halloween swirl

I have always wanted to try a water marble but the mess and daunting clean up have kept me away.  Enter the toothpick!  It doesn't have the clean grandness of a perfect water marble but it does have a fun swirl and marble.

It is very easy and rather fun.  It just takes a little bit longer to dry.  But I would rather wait an extra 5-10 minutes of dry time vs dousing my cuticles in acetone to remove the overage.

So how was this done?  Just lay down the base coat (clear) and let dry.  Figure out which colors you want to use (I used four - two orange and two black) and open all of them so they are easy to access.  One finger at a time -  paint the base coat with any of the four polishes. Quickly drop a couple of drops of polish on the nail of the different colors (1 drop of each, at least two colors).  The more colors, the smaller the drops.  The smaller the nail, the smaller the drops.  Quickly use a toothpick and swirl the polish around.  The polish will be on the thicker side so it needs to dry a bit before even applying the top coat.

I am so happy the way this turned out.  I am definitely going to be trying this method again with some other colors.

OPI - Deutch You Want Me Baby?
Sinful Colors - Courtney Orange, Secret Admirer, Black on Black

fall gradient

It's fall!!  I have to sweep my deck everyday because of all the leafs.  It feels like midnight when it is only 8pm (I miss sunshine).  Time to bust out the fall colors.

Another quick glitter gradient.  A deep orange (burnt umber-ish) with a bronze/gold glitter on the tips.  Nothing fancy.  It looked a little odd when I first applied it.  The orange just does not work my skin tone.  But the gold really helps tone it down.

OPI - Deutsch You Want Me Baby?
Sinful Colors - All About You

candy corn

It's that time of year, the time of year when candy corn is everywhere.  I never buy any but some always ends up in my house.  I actually don't mind candy corn (the fall corn that has a hint of chocolate flavor is best) but can only eat about 5 pieces at a time.

It might not be the best of the holiday candy but it does make for a great paint job.  I actually bought this orange and yellow polish for exactly this paint job (last year though).  You could make this paint job neat and tidy by using tape.  Since my nails are all so different in size, tape would have taken forever.  I found an easier solution.  Base coat the entire nail white.  Paint the bottom yellow, top white again.  The middle doesn't have to be clean or neat because it will be covered by the orange.  Then just swipe the orange polish over the middle, top with a clear coat and it's done.

Sally Hansen - Mellow Yellow, White On, Sun Kissed

confetti

Confetti!!  A super easy quick paint job.  Just a pearl white base color, and then lots of dots of different colors.  It works because all the dot color's are in the same family, not too bright, not too dark and the same thickness.  Very quick and fun.  Something about all the different colors and the randomness of the dots makes it work without being too much.

Wet & Wild - I Need A Refresh-Mint, On A Trip
Sinful Colors - Tokyo Pearl, Innocent
Sally Hansen - Mellow Yellow, Fuchsia Power, Sun Kissed

daisy

 Another great polish from my nephews - this burnt umber orange polish.  I wasn't quite sure how I was going to use this polish.  It is an odd but pretty color.  Once fall comes, I know I will be using it a lot more.  For the time being, I new I either had to go with a flame or a flower paint job.

Just a basic yellow base color and a fun flower stamp with the orange.  Presto - a summer daisy paint job.  Nothing fancy but I like the over all look.

OPI - Deutsch You Want Me Baby?
Sally Hansen - Mellow Yellow
plate - Cheeky CH44

easter eggs

I wasn't sure what paint job I wanted to do for Easter.  That is until I drove past the local park and saw a bunch of kids getting ready to do an Easter egg hunt.  Light bulb.  Easter egg nails.  Super easy and won't be sad when I have to take them off Monday.  Just picked through all my colors and got out all the pastels that didn't have a glitter or shine to them.  And then I went a little crazy.  I like some of them but really dislike the pinky.  I also went with a matte top coat since most decorated eggs do not have a nice shiny finish (something about being super toxic).

Sinful Colors - Innocent, Why Not, Unicorn, Rise and Shine, Feeling Great, Easy Going, Amethyst
OPI - Do You Lilac It?
Wet & Wild - Sunny Side Up
Sally Hansen - Mint Sorbet, Sun Kissed

sunset nails

Gradient and stamping on one nail, oh my.

My left hand has been lazy recently (aka when I try and do detailed things, it goes wonky) so I didn't want to try gradient and stamping on my right hand, so I used all the same polishes and did a gradient dot look.  Surprisingly the two hands actually work together.

I think the gradient was a lot more successful this time.  The orange and yellow actually flow together and are smooth. *follow the jump for some more photos*

black & orange

Despite the fact that I am stuck at home with a wicked bad cold, I have not been that inspired to do a paint job.  I had to remove the last nail job on Thursday night because I had to make cookies (snickerdoodles, sugar cookie brooms/oak leaves/flowers) so I have been naked for three days.  My nails have liked the break but I felt like I need to paint them.  However, I could not think of anything to paint.  I know I did not want to do stamping, too much work**.