Nail Art
My 4th of July Manicure – A Nail Art Extravaganza
 Happy 4th of July Fanatics!! I hope all my US based readers are enjoying their holiday weekend. We’ve been having a lazy day around the house; cooking out, relaxing, enjoying a few beers. We’ll be heading out to see fireworks later as long as the weather holds up. The clouds are rolling in but I have hope that we’ll get a reprieve from the rain.
In the meantime, I decided to give myself a little Independence Day manicure that evolved into a nail art experiment. See its evolution from simple to all out crazy after the jump! |
What I used: So I started off very simple with a multi-colored manicure. It’s got patriotic spirit and is very user friendly. You don’t need nail art skills to make this happen yet it’s festive. Have a FANTABULOUS 4th everyone!
Let me clarify that this is not necessarily a recommendation of how you should wear your nails but rather ideas you could try on their own.
*Nubar Sexy Red
*Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On
*OPI Dating A Royal
*Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in Blue
*Dotting Tool
Because Steph has been encouraging me to attempt polka dots, I finally took the plunge, adding some white ones using the dotting tool. Steph’s application tip: Pour a bit of polish onto aluminum foil to let it thicken. Dip the dotting tool in the polish and gently tap onto the nail, holding the tool perpendicular. 
Since I was so proud of my dots (this is truly my first effort), I added some to the red as well. Though I think that nail looks more like Toad from Super Mario Brothers than 4th of July.
Now what would a 4th of July mani be without stars? So I broke out the nail art pen and drew a hasty star at the base of my nail. Application tip: Make sure your polish is completely dry or use a quick dry top coat, like I did, before you start to draw or else you’ll damage the color underneath.
That star looked lonely so I gave it a friend. Note: The bonus of using these nail art pens is that you can wipe off any mistakes with water and not ruin the polish below. So don’t be afraid to experiment. Just be careful when you wipe to avoid skin contact because the color can stain. 
Finally, I added stripes to go with my stars. Because the special paint in the nail art pen dries matte, I applied top coat to protect the design and add shine.
Now I realize this look is WAY over the top but we’re talking about a holiday where people paint stars & stripes on their faces so who really cares. If you want something a little more tame, try adding just one of these elements to your manicure for a little 4th of July pizazz.
OPI You Don’t Know Jacques Matte & Glossy Nail Art
 After experimenting with the whole concept of mixing matte & glossy finishes to create nail art, I got the new OPI Matte polishes in to test and review. When OPI said MATTE, they weren’t kidding. This is my first experience with a true matte polish so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’m currently testing the wear of the formula and a full review is coming, I promise!
In the meantime I wanted to see how a modified french manicure would look using these different textures and I chose OPI You Don’t Know Jacques to play with. Check out my attempt, after the jump! |
First, let’s not play here. I’m no expert in nail art and my tip lines need some serious work. So ignoring that, let’s discuss what I did here. Using YDKJ, YDKJ Matte, CND Super Shiney top coat and Orly Nails for Males top coat I came up with four variations on the idea.
Index – OPI YDKJ base with OPI YDKJ Matte tip.
Middle – OPI YDKJ base topped with Orly Nails for Males with OPI YDKJ tip
Ring – OPI YDKJ Matte with OPI YDKJ tip.
Pinkie – OPI YDKJ with Orly Nails for Males tip.
Obviously the two involving the OPI Matte polish are the most contrasting while the ones using the matte top coat are more subtle. You can also see that these new matte polishes are WAY different than just slapping a matte top coat on the old version of the color.
Honestly, I don’t know that I’m loving this look. It could be my shoddy workmanship but I prefer the stripes I did previously and, with Steph‘s encouragement, I’m trying dots next.
What do you think fanatics? Can you look past my uneven tip lines to see the possibility of a cool concept or are you just not feeling it as well? Sound off!
Playing with Texture – Matte and Glossy Nail Art
 Happy Memorial Day Weekend Fanatics!
Mr. ALU is spending the weekend studying for the last part of the CPA exam (please wish him luck) which gives me plenty of time to play in the polish room. Not the most thrilling holiday weekend ever but at least after Tuesday we’ll be free to enjoy the rest of the summer. The rest of our lives really! Plus my pal Jamie from The Beauty of Life is home so I won’t be high on polish fumes all weekend long. Anywho after posting details on OPI’s upcoming Matte polish collection, Suzi’s suggestion about combining finishes prompted me to experiment. Using the black, textured nails I saw at the CND production suite during Fashion Week as inspiration, I got to work. Check out the products I used to recreate the look and see the finished result after the jump! |
Technique Because these top coats aren’t quick drying, I waited a good 5-10 minutes for each one to set up before applying the stripes. The matte top coat applies glossy and dries to a satin/flat finish. Using two coats intensifies the effect. Using the nail art brush, dip into the matte/glossy top coat and gently drag across the nail. I find it easier to hold the brush relatively steady and roll the nail underneath. Experiment to find the method that works best for you. What you see below is my first attempt so my lines aren’t as clean and even as they should be. So what do you think? Are you into it? Oh and stay tuned for Swatch Requests, I’m gonna try and bang as many of the most requested comparisons as I can. Toodles for now!
Tools
I chose to do an alternating effect. With two coats of Sinful Black on Black as the base color, I used matte and shiny top coats on every other finger and, when dry, placed shiny and matte stripes (respectively) over top. Just to see if there was a difference in the look, I did one set of shiny stripes with the black nail art polish (middle finger) and the other set with the glossy top coat (pinkie finger) using the nail stripping brush. I had better control with the brush but it’s really a matter of preference.
What I love about this look is that it’s subtle and unique. It’s not over the top nail art but it’s distinctive. I did a glossy tip using OPI A Grape Fit! last night and it looked really cool. Too bad sheet marks wrecked it by morning.
Get The Look – Fergie’s Striped Nails at the Wolverine Screening
 At last night’s screening of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, one of our fave nail trendsetters, Ms Fergie Ferg, rocked the red carpet sporting some flashy nail art. You all should know by now that I’m not really a nail art kind of girl but the occasional polka dot or stripe can be fun.
To accent her black and metallic dress, Fergie donned a silver and black striped nail that looks like a futuristic easter egg. She wore this same design for her birthday bash in Miami a few weeks back which is why I suspect that she’s actually wearing Minx, not polish. But fear not nail art lovers. You don’t have to plunk down a pile of cash to have a pro give you this look, you can recreate it at home on the cheap. I show you the tools and technique after the jump! Edited to add: Celebrity Manicurist Kimmie Kyees just confirmed that she did apply Minx on Fergie for the screening. |
Tools: China Glaze INK with Nail Art Brush and Sally Hansen Shooting Star Technique: 1. Apply two to three coats of Shooting Star and let dry. 2. Lightly swipe the INK nail art brush against the bottle to remove excess polish but leave a very small blob on the brush. 3. Place the tip of the brush at the side of your nail and gently roll the nail to create the swoosh. The brush will drag the blob across the nail, getting thinner as you reach the other side. 4. Repeat to create the number of stripes you prefer. 5. Let the design dry completely before applying top coat. Application tip: I rest my arm on a hard surface and hold the brush steady while rolling the nail to create a fluid, smooth line. Shaky hands + moving brush = uneven lines. Or if you prefer the straight lines, try Sally Hansen’s Nail Art Pens. The tip is like a small felt tipped pen and because the formula is water based, you can wipe off any mistakes without having to start over. So are we feeling this look? Would you try it at home? How do we feel about nail art? Share with the class.
Instead of recreating the look dead-on, I chose to do an inspired design with swoosh-like stripes.
You can use any foil-like silver polish if you can’t find Shooting Star. Finger Paints Easel Come, Easel Go! is a great substitute. China Glaze INK with Nail Art Brush ($2.60-$2.99) can be purchased online from Head2ToeBeauty.com or TransDesign.com.
Get The Look – Fergie's Striped Nails at the Wolverine Screening
| At last night’s screening of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, one of our fave nail trendsetters, Ms Fergie Ferg, rocked the red carpet sporting some flashy nail art. You all should know by now that I’m not really a nail art kind of girl but the occasional polka dot or stripe can be fun.
To accent her black and metallic dress, Fergie donned a silver and black striped nail that looks like a futuristic easter egg. She wore this same design for her birthday bash in Miami a few weeks back which is why I suspect that she’s actually wearing Minx, not polish. But fear not nail art lovers. You don’t have to plunk down a pile of cash to have a pro give you this look, you can recreate it at home on the cheap. I show you the tools and technique after the jump! Edited to add: Celebrity Manicurist Kimmie Kyees just confirmed that she did apply Minx on Fergie for the screening. |
Tools: China Glaze INK with Nail Art Brush and Sally Hansen Shooting Star Technique: 1. Apply two to three coats of Shooting Star and let dry. 2. Lightly swipe the INK nail art brush against the bottle to remove excess polish but leave a very small blob on the brush. 3. Place the tip of the brush at the side of your nail and gently roll the nail to create the swoosh. The brush will drag the blob across the nail, getting thinner as you reach the other side. 4. Repeat to create the number of stripes you prefer. 5. Let the design dry completely before applying top coat. Application tip: I rest my arm on a hard surface and hold the brush steady while rolling the nail to create a fluid, smooth line. Shaky hands + moving brush = uneven lines. Or if you prefer the straight lines, try Sally Hansen’s Nail Art Pens. The tip is like a small felt tipped pen and because the formula is water based, you can wipe off any mistakes without having to start over. So are we feeling this look? Would you try it at home? How do we feel about nail art? Share with the class.
Instead of recreating the look dead-on, I chose to do an inspired design with swoosh-like stripes.
You can use any foil-like silver polish if you can’t find Shooting Star. Finger Paints Easel Come, Easel Go! is a great substitute. China Glaze INK with Nail Art Brush ($2.60-$2.99) can be purchased online from Head2ToeBeauty.com or TransDesign.com.
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
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