Nail Challenge 2013: Day 30, A Tutorial

So when I read the prompt for Tutorial, I wanted to do something new to me‎ as well as try something from one of my nail hero's. I started surfing and ended up at Chalkboard Nails. If you've never visited Chalkboard Nails, you've been living under a rock!

I can't say enough about the quality of work on this blog. I hope to be half this 'polished' some day. Pun intended!

Chalkboard Nails has an entire section of Tutorials if you are ever stuck for inspiration. These are detailed and precise and easy to follow.

These nails were my attempt at the Sally Hansen Camouflage Nail Tutorial. I tried to match my colour choices by using a base of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in White On, followed by splodges of NYC Lexington Yellow, Sally Girl Green with a code Doup-812044 and China Glaze Liquid Leather. I also used a tiny dotting tool instead of a brush because I felt more steady this way.

Once again the last one is headed for #madpropsmondays on Instagram but thought it was cute enough to show you guys on here as well. 

I'm pretty happy with the results on these as well. I tried a couple of these fingers matte after I took these and really recommend that for camo nails. It suited well.

Nail Challenge 2013: Day 29, The Supernatural

I'm only meh on these, but they do have potential. I will attempt them again...note to self! I was soo tempted to whip out some Halloween nails, but decided to try these fairy wand nails. I took this inspiration from the show The Fairly Oddparents that my son likes. It's kind of cute and revolves around a boy and his Fairy Godparents who use wands to grant wishes.

I rushed the execution a bit because I was in a bit of a hurry today. The base is Essie Vanity Fairest topped with Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Strobe Light on the last two nails. Then I used Liquid Leather to stamp the Star from Salon Express stamping plate SE18, and China Glaze Rendezvous With You and BM - 305 for the lightning. I then added in some detail sparkles with Kiss nail art paint in Pink Glitter. Pardon this awkward picture at the top, but it showed best the flow I was trying to convey.

Last photo is sunlight.
Almost done the challenge! Sigh!

Nail Challenge 2013: Day 28, A Flag

The Jolly Roger, or Pirate Flag was raised on the mast of pirate ships as a means of psychological warfare. The more ships that surrendered to pirates without a fight, the less danger to the pirates and less damage to the ship being boarded.

Now clearly this is a lot more cute than your traditional Jolly Roger, but I am a girly girl. I'll save the creepy nails for Halloween jut around the corner. I have a bunch of Halloween stamping plates in my cupboard just howling to be used!

This is a brand new bottle of China Glaze Liquid Leather. (Constantly use this one) Then I dragged Sinful Colors Frenzy backwards from the tips to create a bit of a gradient. The skull art is done with white acrylic paint. Then I used topcoat followed by Sally Girt Matte Topcoat to see which I preferred. Almost forgot, I used two black rhinestones for eyes, which looked kind of neat matte as well. I'm sorry for the different lengths on the left hand, but I had a bad break right before this mani and hadn't decided to cut them all off yet. Did that today! I have one uber short hand and one medium length right now. Ahhhh, stress of a nail blogger! Decided to give you that hand as well, because it had the better skull art.

Last two are in sunlight.

What do you think? Matte or Shine?

Nail Challenge 2013: Day 27, Artwork

Soooooo Artwork! I wanted to do something cool like The Scream or a Kandinsky. I've seen similar so I decided on Jackson Pollock. I love his work, even watched the obscure movie about his life called Pollock staring Ed Harris. I love many of his paintings, and if I chose well, it gave me an excuse to try out the spatter technique.

Well, the spatter technique didn't work. Nothing came off the straw no matter how hard I blew. Operator error I'm sure. I'll YouTube it later. I wasn't bothered though because the painting I chose was called Number 32 and is a cross between his splatter or drip style and something a little more structured and 'smeared'. Not sure I'm describing it well, but you should look up his work it's always fascinated me.

So instead of blowing, I dipped the end of the straw in China Glaze Liquid Leather and dabbed it randomly on the two nails. For the two middle figures I decided to try something new I thought of the other day, or new to me anyway. I used a Fiscars Craft Punch/Embosser to cut the end off a strip of painters tape I taped to wax paper. Then I applied these like striping tape, painted and quickly removed. If anyone would like a tutorial of this I'd be happy to make one. Just leave me a comment below. I will for sure be doing I full manicure of this at some point.

Wow I'm blathering on here! Everything was on a base coat of Finger Paints Don't Make a Scene. I then used topcoat, and actually wanted to smear the black a bit for once.

Hope you like my interpretation. Only four more prompts left in the challenge!

Nail Challenge 2013: Day 26, A Pattern

Pattern was an easy choice for me. I've wanted fall to come since I got my Bundle Monster Holiday Plates for my birthday last month so I could use this leaf pattern. I can't believe my blog has already been up a month! Anyway, aren't these leaves lovely, and even patriotic. (Canadian blog and all)

I started with a warm glittery gradient using China Glaze Goldie But Goodie and Sally Hansen Kinetic Copper. I've been planning this gradient since I got my new China Glaze polishes last week. The stamping is China Glaze Liquid Leather, which is still my go to stamping and art black.

These were so fun I recreated them half an hour later for my friend Rachel. I gave her the souped up version by adding square gold nail studs to her middle and ring fingers.

These last three are sunlight, and your not aloud to laugh at the pinecone one. It's is for #madpropsmonday on Instagram. A funny segment where people submit manicures with ridiculous props in hand. Check it out sometime if your on Instagram. I'm on there too at @ladymaidnails. Cheers all. 

Nail Challenge 2013: Day 25, Fashion

So Fashion was today's prompt. For me I wear what I like. I carry designer purses, but don't wear tons of expensive labels. I prefer to mix a few good pieces with cheaper ones to save money. That way I can follow a couple trends or seasonal colours each season.

I started thinking about designers, but for me fashion brought to mind Sarah Jessica Parker and her character Carrie Bradshaw on Sex And The City. Her eclectic fashion choices were mostly stunning, and sometimes just plain entertaining! I went online, but came back to the cover shot of the Sex And The City movie. She is wearing a white pants and vest combo with a crazy wide black tie and pink blouse. I love it! Had I paid more attention, I would have added a stud to my nail art to replicate the tie pin. Oh well!

The base white is Sally Hansen White on topped with China Glaze Whirled away glitter topper. The Pink is NYC in Uptown. I then added stripes to the blouse bit with Kiss Nail Art Striper in Pink Glitter. I added the vest with white acrylic paint and then a nice coat of topcoat. Oh and after the fact I added micro beads as buttons because I thought it was funny!

As always, this last is in sunlight.

Nail Challenge 2013: Day 24, A Book

Today my post is inspired by the book The hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette. This book I received for Christmas one year. I love historical fiction, and loved this book. If you Google Marie Antoinette for her fashion sense, the fabrics and shoes and dress designs are absolutely fascinating. I chose to stick to the book cover though with the beautiful blue and gold dress with floral motif.

I used Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Blue me Away for the base, and then dragged an almost dry brush of Revlon Blue Lagoon over from the corners. Then I splodged on some Pure Ice Heartbreaker to give a silk like shimmer and greenish tinge. I then free handed the designs with gold and white acrylic paints to look like the gold and white floral detail on the dress.

Last photo is in sunlight.

Hope you think I did it justice. It's a good book for anyone looking for a new read...In fact I may read it again myself now.

Twenty Days of Fun Done!

Here we are, two thirds complete for this years challenge. I'm loving this, even though my hands aren't. Constant cream and cuticle oil is only going so far. I am saving some swatches for you all, so I can give the old peeling and breaking nubbins a rest after the challenge. My nails are usually kept short, but as I look back at these photo's I actually see them getting shorter.

Anywho, I like the pressure to try new things. It has resulted in some neat concepts I might not have ended up with otherwise. I would love any feedback from any seasoned bloggers out there. How am I doing so far, and what do you wish someone told you when you first started.

Thanks oodles for those who keep coming back for more.

Nail Challenge 2013: Day 23, A Movie

Well these were kind of inspired by a child.  I bragged to my friends 4 year old girly daughter that I could probably do Disney Princess nails, then panicked about the detail till I remembered I had a tattoo technique I wanted to try. So I figured they would be perfect for Inspired by a movie. The Little Mermaid.

First I used a base of Sally Hansen White On, followed by a gradient of Revlon Blue Lagoon and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Blue Me Away. I added the bubbles with White On and then dabbed them quickly to create the outline look. Once dry, I used China Glaze Fairy Dust over everything but Ariel. Ariel was a regular Children's tattoo that I applied like a tattoo on skin or a water decal on nails. I trimmed it and then held it to the nail with wet tissue for 60 seconds.

These are fun and easy. Try any water tattoo you can get your hands on.

Nail Challenge 2013: Day 22, A Song

So the Song I chose was Norah Jones The Prettiest Thing, and for a few reasons. First, I could listen to almost all of her music over and over again...and I do! Second, this song has always put hauntingly beautiful imagery in my head. The line I chose was one of these, and I chose to interpret it in a more abstract way, with some stunning colours.

Here's the line;

"The prettiest thing
I ever did see
Was lightning from the top of a cloud
Moving through the dark a million miles an hour
With somewhere to be"

And here's the art!

I used China Glaze Rendezvous With You. Then I used painters tape for the first time to add triangle slices or 'bolts' in China Glaze Stone Cold. Then topcoat. I chose gold instead of silver because above and through the clouds I picture lightning to be tinted by the sun.

As a side note, my nails are getting shorter, and my cuticles more angry the further into the challenge I get. I chose to show you my right hand today as well, because at least it has some length left. 

Last two photos are sunlight.

Hope you like this as much as I do!