Gradient Dot Mani

There are a lot of ways to do a "Dot-icure" but this is one of my favorites.

 I used Cheeky stamping plate CH10 and layered the design for this effect. This design is a triple stamp which is easy as long as you mind how you place the design. Try not to place your stamp directly over the last layer so that all of your colors are able to peek through. I used b.m.c black and white stamping polish, find it here. I skipped the top coat in this one because I liked the matte texture but I'm sure it would be lovely with a smooth shine as well.

Always love to hear what you think and feel free to share any useful tips or tricks you've discovered.

St. Patrick's Day Marble

I have been on a bit of a St. Patrick's day nail art kick so here is more. I've also been playing with my Pueen Marble Paradise stamping plate a lot lately so I decided to combine the two. I like that the green is not the dominant color in this design for those that aren't too keen on full blown green nails.

Both nails are the same stamp just not applied in the same direction. I've said it before but you really want to turn your stamp with designs like this to make it more visually interesting. 

Metallic Blue Marble Nails

Something Blue.  This design is just a sponge gradient using a mixture of cream and Metallic polish under a basic marble stamp. I didn't have time to do a step by step today but if anyone wants me to give more detail leave me a comment and I'll do a tutorial. 

Tip: turn your design so that the pattern is not facing the same direction on each nail.

 I used Pueen  Marble Paradise 01 for the design but there are a ton of great marble stamps out there. 

These polishes work well together for subtle contrast and variation in visual texture... I just made that term up but I think it works.

Nothing fancy just pretty blue nail polish.

Cat Call Leopard Print

Sexy leopard print nail art that will keep heads turning all day. Hot pink and glitter add even more pop to this classically sexy animal print. Awesome! This is an easy manicure with a ton of appeal. This is also a great design to try if you are just learning to stamp because the little imperfections actually make this look more like animal print that a geometric pattern. I always fill in the middle of my spots with an accent color or in this case a little glitter for some pizzazz.

China Glaze Bottoms Up  is one of my go to pink polishes.  I haven't talked much about the glitter polish United but it really is something. It is a full coverage glitter that works as a base and is especially fantastic for adding accents of sparkle to your designs. I used stamping plate Mash-40 but there are a ton of brands out there that make a nice leopard print.

Sexy!  

Simple St Patrick's Day Nails

Incorporate a bright green into your nail art and avoid those pesky pinches. Green and gold glitter give a subtle nod to St. Patrick's day in this easy nail art. Simply add some dots of gold with a stamp or dotting tool. I love that this design playfully hints at a pot of leprechaun's gold.

I really love how creamy and smooth this polish is. This is two coats of China Glaze Grass is Lime Greener. Very pretty color and almost a neon in person.

 The glitter is from Micheal's and it comes in a variety of super dazzling colors. To make it stick you need to paint some top coat on the nail and use a dotting tool to pick up and place the individual sparkles. Thats all there is to it. Sparkle!

Green Eyed Leopard Nails

I always love an animal print! There is just something seductive about the patterns in a leopard print that draws the eye. This design stares right back at you!

This is my second attempt at reverse stamping. I decided to buy a silicon nail mat. This design only required me to fill in the eyes and nose so it wasn't difficult to do at all. I plan on doing a tutorial once I work out the kinks and get the hang of it a little more. 

(Update: Did a tutorial in a later post... see it here... How to Make a Decal- Reverse Stamping)

 The plate BM-613, find it here, has a few different face designs to chose from. I've ordered plates like this before but they were so big that when I placed it on my nail you couldn't tell it was supposed to be a face. This plate is the perfect size.


Sally Hansen has an affordable polish line Insta-Dri, that works great for stamping, is cheaper than stamping polish, and you can find it just about any drugstore. I used Silver Sweep here.

Sally Hansen has an affordable polish line Insta-Dri, that works great for stamping, is cheaper than stamping polish, and you can find it just about any drugstore. I used Silver Sweep here.

I'm going to rock this awesome mani with my hot pink scrubs today. :)

Peek-A-Boo Rose Nails

This is my first attempt at the layering technique reverse stamping and I have mixed feelings. There are several ways to do it but for my first try I wanted to see how it would come out without spending any money on a silicon  mat. I layered my design directly on my rubber stamper. I didn't get pictures of the process but I will do a tutorial if I use this trick again.

I like the complexity of the colors with this style of stamping. This accent nail is actually several layers of polish starting with the red rose outline.  I filled in the roses directly on the stamper with pink polish and a dotting tool. I added to that the leaf outline and after it was dry I filled in the leaves with a little green polish. Once all your layers are dry paint on a background color. I used white stamping polish. The tricky part is transferring the design to your nail covered in tacky top coat. Removing the extra polish took a while with an eyeliner brush and polish remover but it wasn't as messy as I thought it would be.

As for the rest of my nails I used a transparent red polish, stamped on the rose outline in white and then added a second coat of the red. The white just peeks out from underneath. This would work with any jelly polish over a white stamp.

Above are the polishes in this design. I used Konad special polish in green for the leaf outline but it didn't make the class photo.

Born Pretty Plate BPL-24.

Ejiubas + Sarah R2 Stamping Plate.

So for my first attempt at reverse stamping I think it went alright. As with anything practice goes a long way and nail polish is all about experimenting and practice.

Purple and Blue Ombre Double Stamp

Combination of the sponge gradient and double stamping techniques for a visually interesting design.This one falls into the category of much easier than it looks.

By stamping a pastel under the white you get a layered affect that creates depth in the design. The ombre gives it a shadow effect that looks great with cream polishes. Lets get started. 

Click "See more" if you want to know how I did this design.

Best Patriotic Red and Blue Polishes

Eureka! I have had some trouble with the perfect red and blue for my US Flag inspired nail art. I have finally found, what in my opinion are, the two best colors for some patriotic nails. After many, many, many, not quite right Mani's, I'm going to share my findings.  For all those USA, Olympic, Patriotic nail designs these are your new go to colors....  Drum-roll please......

 Anyone who knows me, or has happened upon my overwhelming polish collection, knows that my go to brand is China Glaze. I just love the formulas and rich colors in their line. No, I do not have any affiliation with them and have never received anything for raving about them as I do. I'm just a big fan. I am also a fan of a few drug store brands that might be somewhat surprising. Wet n Wild can be found just about anywhere and is not expensive by any means. This Red is easy to work with and the wide brush makes it very easy to paint without streaking. SinfulColors is another affordable polish with great quality and colors to chose from. This blue goes on very smooth and drys fairly quickly. China Glaze is my favorite for sure but these drug store lines are really worth giving a try.

Polka Dot Pink Mani

Fun, Polka dots! French Tips with a twist.

I need to start off by saying that these pictures do not do this polish any justice. Thistle Do Nicely is a bright, almost glowing, pink neon cream. I tried to photograph it in every possible light, but it just doesn't come across as bright as it is in person. 

To continue on to the polish and plates in this design click "See more" below to the left.

Monarch Half French Nails

This one makes me smile. Fun butterfly abstract design using a combination of easy techniques. Easier than it looks. I love when a design looks complicated and has everyone asking me how I did it all day. Strangers have been telling me they like my nail sticker LOL

Click "See more" below on the left to see what I used and how I got this design.

Valentine 2018

Here is a simple to do design for Valentines Day that would be great for anyone just getting the hang of stamping.

Left to right: Konad Special Polish in Red/China Glaze Spring In My Step/China Glaze White on White/bmc Staight up Black

Spring In My Step is a very pretty pale pink cream. Like many cream polishes it has a tendency to require more than one coat for full coverage. I find that a thin layer of top coat between coats helps to even out the color and help avoid streaky spots. The Accent nail here is White on White which tends to go on very opaque with just two coats.

 

The heart design on my middle finger is from an old Bundle Monster plate.

The Lipstick kiss on my thumb is Cheeky CH-29. 

The hearts and writing on my accent nail is Born Pretty BP-X30.

After adding my stamps I used a dotting tool and some of the red polish to fill in the hearts on my accent nail. Little details can really bring it all together when painting each nail differently. That's it very easy.