gold dot

Such an easy look.  Just toss some gold studs on there and you are good to go.

Wow, this picture is really bad and shows how drying soap can be. The cap on a bottle of car oil came off on the backseat floor of my car. So I spent the afternoon shampooing the carpets.  I now 100% understand why cars have floor mats.

Sinful Colors - Secret Admirer, Super Nova

cheetah

I have always wanted to try a free-hand cheetah print nail. I finally found a really great step-by-step (seems dumb for such an easy paint job, but sometimes following pictures really helps).  It is a pretty simple paint job that just takes a lot of time since each step has to dry before moving on to the next step.

Just a double color base coat.  Add some messy white blobs.  Then add the black details.  The white and black are both done with a dotting tool (the same one actually, just different ends).  I really like it and am happy I finally got around to trying it out.

OPI - You're Such A BudaPest
Sinful Colors - Black on Black
Sally Hansen - White On

night sky

Quick simple paint job.  Black jelly polish and a silver accent nail.  Done and done.  With the silver accent nail, it really makes the silver glitter in the jelly polish pop and not seem as dark.  I also didn't do a base color under the jelly polish, just two coats of jelly.  It helps keep it light.

Nicole - Luke of the Draw
Sally Hansen - Celeb City

party time

Nothing fancy.  Usually my hands match (sometimes the accent nail is on a different nail on each hand) but not this time.  I changed it up with two different color accent nails, one color on each hand.  Again nothing fancy but really fun.  I picked two solid colors that are also in the micro glitter in the main polish color.

OPI - Koala Berry
MAC - Everything That Glitters
China Glaze - Turned Up Turquoise

black & red

Nothing fancy, but very Queen of Hearts without the hearts.  The 'dots' are rhinestones.  The jelly glitter is a great polish that packs a ton of glitter.  The red is a classic red.  The only downside is it is OPI pre-3-free so it is a bit on the smelly side.  Why do I still have it and use it?  I love the color and the new formula of the same color isn't quite the same.

OPI - Malaga Wine
Spoiled - Ants In My Pants
Sinful Colors - Black on Black

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

grays

Super easy paint job!  It still fits with this time of year since it is getting dark so early now.  Just five different polishes, then top with a large silver stud.

The pointer finger polish is a bit on the blue side but does still work overall.  It also would have been too big of a hue jump between the middle finger gray and the black.

I always forget how much I like these studs.  They are large but they are very thin.  Somehow they don't stick out too much even on the curved nails.  They are also large enough to make a statement.

Sinful Colors - Cool Gray, Black on Black, Jungle Trail, Smokin
Sally Hansen - White On

Pin Up

Pair this with some black stilettos with red soles and some red lipstick and its a look.  Again, my nails are still long so it looks a bit odd with the red polish.

I went with a silver base on the ring and pointer finger.  Then the red on the other three.  Two coats of a red & silver glitter polish on the pinky and ring.  Add some black vinyl decals on the pointer finger and it is a look.  Right after I applied the top coat to my nails, I remembered I have this great black jelly polish that has a lot of red glitter.  This would have been a great polish for this paint job.  It would have changed the over all look and made it much more of a night time look.

OPI - Gettin' Miss Piggy With It
Essie - A List
Sally Hansen - Celeb City

retro

Why do hot pink and black go together so well?  I know that this pink polish is not a stamping polish so I stamped with the black polish.  I also knew that I wanted the stamped nails to really pop so I painted the rest of the nails black.  I love this paint job.

Sometimes the simple paint jobs are the best.  I get distracted by a theme, rhinestones, glitter, etc.  But it is nice to go back to a straightforward paint job every now and again.  The hot pink could easily be swapped out for a white or even bright blue.

China Glaze - You Drive Me Coconuts
Sinful Colors - Black on Black
plate - Cheeky CH33

dusk

I knew I wanted to do a blue paint job but was sort of directionless.  I was in the Nicole section of my polishes and saw this silver/black jelly polish.  I thought it would be pretty to do a glitter gradient with it.  Sort of like a dusk effect.

Well, the jelly polish holds a lot of color in the jelly.  Overall, it does look a bit like dusk but more like a city skyline at dusk.  It would be funny to do this paint job again but with more defined lines.  Or doing a proper light blue - black gradient, then a little silver glitter on top.

I love this light blue base color.  I however do not like coverage of the polish.  It takes a proper three coats to get a solid color.  Yet the black/silver jelly polish is so thick.  Has anyone else found this inconsistency with Nicole polishes?  I knew it was a problem with Essie, but since I am rather new to Nicole, I did not know.
Nicole - What's the Mitch-uation?, Luke of the Draw, Stand by Your Manny

Seattle Sounders FC

After spending two weeks with my Sounders loving nephews, I was inspired to do a Sounders FC paint job.  I really wish they made a soccer ball print plate.  Sort of like a giraffe print but with straighter edges would have worked.

Instead I went with the classic ref shirt (except I think that might be more American football).  Then the Space Needle on the ring finger (done with Sharpie).  The Sounders' scarf inspired the pinky.  The jersey the pointer finger.  And then the checkered thumb.  I don't know where that came from but it helps balance so there isn't too much of the green color.

This was a fun paint job.  It is a fun theme to work with, especially since there is an almost unlimited supply of teams and sports to play with.

Sinful Colors - Why Not, Innocent, Black on Black
Sally Hansen - White On
plate - Cheeky CH10

rock of ages

I have no clue why this reminds me of 'Rock of Ages'.  There is something about the black with the bright pink and bright blue glitter that screams hairband to me.  Like a leather coat bedazzled with pink and blue rhinestones.

I added a pink accent nail because I needed something to break up the black glitter polish.  The pinkness of the accent nails makes this even more 80s.  My nails were growing out, nice and long.  Then bamm, I broke one.  So they are all back to short.  It was nice to have long nails but it is nice to have them back short.  So much easier with a smart phone, working in the kitchen, and typing on my computer.

MAC - Everything That Glitters
OPI - Kinky in Helsinki

fishnets

This paint job has been in my idea file for a long time.  I needed longer nails to make it really work.  And since I have long nails right now, it was time to try it.  I added a red pinky to break it up a bit.  It could either be a red shoe, a red sole of a shoe or even red lips.  It makes the fishnet nails a bit sexier.

I need a bit of practice with doing the tips, the lines are a bit wonky.  I am happy with the stamping.  The lines came out perfectly and I somehow got them all in the same direction.

This is a very easy look to accomplish.  I went with two nude coats and two red on the pinky.  After the polish is dry, time to stamp.  Simply stamp on the criss-cross with black polish.  Concentrate on the lower part of the nail.  If you miss some of the nail tip, that is fine since it will be covered with the black polish.  Since this stamping is so fine, it dries really quickly.  Use the brush that comes with the black polish and do the tips.  Let it dry before doing the top coat.  That is it.  Super easy.  This would also look great with a deep bronze or even a gold-ish polish.  It would have a different feel but still work.

OPI - Coney Island Cotton Candy, Malaga Wine
Sinful Colors - Black on Black
plate - no name, Claires

gold digger

I used one of my favorite polishes for this paint job.  OPI Up Front & Personal is such an amazing color.  It is a very subtle warm gold but more of a nude gold.  Not much yellow in it.  It looks great with just one coat.  I wanted more of a statement so I used three coats.  That might be a bit much but it helps hide the nail line.

Then a simple black polish with two coats of 24k gold leaf polish on top for the accent finger.  Nothing fancy but still makes a statement.

OPI - Up Front & Personal, The Man With the Golden Gun
Sinful Color - Black on Black

june polish day - to boldly go

This month's polish day challenge is 'To Boldly Go'.  Space, Star Wars, Star Trek, galaxy nails, NASA, etc.  I have been wanting to do a galaxy paint job for a long time.  I was all set to do one until I got a super cute voice mail from my nephews.  They are Star Wars nuts.

I quickly changed my mind on the paint job and planned out a Star Wars themed one instead.
*more photos after the jump*

black & white disco

I was flipping through my nail swatches for inspiration for this paint job when I opened my glitter swatch box.  I wanted to do something with glitter but I wasn't feeling any sort of color.  Odd sounding I know.  So I pulled a silver halo, black jelly with silver glitters, and one that is aptly named Techno.

*more photos after the jump*

matte skulls

I have been looking at the skulls stamp design since I got the plate set.  I like it but I wish it was reversed.  The stamped color in the above photo is the black.  Having such a large solid stamp design leaves lots of extra stamp on the rest of the finger.  It would just be easier if the stamp was just the skull and bones patter instead of the back ground.

Having such a solid stamp makes stamping really hard.  Above is the best I could get.  So much fresh paint gives a lot of run and no clean edges.  I did got with a matte top coat because skulls are already so flashy and it just looks good with the matte.

Sinful Colors - Black On Black
Sally Hansen - White On
Nails Inc - Westminster Bridge (matte top coat)
plate - Cheeky CH49

Any tips with such a polish filled stamp?  Do you know of any stamping plates that have the skull and bones as the stamp, not the background?

black to white with a dash of red

After cleaning out my box of paints. tools, and tricks from the birthday party, I re-found my two grey polishes.  Normally greys are so dull but they inspired me to do a gradient paint job.  I was going to start with the fifth nail being a silver halo polish but then I saw the red paint and it all came together.  

There is nothing fancy about this paint job and it still fun.  For some reason it reminds me of Vegas.

Sinful Colors - Black on Black, Smokin, Cool Gray
Sally Hansen - White On
Essie - A List

birthday party

So, after posting my Academy Award nails, my Aunt asked me if I was free tonight to come and paint nails at her daughter's 9th birthday party.  The theme for the party was an Awards Show so she thought the tux nails would be perfect.  So I packed up a few polishes, tools, rhinestones, stamps, etc and headed over to their house.

It turned out to be a lot of fun.  The hardest part was painting on a small scale.  9 year old's nails are a lot smaller than mine (duh) and they are super bouncy.  I ended up painting most of the girl's nails and doing tux nails on the thumbs of the one boy guest.

*photos after the jump*

Academy Awards (the oscars)

My last paint job (champagne cocktail) inspired me to do a full on Oscars paint job.  I am a little bit of a movie nut (Netflix looses money with my account) and I love the Oscars.  The Golden Globes definitely rocked this year and set the bar extremely high for the Oscars.  I also either have or go to an Oscar party every year.

*more after the jump*