31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Day 31: Honor Nails You Love

IT'S OVER!!!!

Guys, words can't express how happy I am that this challenge is over now. I liked being challenged, but my nails started taking the toll.
But hey, I did it! 31 consecutive days of nail art.

Anyway, the design I chose to re-create is this design by seizethenail on Instagram. I created mine differently than she did which is why it looks quite a bit different to hers. Either way, I'm very happy with these!

31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Day 29: Inspired by the Supernatural

Boy. This was such a fun one to paint! Sure, it took me forever and a day, but I absolutely love the final result! So, if you couldn't guess just by looking at it, this mani was inspired by a phoenix. I picked this picture as inspiration and tried to re-create it as accurately as possible. I chose to go with a simple black base, because the phoenix itself already took me way too long anyway.

This might be one of the most intricate manis I've ever done! Check below for some bonus work-in-progress shots!

Colors used:
black, white
China Glaze - Happy Go Lucky (yellow)
flormar - 421 (orange) [destashed]
ArtDeco - 80 (darker orange) [destashed]
essie - forever yummy (light red)

Make sure to click on the pictures to magnify them! 

31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Day 28: Inspired by a flag

I'll admit I took the easy way out with this one. This was based off the flag of Wales. The original flag has a red dragon-like creature on it too, but after all, the prompt was 'inspired by a flag', not 'recreate a flag'... So yeah. We're in the last couple days of the challenge and it's starting to wear me out a little. I still enjoy doing it, but everyday has taken a toll on my creativity and the health of my nails.

Colors used:
white
Catrice - Miss Piggy's BF (green) [destashed]
matte topcoat

31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Day 27: Inspired by artwork

I had a lot of fun with today's mani! The piece of art that inspired me was Claude Monet's Twilight, Venice which is also called San Giorgio Maggiore At Dusk.
I was originally going to do the Mona Lisa, but let's be honest, that's impossible.

Here are the colors I used:

Bonus picture - part of the mess I left
behind after I finished this mani

white
Sally Hansen - Lemon Heaven (pastel yellow/cream) [destashed]
essie - forever yummy (medium red)
Artdeco - 80 (dark-medium orange) [destashed]
essie - vibrant vibes (light green, pastel)
OPI - Bastille My Heart (darker red)
China Glaze - Happy Go Lucky (yellow)
Formula X - Dynamite (darker yellow)
essie - make some noise (medium electric blue)
China Glaze - Bahamian Escape (light blue)
black

31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Day 25: Inspired by fashion

I am officially calling these 'snowed in rainbow pinwheels'. I swear, the gradient/faded edges look just like a dusting of snow (or powdered sugar) to me. It wasn't intentional though.
The lines on these aren't the cleanest, but considering the short time I actually spent on them, they're not too bad.

Here's the t-shirt I based this mani on:
http://www.mwmgraphics.com/TEES_515/hand_painted/mwm_hand_painted_tees_3.jpg 

Colors used:
black, white
OPI - Bastille My Heart (dark red)
Formula X - Dynamite (dark yellow)
wibo - Nr. 2 (rosé) [destashed]
Maybelline - Lavender Lies (muted light purple)
Manhattan - 10B (dark blue) [destashed]
flormar - 421 (orange) [destashed]
OPI - Jade Is The New Black (medium green)
butter LONDON - Slapper (teal)

31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Day 24: Inspired by a book

So today, I have my first fail of the challenge. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike the design. It's wearable and I didn't have to deal with any major crises. However, this wasn't my most inspired mani. It feels like I kind of rushed through it and kept it very very simple.

Anyway, today's design was inspired by The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss. To be fair, I haven't read this book at all, so I based this design off the book cover. My index and middle finger represent the pattern on the cat's hat and my ring finger and pinky loosely represent the color scheme - red, blue and white.

Colors used:
black, white
essie - forever yummy (red)
b pretty - sky (blue/teal) [destashed]

31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Day 13: Animal Print

Alright. I know that leopard print is overused in nail art. That's why I tried different animals and patterns, yet none of them worked out the way I wanted them to. So I ended up really frustrated and decided to just go with the leopard print. It's not intricate and it isn't challenging, but it worked.

I took this as an opportunity to use polishes I've never used before. Coincidentally, both of them are by essence. Also, I used up my black nail polish in this mani.

Colors used:
essence - miss captain (dusty grey-blue)
essence - amazed by you (violet) [destashed]
black

31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Day 12: Stripes

 I love stripes. Unfortunately, I suck at freehanding them. Regardless of that, I tried my best with today's mani.

I started off with a medium gray base, then sponged on black white and dark gray. I love the way the base turned out. It looks a little like spray paint. (Bonus picture at the bottom)

Then I started painting on the lines. I'm actually quite surprised how well I did with these. They're not perfect and they're also a little uneven, but I still really love the look of this mani.


Colors used:
street - LOOK (medium gray base) [destashed]
Concrete Catwalk - China Glaze (dark gray)
black, white

31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Day 7: Black & White

Well, this was fun. I've always loved black & white patterns and nails, so I really enjoyed this prompt.
Also, I've said this a couple days ago but I absolutely suck at freehanding lines, so these were kind of difficult to paint. I got through it though, and they don't look too shabby.

It doesn't quite look like it, but the base is actually black. I'm not sure why, but in the pictures I took, the base looks navy rather than true black.

31 Day Nail Art Challenge: Day 3: Yellow

Today's prompt of the challenge is yellow and while I normally don't like that color, I really like these nails. They're not super intricate, but they look really fun! The yellow I used is retina-tearing. Figuratively of course. I always feel like I have text markers as nails whenever I wear this color. It even glows a little in the evening dusk.

What I find great about this mani is the contrast of the neon yellow and the black. I did my best to keep the "lines" as clean and straight as possible, without using tape.

Colors used:
- essie - funky limelight (neon yellow) [destashed]
- black

31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Day 1: Red

Today's theme of the challenge is 'Red'.

I first did this design back in July and I thought this was the perfect way to get started with this challenge. This design was actually inspired by a skirt from The Sims 4, which is probably a weird place to get inspiration from.

Here are the colors I used:
- essie - forever yummy (light red)
- OPI - Bastille My Heart (dark red)
- OPI - Every Month Is Oktoberfest (red-bronze)
- black

Now & Then - Color Blocking

Hey guys!
This is my first actual post on this blog. I started it about a year ago, but I was always too lazy to actually write paragraphs about my nail art.
This changes right now.

With my first post, I will also introduce you to a format called "Now & Then" in which I will pick out some of my oldest manis (I started doing "nail art" in 2011) and re-create them.

This first one is a color-blocking mani I did 3 years ago.
Let's take a look at the original mani:

There's so much wrong with this. The lines, the blotchy colors, the shape of my nails. The missing part of my thumb nail.

I didn't know a whole lot about nail polish and nail care back then. I was 15, trying to find an escape from high school.
And I found it.

Sure, my beginnings were all sorts of messed up. But I kept coming up with things and becoming a lot better in the process. And now, I am at a point in my journey where I feel comfortable showing off my nail art and even doing other people's nails!

And so, because whenever I look back at this I cringe; I decided to re-create it and actually paint straight and fairly even lines.


Here's the result:

Much better now, right?
I mean sure, the mani still feels a little messy, but I don't have to cringe everytime I look at it.

Here's the colors I used for this mani:
- China Glaze - Happy Go Lucky (yellow)
- essie - forever yummy (red)
- flormar - 421 (orange) [destashed]
- China Glaze - Something Sweet (light pink)
- China Glaze - Custom Kicks (turquoise/teal) [destashed]
- China Glaze - Bahamian Escape (light blue)
- China Glaze - Entourage (light green) [destashed]
- China Glaze - Rose Among Thorns (hot pink)
- Manhattan - 10B (dark blue) [destashed]
- OPI - Jade Is The New Black (dark green)
- black




Thanks for reading,
x