Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Multi color with DIY velvet

This is just a random multi color nail design I did last week. I made a DIY velvet on my middle finger. I love to put different colors and textures together. To create this look, you will need a white creme polish, a sandy beige creme polish, a light blue polish, a dark brown creme polish, a gray creme polish, a gold shimmer polish, a stamper and a plate or nail art pen, a gold stud and some white velvet powder. I know it looks like a lot, but you can always have alternatives. Sorry for the super low quality of the photos. In these photos, the large white flower on my index finger doesn't really show because i used a wrong white polish to stamp. I actually got a better result with another white polish on my right hand which I should have taken photos of but I didn't.


1. Apply base coat to all fingers.
2. Apply beige polish to your thumb.
3. Apply light blue polish to you index finger.
4. Apply white polish to your middle and ring finger.
5. Apply gold shimmer polish to your pinky.
6. Put a tiny drop of clear polish on your thumb where you want your stud at. Use a stick or toothpick to set a gold stud on it.
7. Use a Konad stamper to stamp a flower on your index finger with white polish. Then, stamp a smaller flower with dark brown polish, overlapping part of the white flower.
8. On the ring finger, use striping tape to make a pattern of your choice. Use a dotting tool to fill in the gaps with all four colors, beige, dark brown, gray and gold. Remove the stripping tapes carefully.
9. Apply top coat to all your fingers except your middle.
10. Apply a coat of white polish on your middle finger. Before it dries, use a tong to pick up the white velvet powder and release them right on your nail. Repeat for any bald spots. You can gently tap your finger to shake off the excess but do not touch it until it dries. After it dries, use a brush to brush off the excess. Do not apply top coat because it will ruin the fluffy velvet texture.



The velvet nail will only last for a day or two. Just like other textured nails, I prefer doing them on ring finger or pinky. Avoid using your ring finger and pinky is so much easier than your other three fingers. This time I did the middle ones though. Don't worry about washing your hands because it doesn't affect the result that much. Of course, you will lose some velvet powders but you will lose them eventually no matter if you wash your hands or not. 

For the alternatives:
No velvet powder? Paint your middle finger with white creme polish. Add a gold stud on it.
No gold stud? Use a dotting tool to put a tiny drop of gold shimmer polish instead.
No Konad stamper? Use nail art pen to draw the flowers on your nail.
No striping tape? Use scotch tape and cut them into very thin strips.

Things used:
Sandy beige polish: Essie yogaga 949
Light blue polish: Essie borrowed & blue 746
White polish (also used for stamping): Sally Hansen Xtreme wear white on 300
Dark brown polish: Essie little brown dress 728
Gray polish: Ulta concrete evidence
Gold shimmer polish: Sally Hansen Xtreme wear Golden-I 485
Stamping plate: Konad m60 (sorry, I forgot to include this one in the picture)
White velvet powder, 5mm heart shaped gold studs



Thank you very much for reading. I hope you like my post and find it useful. Please follow me on pinterest or instagram to keep you updated. Thank you.

(I am not paid and all the materials I used in this post were bought using my own money.)

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Marc by Marc Jacobs bracelet inspired


This is a nail design inspired by the Marc By Marc Jacobs exploded bow bracelet. I love the bracelet and wear it a lot. One day I thought maybe I could do a nail design complementing the bracelet. This time I did the caviar nail on my pinky just for fun. If you don't have the supplies, you can simply apply silver polish instead.

Marc by Marc Jacobs Exploded Bow bracelet
Marc by Marc Jacobs Exploded Bow bracelet
Marc-by-Marc-Jacobs-bracelet-inspired-nails-1
Marc by Marc Jacobs bracelet inspired nails
 


1. Apply base coat to all nails.
2. Apply brown shimmer polish to your thumb.
3. Apply off white cream polish to your index and middle fingers.
4. Apply copper glitter to your ring finger.
5. Apply a thick coat of clear polish or silver polish to your pinky. Gently pour the silver microbeads onto your nail. Use your finger or a stick to pat down the beads very gently. Wait for it to dry completely.
6. Put a tiny drop of clear polish on your index finger. Use a stick or toothpick to set a rhinestone on it.
7. Use a Konad stamper to stamp a bow on your middle finger with a silver polish.
8. Paint a dot in the center of the bow with the copper glitter polish.
9. Apply top coat to all your nails.

Marc-by-Marc-Jacobs-bracelet-inspired-nails-2
Marc-by-Marc-Jacobs-bracelet-inspired-nails


Things used:
Brown shimmer polish: Essie mochacino 672
Silver polish for stamping: Sally Hansen Insta-dri silver sweep 230
Silver microbeads
Off-white polish: My own franken polish (because I don't have an off white polish, I made my own by mixing up some yellow and white polish.)
Copper glitter (Again, I don't have a copper glitter polish. I used clear polish with copper glitter)
Rhinestone: clear 1.5mm round
Stamping plate: QA-36 (I got this from an online nail supplies store)

Marc-by-Marc-Jacobs-bracelet-inspired-nails-tutorial

I really like how the colors and the textures complement each other. I hope you like it as much as I do. The caviar actually lasted longer than I thought. A couple of beads did fall off though. So, be careful when you are preparing foods or eating with your hands. For people who wants to know more about stamping and caviar nail, I might have a post about them in the near future. Thank you very much for reading. 

(I am not paid and all the materials I used in this post were bought using my own money.)



Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Black and white

This nail design required a little more tools but it is still easier than it looks. I combined glitter, matte surface, stamping, and rhinestones in one nail designs. I don't want it to be too busy so I kept it simple by using black, white and silver only. I used Konad stamper to do my middle finger but if you don't have a stamper, you can use a nail art pen. I am not very good at free hand nail art, so I prefer stamping ^^ 


Apply base coat to all your nails.
Thumb: 1. Apply 2 coats of black glitter polish.
Index finger: 1. Apply 2 coats of black cream polish.
Middle finger: 1. Apply 2 coats of white cream polish.
                      2. Using the konad stamper, stamp an angled chevron on your nail with a silver polish.
Ring finger: 1. Apply 1 coat of silver polish.
                   2. Apply silver glitter polish until you get the desired bling.
Pinky: 1. Apply 2 coats of black polish.
           2. Put a tiny drop of top coat to the corner of your nail where you want your rhinestone at.
           3. Use a stick to set the stone on your nail. Press down firmly.
Finish with top coat except your index finger. Instead of the glossy top coat, apply a matte top coat on your index finger.
Remember to let them dry thoroughly between layers.


Polishes used:
Black glitter polish: L'Oreal Diamond Collection drop dead gorgeous 601
Black ceam polish: China glaze liquid leather 544
Matte top coat: Essie matte about you
White cream polish: China glaze white out 545
Silver polish: Sally Hansen Insta-dri silver sweep 230
Silver glitter polish: Essie luxeffects set in stones
Stamping plate: Mash-45
Rhinestone: clear 1.5mm round


As a lot of other people have recommended, Sally Hansen Insta-dri silver sweep is one excellent stamping polish. It is a must have for people who like stamping like me.

Thank you for reading. I hope you will like my design and find it useful. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please leave me comments below. Have a wonderful day! ❤


(I am not paid and all the materials I used in this post were bought using my own money.)

Pebble dots


This manicure is very easy to do. Basically you only need a white cream polish and a jelly of any color you like. I chose a peach jelly this time. Sorry again for the quality of the photos.



1. Apply base coat to your nail
2. Use a dotting tool or a nail art pen to draw some dots with a white cream polish. Just draw two or three dots on each nail. Don't draw too many because you have to leave some space for other layers.
3. Apply one coat of jelly on the whole nail.
4. Use the dotting tool to draw some more dots with a white cream polish.
5. Apply another coat of jelly on the nail.
6. Repeat steps 4-5 until you get the desired result.
7. Use a silver glitter polish to add one or two dots on each nail.
8. Finish with a top coat.

The more layers you do, you will get more different colors of dots. The dots don't have to be same sizes. Feel free to make it the way you like. 



I actually applied a matte top coat on my right hand. I like how it turned out. I like both the glossy and the matte finish. Tell me which one you prefer. 

Nail polishes used:
Kiss nail art paint vernis, Revlon Colorstay seashell 025, China glaze white out 545


Thank you for reading. I hope you liked it and found it useful. Please come back for more tutorials.


(I am not paid and all the materials I used in this post were bought using my own money.)



Friday, August 9, 2013

Easter color French tip

This is my first tutorial. I pulled out some photos from a nail I did a while ago. I called it Easter color French tip. In this picture, it looks like the color on the thumb and ring finger are the same but actually they are not. I also put up the photos of the nail polish itself. In that photos, you can see the colors are quite different. Sorry for the quality of the photos. I didn't thought of doing a tutorial when I took them.


French tip colors
Thumb: Essie absolutely shore 758
Index finger: China glaze lemon fizz 871
Middle finger: Essie a crewed interest 790
Ring finger: Essie borrowed & blue 746
Pinky: China light as air 863
On whole nail: Essie pink glove service 545
Silver line: Kiss nail art paint vernis


1. always put basecoat on your nail. 
2. Use scotch tape to cover the the bottom part of the nail.
3. Paint the tips with five different colors.
4. Right after finish painting the tips, remove the scotch tape carefully before they dry.
5. Paint the whole nail with a sheer pink polish.
6. Use the silver nail art liner to draw a line in between the sheer pink and the colored tips. (If you don't have a liner, you can use a nail art pen with a silver glitter nail polish.) 
7. Finish with a top coat.
Remember to let the polish dry In between layers.

Nail polish used:


I hope you liked my tutorial and found it useful. Any comments and suggestions are welcome. Please come back for more tutorials. Thank you very much.



(I am not paid and all the materials I used in this post were bought using my own money.)