Tribal Tribute Two

Tribal art attempt number two! This design is yet again another funky and fun tribute to the colorful world of Tribal Art. I played with more colors on this mani and I had a lot of fun coming up with a pattern that was visually exciting.

I used Knockout Orange (Neon) by China Glaze for the background color. Accent colors are China Glaze Sky High-Top and White on White. For the striping, I used LA Colors Art Deco in Black.

 What do you think of this one? Is the pattern too crazy or not crazy enough?!

I hope you are having a fantastic day~Happy Lacquering! =)

Tribal Tribute

Tribal art has always fascinated me due to the sheer intricacy of the patterns involved in each design. This infatuation coupled with my recent obsession with linearity has launched my next streak of manicures. I have a feeling that with these, it will be much more difficult to keep my lines crisp and clean...but again, practicing will help and in time I hope to improve.

On this design, I used Pool Party by China Glaze to set the background color. For my black, I used Liquid Leather by China Glaze and striping was done with LA Colors Art Deco in Black.

What are your thoughts on my first attempt at tribal art? Have you done any tribal art designs?

I hope you enjoyed & Happy Lacquering! =)

Orange You Glad to See Me?

This is my FAVORITE orange polish, which happens to be Orange Knockout (Neon) by China Glaze. There's just something nostalgic about this color that reminds me of middle school in the 80's, when leg warmers and parachute pants were cool and my favorite shoes were fluorescent splattered hi-tops...what was I thinking?!?! Anyway, I think the color is amazing and I love how it looks on my nails~it's definitely a standout color!

 Hope you enjoyed the flashy orange and have a fantastic day~Happy Lacquering!

Line Please!

Here's a ShOcKeR:Stripes are still on my mind! Here's a design that gave me lots of practice working on making my lines as straight as possible while still allowing me some good, quality playtime with my polishes. YaY! (It's a win-win situation!) 

I think these turned out pretty decent, if I do say so myself. >.<

I used 2 coats of CG Entourage and made the stripes with Kiss Nail Art Paint in Pearl Blue. 

 

This design could be done in many different colors and in a variety of linear patterns. I plan on working on this a LOT to see what crazy new designs I can come up with next! I hope you enjoyed. Happy Lacquering! =)

Line Design

Linear designs have always caught my eye and I've loved painting rainbow designs since I was a little girl. Once I started creating nail art, I was thrilled to discover the exciting phenomena of striping brushes! I immediately began practicing my skills at painting straight lines. When I began, my lines looked a bit like I was painting blind-folded on a rocking boat. However, I have noticed an improvement. The practice really does help! ;)

I used Claire's scented nail polish minis for the rainbows, CG White on White, and LA Colors Art Deco in black. I love the LA Art Deco striping polishes~they have so many colors!

What's your favorite striping polish? I'm thinking of doing a giveaway with some LA Colors Art Deco polishes, since they are my favorite. Anyone interested? =)

This idea was inspired by a photo from creativenaildesigns.blogspot.com I found on a google search. Thanks!!

Finger Paints Special Effects Experiment

As a huge fan of all things that sparkle and shine, I found myself immediately drawn to Finger Paints newest line of special effects lacquers. They are like magic in a bottle—each “potion” gives off a uniquely beautiful effect when applied over a dark polish. 

Flashy, Twisted, Flecked, Asylm, and Motley

Being the eternally inquisitive person that I am, I wondered how the special effects would look when they were layered on top of each other. 

~So I got right down to business and started experimenting to find out!

Step 1: I applied a base coat to protect my nail followed by 2 coats of CG Liquid Leather.

 

Step 2: I applied one coat of FP Flashy. Oh how I LOVE the rainbow flecks in Flashy!!! This looked so good, I almost stopped right here…but my curiosity got the best of me and I continued on with my mission. 

Step 3: I applied one coat of FP Twisted. Twisted is the closest to qualifying as “chunky” shredded gets in this FP set and I LOVE that quality! I’m anxious to try it alone—however, I think it came out pretty cool over Flashy.

Step 4: One coat of FP Flecked. Wow. Now, I think it’s getting a bit color-logged. Can’t decide if I like it or not.

Step 5: I applied one coat of Asylum. (Kinda made me laugh, because my nails are looking a little on the crazy side).

Step 6: FINALLY, it’s time for the last of the Finger Paints! One coat of FP Motley—and man, did this color look beautiful gliding over my nails! It gave them a slight aqua shift, but it was so minimal that when it dried, it was lost. The color itself is definitely a keeper…it will be fun to play with!

Step 7: I topped off my “experiment nails” with a quick coat of Out The Door to seal them.

This was definitely a fun experiment…and I discovered that my three faves from this line are Flashy, Twisted, and Motley. However, I don’t know if I’m a huge fan of layering all five of these gems together. Maybe sticking with one or two is a safer bet. What do you think?

 

I hope you enjoyed. Happy lacquering! =)

Nail Marbling Drag

Playing with lacquer is one of my favorite hobbies...and art happens to be another! =) When I stumbled across Jackie Gentry's entry in the Cult Nail's competition, I immediately knew I had to try marbling.  

First, let me show you some pictures of my masterpiece~I think they turned out pretty funky. I quickly fell in love with the process and in no time, I'd decided that I love marbling!

 

I did my mani in steps:

1) The first step was applying 2 coats of CG Bahamian Escape to provide a nice solid base (that way I wouldn't have to worry about scraping the polish clear down to my nail when I was marbling/playing). I actually put on a coat of Out The Door to seal the Bahamian Escape before moving on to marbling.

2) Then I dripped (different sized globs) CG Bahamian Escape, CG Sea Spray, and CG First Mate onto one nail at a time. I quickly took a toothpick and dragged the toothpick through all three of the colors with swirly little flicks. If it looked like it needed more of a color, I just added a dab of that color!

I would have to say that this is definitely one of my most favorite manicures I've done~it's also the most fun~and I can't wait to try out other color combos.

A special thanks goes out to Jackie for sharing the link on needle marbling design! http://adventuresinacetone.blogspot.com/2011/10/needle-marble-design.html

Flakies

Here are Pics of my Lacquistry Nail Polish flakie that I wanted to share with you. I'm wearing 2 coats of CG Lubu Heels underneath 1 coat of Devil's Dandruff. I tried to get close up shots so I could capture the amazing sparkle (have I mentioned I like sparkle?) and flakies. To get these outstanding polishes, you can go to http://www.etsy.com/shop/Lacquistry. 

 Devil's Dandruff

 

Devil's Dandruff (outdoor lighting)

 Final Verdict: HOME RUN! This lacquer is sure to wow any crowd. :)

Foiled!

My new-found love for all-things-glittery has come with one obnoxious side effect: polish removal. The first time I tried taking the gorgeous piles of hex-laden lacquer off I thought my arms were going to fall off instead. I had glitter everywhere; all over my fingers, my hands, up my arms, and worst of all, still on my nails! :(

Until, thank GOODNESS, I discovered the foil method.

First, I cut tin foil into some strips.

Next, I double splashed a cotton ball in pure acetone and placed it on my glittery fingernail.

Then, I took the foil strip and snugly wrapped it around the cotton ball.

(I repeated this until one full hand was foiled.) 

Time: 8-10 min. (for each hand)

Finally, I carefully unwrapped the foil (I reused the same pieces on the other hand) and gently wiped away any residual glitter or polish on my nail.

It's really that easy! Then I repeated on the other hand~ in 20 min. I was glitter-free and ready for my next super glitzy manicure. Bring on the sparkle!

Polish Addictions. To Cure or Not To Cure?

I'm an addict. I love to look at the bottles all lined up side by side on my racks, like colorful little soldiers, ready for beauty battle. My brain comes up with a million reasons why I need to make a "quick trip" to Sally's, just to get a polish shopping fix. When there's a package at the door and I know it's nail mail, rules like "don't run with scissors" and "use your indoor voices" become obsolete. The question is: should I find some way to stop this crazy nail polish frenzy?

Aside from the obvious reward (instant gratification of me holding polish victoriously before placing it on my very packed shelf), I also get to create nail art with the polishes well beyond the initial moment of purchase/ownership/happy dance. The polishes are necessary in order to make a nail masterpiece (and plenty of failed attempts, as well). But how many is enough?

I guess the answer is pretty simple. There's never enough...polish in my collection or money in my account to pay for that much polish. It requires a delicate balance that is difficult to find, especially when there are so many glitters and flakies that are so very, very tempting.

I am addicted to the beauty of nail polish and I'm not in any hurry to find a cure. Are you?

Lovin' Lacquistry Nail Polish

Let me start by saying that I am totally in love with this lacquer. No question about it. It's amazing. Every time I wear it I get tons of compliments and I can't stop looking at my gorgeous nails. Seriously, my family gets a little tired of me saying, "Look at my nails! They look so freaking awesome!" But in all honesty, these polishes are PACKED with glitter that varies in size, shape, and color to make a one-of-a-kind mani experience. 

According to Lacquistry's creator, Jenna, each lacquer is uniquely created "in order to bring to life the visions I see in my head. I create nail polish that is not typically found in stores due to their offbeat inspirations- polishes such as Gutter Snow and Happiness is a Warm Gun." She has definitely hit a home-run in my book!!

My Lacquistry collection (thus far) consists of: Winter No. 1, Lake Placid, Devil's Dandruff, Donald Trump's Iguana, and I'm Not Scared But I Think I'll Hide. 

The PROS of using Lacquistry~the colors are GORGEOUS (did I mention that?!), ease of use, ordering from Jenna was a pleasant experience and one I definitely look forward to repeating again, and again...oh, and removal of the lacquer was so simple! I just used the "foil method". I'll post that later--my fingers reminded me of a wonky robot from the 80's, but hey! Whatever works, right? 

As far as the CONS of using Lacquistry--I can't think of one. And that's sincerely the truth. 

I hope you enjoy the pics and I will have more to post in the upcoming week. I can vouch that Lacquistry polish stays on for a solid 6 days chip-free for me, but that is the longest I have been able to wait before changing colors. >.< 

Here's Winter No. 1. I LOVE this one so much! 

Here is Lake Placid. This one has a little deeper blue green gel base and smaller hex glitter. Love it!

 And lastly, this little baby is Devil's Dandruff! As soon as I got these "shimmering golden red flakes in a sheer jelly red base" on my nails, I was thrilled with the results! 

 If you are as enticed as I am by these lovely lacquers, check out Lacquistry on etsy.com and start your collection! Let me know which ones you get. I'd love to know! =)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Lacquistry