nail design this week was a picture by Misscarissrose on Instagram (http://instagram.com/p/dQ-EtTOMXD/). I had a lot of fun creating this nail look and loved the way it turned out! To get this look:

Mani-Monday: Abstract Autumn

 

Since yesterday was the first day of fall, I thought I would create something fall spirited. I came up with something different though and something more abstract. This nail look is abstract paired with simplicity. For the nail polish colors, I was inspired by the changing colors of the leaves in the autumn time. To get this look:

 

You will need:

Base coat

Nude nail polish

Red nail polish

Brown nail polish

Orange nail polish

Yellow nail polish

Dark green nail polish

Dotting tool or toothpick

 

Step 1: First, apply your base coat. Then apply two coats of your red polish, I used ‘Chine Rouge’ by China Glaze, on your pinky, pointer, and thumb. And then apply two coats of your nude polish, I used ‘Sandstorm’ by Maybelline, on you ring and middle finger. Wait a few minutes for your nail polish to dry.

 

Step 2: Next, on your ring finger and middle finger, you are going to use your brown polish, I used ‘milk chocolate chunk’ by Sephora, to create random strokes with the brush on the nail. You are going to continue doing the same method for each color. Using your orange polish, I used ‘Caliente Coral’ by Sephora by OPI; create more strokes, overlapping on some of the brown. Next, using your yellow polish, I used ‘yellow umbrella’ by Sephora, paint on more strokes on the nail. Then using your dark green polish, I used ‘Dark Room’ by Sephora by OPI, create more random strokes. Lastly, using your red polish, I used ‘China Rouge’ by China Glaze, paint on the last few random strokes on the nail. The colors should be overlapping and you can change up the order of which color you want to paint on first, second, third, etc.

 

Step 3: Then, on your pinky, pointer, and thumb, you are going to use your dotting tool or toothpick and dip it in the dark green polish to create the first dot near your cuticle. Then dip the dotting tool in the orange polish and create the next dot right above the dark green dot. Lastly, dip your dotting tool in the yellow polish and create the last dot above the orange dot. 

 

Step 4: Finally, apply your top coat and you are done! I love the abstract look of these nails. Have fun with them and play around with different colors.

Mani-Monday: Fourth of July

 

Fourth of July is coming up and we definitely need to get our nails in the spirit! I wanted to create something fun and patriotic. I love the look of each nail being different. This nail look takes some time to create and some patience, but the results will definitely make your nails a showstopper. To get this look:

 

You will need:

Base coat

Red nail polish

White nail polish

Blue nail polish

Top coat

Striping brush or toothpick

Star nail stamp (optional)

Striping tape

 

Step 1: First, apply your base coat. Then apply two coats of your white polish on all your fingers except the ring finger. I used ‘White Hot’ by Sephora by OPI. Apply two coats of the blue on your ring finger. I used ‘Sapphire Siren’ by Maybelline. Wait for your nails to dry.

 

Step 2: PINKY—apply striping tape on the very tip on your nail and then leave a little bit of space and then apply another piece of striping tape and then leave a bit of space again and then apply another piece of striping tape. On the top space apply the blue polish and then on the bottom space the red polish. I used ‘It girl’ by Sephora. Peel the striping tape off immediately. RING FINGER—using a star shaped nail stamp or you can freehand it to create the stars on your ring finger (if you cannot create the stars, you can just create polka dots). MIDDLE FINGER—using a striping brush or toothpick write out July with the polish and 4^th with the red polish. POINTER—apply the striping tape leaving space between the next piece. Apply a generous amount of the red polish and peel off the striping tape right away. THUMB—using your red nail polish create a diagonal and then do the same with the blue nail polish.

 

Step 3: Then, Lastly, apply a top coat and you are done with your patriotic nails!

 

Have an amazing Fourth of July!

Mani-Monday: Red Leopard

This week I tried to create a different take on leopard. I started off with just a plain nude base and then created a line down the center of my nail and filled it with leopard prints. I’m really happy with how my nails turned out. It’s something different and obviously I’m all about different on my nails (I cannot wear just plain nail polish anymore…that’s a no go). This nail look also took pretty quick to do.

 

You will need:

Base coat

Nude nail polish

Red nail polish

Black acrylic or nail polish

Top coat

 

Step 1: First, apply your base coat. Then apply two coats of your nude polish. I used ‘Sandstorm’ by Maybelline.

 

Step 2: Next, using your red nail polish, I used ‘Lollipop’ by Essie, paint a line down the center on your nail. You can apply tape on the sides of your lines to create a straighter line, but I just painted the line slowly down the middle. Let it dry for a few minutes.

 

Step 3: Then, using your nude nail polish again, dot a few random dots on the red line on each nail. You can use the tip of the nail polish brush or a dotting tool.

 

Step 4: Then, using a toothpick, dip it in the black acrylic or nail polish and outline the nude dots to create a leopard look. Lastly, apply a top coat and you’re done! You can change it up and create this nail look with different colors.