Black and White Interlock

Hello Lovelies!  This week's Nail Art Nation prompt is black and white.  Since you can't have one without the other, I thought an interlocking design would be perfect for this prompt.  I have done this pattern once before Interlocking Dot Nail Art, and it is relatively easy to create...

Materials I used:
Basecoat - SuperChic Lacquer 'Bring it On!'
White polish - Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear 'White On'
Black polish - Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear 'Black Out'
Quick drying topcoat - SuperChic Lacquer 'Marvel'
Scotch tape
Dotting tools
Holo topper - Dream Polish 'Dream Dust'

I began with a white canvas.  When doing an overlapping design it is best to start with the lightest color or the thinnest polish for your base.  Of course, I don't recommend using a thin polish for an overlapping design, but sometimes you have a polish that you just have to use.  I topped this with a quick drying topcoat.

When the base color was dry, I taped off half of my nail at an angle, painted it black, and immediately removed the tape.  Using a medium/large dotting tool I interlocked the black and white by placing black dots on the edge of the black overlapping into the white, and likewise with the white.  Switching to a smaller size dotting tool I placed a dot of each color in line with the previous dot.  Lastly, I did that with an even smaller dotting tool, filling in any voided area but still keeping it in line with the other dots.  I repeated this pattern on all my nails, but alternated the black and the white on each nail.

After a bit of clean up with acetone and a brush, I topped it  with a holo topcoat.  Dream Polish Gem Glam topcoat also happens to be a quick drying topcoat, so no need to apply another topcoat.

And here is a macro shot so that you can see that holo bling, I only added one coat because I wanted a very subtle holo affect.  More coats would have increased the holo factor but I like it just like this...



I really enjoy creating the interlocking design because it seems so complex, yet is very easy.  This design is perfect for a beginner, and requires only basic tools.  I hope you enjoyed this nail art design, see you next time.

Your Fellow Plebe,

 

Halloween Damask

Hello Lovelies! Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, those of you that have followed my blog for awhile are probably already aware of this. When most people think of Halloween they think of ghostly specters, haunted houses, blood, guts, and gore. However, I present to you a different side of Halloween, a bit of gothic elegance. These are my Halloween damask nails...

Materials I used:
Basecoat -  Dream Polish "Smooth Gem Basecoat"
Polishes - Zoya "Penny" & Sinful Colors "Black on Black"
Fleur De Lis vinyls from Lou It Yourself
Pueen image plate 23
Fab Ur Nails XL squish stamped and scraper
Black stamping polish from bornprettystore.com use code: CREATEX31 for 10% off your next purchase
Topcoat - SuperChic Lacquer "Marvel"

I began with black polish on my pinky and thumb, and I painted my three remaining fingers orange. I created this nail design for this weeks Nail Art Nation orange prompt, so I wanted orange to be the dominant color.  I also applied a quick drying topcoat on my ring finger.

I applied a Fleur De Lis vinyl on my ring finger.

I stamped the metallic orange over the black and black over the orange.

After a quick clean up with gentle acetone and a brush, I sealed it all with a quick drying topcoat.  It is especially important to use a topcoat when using vinyls as a decal, this ensures that they won't peal off.

I love this design, it is a very feminine and pretty version of Halloween nail art that can be worn any day and any where.  I particularly like the subtle metallic orange over the black, it has a somewhat  ghostly affect.  I hope you enjoyed these slightly different halloween-esque nails, thanks for stopping by, see you next time.

Your Fellow Plebe

Nail Art Nation Many Swap - Team Cryza

Hello Lovelies! Today, I have a mani swap for you, but its not just any ol' mani swap. As many of you know I am a member of a wonderful Google+ Community, Nail Art Nation. This is a great community that allows like minded nail fanatics to get together and share their creations, hauls, questions, concerns, and various other nail related topics. Recently, our wonderful NAN moderators came up with the idea to have a random group mani swap. The rules were very simple, volunteer to participate, then you'd be assigned a partner.  Once we were assigned a partner we had two weeks to recreate one of their nail art designs. I almost didn't participate because my schedule has been a bit crazy lately, but they needed one more participant to make an even team, so I made time. I was paired with the amazingly talented Eliza and thus we were named team Cryza!

The hardest part of this mani swap was picking which mani of Eliza's to recreate.  Eliza's artwork is beautiful, and I wanted to recreate a design that I could do justice.  I was also having a hard time picking just one, because they are all so pretty.  After selecting a few that I really liked and I thought I could recreate without creating shame, I randomly selected a design.  I ended up choosing her "Sand on the Asphalt" mani and she recreated my "Dotted Stripe" nail art design.

In Eliza's original nail art design she used textured polishes to create her interesting geometrical design.  Sadly, I do not own any textured polishes (I don't care for textures on my fingers), so to create a similar affect I used holos over a crème base.

For my version of this nail art design, I used Color Club "Tall, Dark, & Handsome" for my base, which is a cologne scented crème polish from The Love Tahiry collection.  For my two accent holo colors I used Gothic Gala Lacquers "Dash My Wig" from the Victorian Era collection, and "Make it So" from the limited edition Star Trek collection (no longer available).

Eliza has a wonderful tutorial/pictorial on her blog, "Me, Myself and My Nails", I recommend you go check it out.  While you are there, please follow her blog and check out all of her other fantastic designs, trust me you won't be disappointed.  You can also find her on Instagram @okeliza. 

I hope you enjoyed the nail art in this very fun mani swap.  I can't wait for NAN to hold another swap, I'll be sure to sign up for it.  Thanks for stopping by, see you next time.

Your Fellow Plebe,

Rosey Nails

Hello Lovelies! I hope you are all enjoying your weekend.  Today, I have a quick simple stamped mani to share with you.  I created these for this week's Nail Art Nation prompt: Red. This prompt was perfectly timed because I have had an untried red polish from Sincerely Polish I won over the summer I've been wanting to use, plus I wanted to use my Uber Chic plates I recently purchased. 

Materials I used:

Basecoat - SuperChic Lacquer "Bring it On!"

Polishes - Sincerely Polish "Sparkly Rose" & "Barenaked Luck"

Polish for stamping - Chaotic Glitz "Little Black Book"

Stamping plate - Uber Chic 5-01 

Fab Ur Nails squish stamped and scraper

Topcoat - SuperChic Lacquer "Marvel"

I began with two coats of this beautiful sparkly red from Sincerely Polish on all fingers except for my ring finger which I accented with off white with gold flakies in it. 

I stamped the full multiple rose image over the red. I decided to use a semitransparent black instead of an opaque black for a more subtle look, however, this black also has a little sparkle.

Over the off white I stamped the large single rose image. 

I cleaned up my cuticles with a bit of gentle acetone and a brush and applied a glossy topcoat.

I am not a huge fan of reds, mostly because they stain my skin so easily but this is such a gorgeous color. Its elegant and sexy !  I am so excited that I am getting better at stamping too, because stamping is such a quick way to do nail art once you get the hang of it. 

I hope you enjoyed this vampy red nail art design, its a bit different for me but I'm really enjoying it. Thanks for stopping by, see you next time.

Your fellow Plebe,

Art Deco Inspired Nails

Hello Lovelies!  I am in love with the Roaring 20's, the fashion, the lifestyle, the architecture, and the décor.  So when Nail Art Nation announce this week's prompt is the Roaring 20's I couldn't wait to get creating.  As a former interior designer I'm obsessed with anything Art Deco, so this nail art is a simple Art Deco inspired design...

Materials I used:
Basecoat - SuperChic Lacquer "Bring It On!"
Polishes - Sinful Colors "Snow Me White" & "Black on Black", Gothic Gala Lacquers "The Enterprise"
Iridescent topper - Color Club "Concrete Jungle"
Striping tape
Chevron vinyls from NailVinyls.com
Small rhinestones
Topcoat - SuperChic Lacquer "Marvel"

To create this look I began with one coat of white polish topped with an iridescent shimmer polish and a quick drying topcoat.  Now I know most people think of black and gold color schemes when they think of the 20's but I decided to change it up just a little bit.

With the base dry, I used striping tape to create a fair sized vertical stripe off center of the nail.  I filled in the tape with a soft metallic grey.  After removing the tapes I applied a quick drying topcoat, just over the stripe.  I did not apply quick drying topcoat over the entire nail in order to prevent the final finish from being too thick.

Once this layer was dry, I used two chevron vinyls.  By lining them up point to point I was able to create a diamond pattern.  I found that connecting the points with as little overlap as possible gave the best diamond shape, in fact the ones pictured below are overlapped a little too much.  I placed the diamonds roughly center of the nail, slightly overlapping the grey stripe.  I filled in the diamonds with black polish and removed the vinyls.  Lastly, using topcoat as an adhesive I applied a rhinestone between the diamonds.

As usual I finished off with a bit of cuticle cleanup using gentle acetone and a brush, and applied a final layer of quick drying topcoat.

I'm such a huge fan of the Roaring 20's that I even had my wedding reception in a replica speakeasy and I made all my guest dress period appropriate.  I have to say seeing my Grandmother dressed up like a flapper was the best wedding present ever!  So when I say I love the Roaring 20's I really do mean it.

If I have time this week I will most likely create another 20's inspired nail art design, because I have a least a billion more ideas of what I could create for this prompt.  I hope you like the 20's and enjoyed this nail art too.  Thanks for stopping by, see you next time.

Your Fellow Plebe,

 



Fall Swirly Gigs

Hello Lovelies!  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and start of the week so far.  I had a wonderful weekend, I got to enjoy some time with my best friend who I don't get to see often enough.  I didn't have much time for nail stuff because I was out of town, but I did wear these nails over the weekend...

I actually created these nails for this week's Nail Art Nation prompt: Autumn Equinox.  Plus I wanted to use some polishes and vinyls I purchased recently.  I love fall, and fall colors, this season for me is never long enough and is just a whirlwind of activities.  So, I chose these colors and the swirly gigs to represent fall.

Materials I used:
Basecoat - SuperChic Lacquer "Bring It On!"
Polishes - Frenzy Polish "Penny! Penny! Penny!" & "If You Don't Fight You Die" (both from the TV Frenzy Collection)
Swirl Vinyls from Lou it Yourself
Small dotting tool
Topcoat - SuperChic Lacquer "Marvel"

I started off with two coats of "Penny! Penny! Penny!" which is inspired by The Big Bang Theory.  I have never seen this show but I had to have this polish when I saw it.  I topped this with a quick drying topcoat. (Please excuse the misshapen mid finger, I'm having a bad nail week.)

Once the base color was dry, I placed two of the smallest swirly gigs on my ring finger.  I then applied two coats of "If You Don't Fight You Die" based on my favorite TV show, Walking Dead.  I immediately removed the vinyls, because the secondary polish is matte it dries very quickly so it was important not to leave the vinyls on too long.  I finished off the accent by dotting tiny dots around the outside of the swirls in my primary color with a very small dotting tool.

I did a little clean up with gentle acetone and a brush, however I did not apply another layer of glossy topcoat like I normally do, I wanted to keep the two different finishes.

This is a very simple, but (for me) a very accurate interpretation of Autumn.  I love the colors and the contrasting finishes.  Both of these polishes are gorgeous on their own but they also make a good team.

I hope you are enjoying fall (for those of you who get to experience it) so far, and I hope you enjoyed this nail art design.  Thank you for stopping by, see you next time.

Your Fellow Plebe,

 



Neon Love

Hello Lovelies!  Today, I have a mini review and reverse stamping design for you.  For one of the recent giveaway winnings I won, I was allowed to pick a polish of my choice from Baroness X Nail Lacquer.  I have never tried Baroness X and was having a really hard time choosing just one of their polishes because they are all very pretty.  I finally settled on 'Santa Monica Mint' because I own nothing like it, and thought it would be a nice addition to my overall collection.  When I received this polish I immediately fell in love, so I ended up creating this design using it as a base.

Materials I used:
Superchick Lacquer 'Bring it On' basecoat
Baroness X 'Santa Monica Mint'
Pueen image plate 01
Mundo de Unas 'Pastel Pink' stamping polish
Fabur Nails XL squish stamper and scraper
Pretty & Polished 'Cosmopolitan'
Small dotting tool or brush
Superchick Lacquer 'Marvel' topcoat

The base coat of Baroness X 'Santa Monica Mint' applied so smoothly and was easily opaque in two coats.  Can you believe, that there are no white undies under this pastel neon green?!  Hard to believe, I know, but it's true!

There are a couple of features the Baroness X bottle had too that I thought were worth mentioning.  One is this nice little button swatch on the top of the handle.  I know many people keep their polishes in helmers or drawers, this feature makes it easier to see the colors without having to pick it out of a drawer.  I also appreciated the nice wide applicator brush, this brush was wide enough that I could paint an entire nail in just two strokes.  I love anything that speeds up the polishing process.


Because I was so in love with this neon, I thought it might be fun to stamp a heart image over top of it.  I found a heart image that I liked on Pueen Image plate 01, and decided to practice some reverse stamping.  I believe this is only my second time reverse stamping and the first time with my newer stamping supplies.

Reverse stamping, for those who are unfamiliar, is the process of creating a decal using a stamped image.  This technique is great for those who are having trouble mastering stamping, or if you want to create a more intricate image with more colors.  I decided to keep this a little simple, I did fill in some of the hearts but I have seen artist create some really phenomenal art with this technique.

The process is not tremendously difficult and with some practice can be mastered.  Start by picking up an image on a stamper.  Instead of transferring the image onto a nail, leave it on the stamper.  Using a secondary polish, and a small dotting tool or brush fill in areas of the image that are voided.  For my image I filled in the open hearts.  Then apply a quick drying topcoat over the complete image.  When the topcoat is dry, use a pair of tweezers to peal the image off the stamper.  With wet polish on the nail (either a second coat of base color, or a clear coat), place the stamped decal.  Very gently tap the decal down, do not put to much pressure because you may tear the decal.

Use cuticle scissors or nail clippers to trim the excess decal away.  Then finish up using acetone and a brush to carefully remove whatever excess decal remains.  After cleanup is complete, apply a final layer of quick drying topcoat.  I went ahead and added an individual heart on the corner of my pointer to complete this look.

I had a few minor issues with this but all in all I love the way this turned out, the pink and green really complement one another.  This is also one of those rare times when my cindy hand turned out better than my swatch hand.

After, I completed this nail art design I decided even thought this green is beautiful that it was a bit distracting.  To tone it down just a little bit, I changed the pinky and thumb to the secondary dark pink that I used in the stamped image, Pretty & Polished 'Cosmopolitan.'

 
I feel by changing a couple fingers to a darker but still bright color and a different texture, helped to balance the neon crème.

Pretty & Polished 'Cosmopolitan,' is a very deep berry pink that has a slight texture to it.  It was almost completely opaque in one coat, but I used two coats to be certain.  It has a beautiful purple pink holo glitter in it that makes it very pretty and unique.

I love neon cremes, I love reverse stamping (now that I've figured out stamping), and I love this nail art design.  It was also really interesting to see how changing a couple of fingers to a different color and/or texture changes the entire look of the design too.  I'm curious which combination do you like the best, neon green alone or the neon green/pink combo?  Whichever, is your favorite I hope you enjoyed this nail art design, and tutorial.  Thanks for stopping by, see you next time.

Your Fellow Plebe,