#WNAC2015 - May / Neon: Roundup (+ Tutorials!)

Hello everyone!

Today I have a roundup of my nail art from the #WNAC2015 posts for May to share with you.  The theme was Neon, which was so fun!  Totally had me in a happy mood, and I think I came up with some awesome nail art (a few didn't quite make it to my Instagram either, so I'll share them with you here!).

Simple, Realistic Galaxy Nails + Tutorial, featuring JINsoon Obsidian

Hello everyone!

I've taken a little break from blogging lately, as you may have noticed, but I've still been posting quite often over on Instagram.  Last week, I posted an updated version of my galaxy nails, and they got a really great response.  I was so happy about how well they were received, because they are definitely the most simple, but also most realistic version I've created so far, I think!

When I created this version a few months ago, I also made a photo tutorial to share with all of you, so you can view it at the end of the post.

The one major difference between this version and my previous ones, is that I let my base do all the work.  I used two coats of the incredible JINsoon Obsidian, which is a black base filled with holographic flecks and bright purple shimmer.

In natural daylight (above) the purple shimmer is very visible, then, in the sun, or once you switch on some bright lights (or with flash, as shown below), the beautiful holographic shimmer sparkles.  It's amazing, but not totally in your face like some holos can be (although that is not a bad thing!).  I wore this on my nails for several days, before adding the galaxy on top, so there is the slightest tip wear in the photos.

To create the galaxy, I used the technique shown below in my tutorial.  Of course I am only showing one nail, but definitely try to have fun with different placement and colors to create the feel of movement on the nails.  I think that is the best way to create a more realistic design!

Now, onto the tutorial!
(click for full size)

1.  Gather your supplies and prep your nails with a base coat.  You will need a cosmetic sponge, a nail art brush (or dotting tool), a black or navy with holographic shimmer, two bright or neon colors, a white (I prefer a semi-sheer one), and a holographic silver polish (optional).

2. Paint one or two coats of your base color.  I used JINsoon Obsidian, which is this amazing black base filled with holographic flecks, and bright purple shimmer.  Zoya Storm could be a good alternative, or just a black creme with a holographic shimmer top coat (like inm Northern Lights) could be an option as well.

3. Sponge on a cobalt blue in a few spots on the nails.  I used Nails Inc. Baker Street, one of my favorite blue polishes.

4. Sponge on a neon pink overlapping some of the blue polish.  I used Coco & Lulu Ma Belle, an amazing fuchsia neon polish.

5. Lightly sponge on a bit of white polish over the other two colors.  I used CND Brilliant White.  I've realized, looking at a bunch of actual galaxy photos, that the white should be used more sparingly.  And, it almost gives a 3D effect to the other colors.

6. Lightly sponge on a silver holographic polish to the edges of the white polish.  I used Julep Rebel, which has a pretty subtle holographic effect.  This gives such a great sort of misty effect, and of course a little added sparkle.

7. With a nail art brush or dotting tool, add a few tiny white dots and "stars".  For the bigger stars, I always just create a + and then fill in the inner corners slightly.

8. Finish with a shiny or matte top coat, and enjoy! :)

If you have any questions, feel free to leave them down below.  And, if you need any other tips for galaxy nails, or would rather watch a video, I have a few tutorials on YouTube here:

Classic Galaxy Nails

Pastel Galaxy Nails

Thank you all for reading! :)

Kristin

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Katy Perry (Brit Awards 2014) Neon Tribal Nails + Tutorial

Hi everyone!

Today, I am finally showing you my most recent nail art, which was inspired by Katy Perry’s outfit from her Dark Horse performance at the 2014 Brit Awards.  As soon as I saw the photos a few weeks ago, I’ve been dying to recreate a similar pattern on my nails.  I also filmed it, so you can view the tutorial at the end of the post.

I fell in love with this color combination, and immediately knew that I had to use China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy for the majority of the design, along with Color Club Twiggie.  I had a hard time choosing the blue since I don’t have many “neon” blues, so I settled on Essie’s Avenue Maintain, and I am happy with how it looks.  The base is one of my favorite, new (to me) nudes, Julep Pippa.

These did take quite a long time to paint, even longer than my Vintage Floral Nails, which is a bit crazy, I know.  I also used the same brush to paint these, and I write more in depth about it in that post, if you would like more info.  The accent nail came from a similiar shape on her sleeve / chest, if you’re all wondering, and I’m really happy with how it turned out.

I also posted this photo on Instagram last week, next to my inspiration:



And finally, here is the video:

Enjoy!

Thank you for reading! :)

Kristin

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Neon & Nude Houndstooth Nail Art + Tutorial

Hello everyone!

I wore some houndstooth nails a few months ago after creating my white negative space nails.  I was just so happy with how my houndstooth nail turned out that I had to wear a full mani of it!  A few people requested a tutorial for my houndstooth as well, so I made a quick one which you can view at the end of the post. :)

One of my favorite combinations ever is neon & nude.  It’s always so strikingly beautiful, and tones down the neon a bit for everyday wear.  Of course I had to have an accent nail, so I just did a really cute polka dot nail, and I really loved how they looked together.

My nude base is two coats of Dior Grège.  I actually don’t love Grège that much, it’s a bit of a weird tone on me, so I’m glad I added China Glaze Pool Party (a crazy coral pink neon), because it definitely made me like the base a bit more.  Pool Party is so difficult to photograph, so I ended up filtering it when I posted these on Instagram yesterday.

Here is the tutorial I created, showing how I paint my houndstooth nails:

1. Apply your base color.  I used two coats of Square Hue Westminster (an ivory creme).

2. Paint rows of squares using a contrasting color (I used Square Hue West End).  Your squares don’t have to be perfect, and I like to paint mine kind of off-centered, but if you are not comfortable painting them freehand, you can always use tape.  Try to keep them as evenly spaced as possible, if you can.

3. Paint tiny triangles at the upper left corner (or right if you are mirroring), one pointing out to the side, and one pointing up towards the aquare above it.

4. Paint a diagonal line from the bottom left corner to the upper right corner of the square just below it.  I like to leave a tiny space so the line doesn’t directly touch the square below it.

5. Paint another diagonal line from the upper right corner to the bottom left corner of the square to the right of it.  I also leave a tiny space here so the line is not touching, but you could have them touch if you want.

6. Clean up around your cuticles if you need to, and wait a while before applying top coat so you don’t smudge your houndstooth.  

I hope that is easy to follow, but if you have any other questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below.

Have fun! :)

Kristin

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NOTD: Neon & Nude + Enchanted Polish Seven Nation Army

Hi everyone!

I went with some bright nails for today’s NOTD.  I guess I just needed something to cheer me up since we now have snow here :(.  Today was also an Enchanted Polish restock, and I think this mani must have been good luck since I was quite successful!

Enchanted Polish Seven Nation Army is basically a holographic topcoat, filled with lots of black and white glitter in a few different sizes.  The glitter is so dense that only one coat is necessary if you are layering it, but it could also be worn alone, it's just awesome!

OPI Don't Pretzel My Buttons, Enchanted Polish Seven Nation Army, and China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy

Hope you all had a lovely weekend, and thank you for reading! :)

Kristin

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31 Day Challenge - Day 10: Gradient Nails

Gradient Nails was the theme for Day 10 of the #31DC2013.

I'd probably wear some variation of gradient nails everyday if I could.  They are so easy and always look pretty, especially with a bit of glitter.

This time I went with a super fast and simple gradient using China Glaze Blue Sparrow and a-England Camelot.  These nails were a pain to photograph, so I'm not very happy with the photos, but I figured I would post them anyways.  This gradient had so much depth in person because of the jelliness of Blue Sparrow, and I loved wearing them.

Thank you for reading!


Kristin

31 Day Challenge - Day 9: Rainbow Nails

Day 9 of the #31DC2013 was Rainbow Nails.

I just did some rainbow nails recently, so I wasn't too excited about creating another set.  I am pretty happy with how take two turned out though; I might even like them better than the first ones!

I started with two coats of Lime Crime Milky Ways, then I freehanded some curved lines for each color of the rainbow, leaving some of the base peeking through.  The accent nail is one coat of Enchanted Polish TenderHeart, and I placed one of the heart glitters in the middle of my nail.  Then, I added some loose red hexes surrounding the heart, and a few more randomly around my nail.

OPI Conquistadorable Color, Essie Action, Square Hue Bikini Beach, Barry M Key Lime Gelly, Bourjois Bleu Fabuleux, Orly Beach Cruiser, Lime Crime Milky Ways, and Enchanted Polish TenderHeart

My little one (Chloe) wanted in on the rainbow love as well, so here is her first feature on my blog! :)

Thank you for reading!

Kristin

Rainbow Gradient Nails + Tutorial!

On Instagram last week, a bunch of nail accounts (111!) joined together to create some rainbow nails as part of one big collaboration hosted by @nailslikelace.  I always love to participate in collaborations with others; it's really exciting to see so many different interpretations of a general theme.

For my rainbow nails, I decided to create a simple rainbow gradient.  This was my first time using so many colors in one gradient, but I'm very happy with how it turned out.  I figured my rainbow needed a pot of gold, so for my accent nail I used two coats of Chanel Gold Fingers, one coat of Gosh Greed, and then I placed some loose holographic gold glitter to create a glitter gradient effect.

Zoya Sooki, China Glaze Sun Worshiper, Orly Glowstick, Love & Beauty Neon Green, and Essie Avenue Maintain

I've been slacking on YouTube (I really need to get a routine going!), so I decided to film this look as well!

Here is the tutorial:

Let me know what you think, and as always, thank you for reading! :)

Kristin

Dance Legend Panandji - Sahara Crystal Collection

Textured polishes have been a love of mine lately.  I love the easy formula, and not having to wear a top coat is a huge plus when I need something quick.

Dance Legend Panandji is a gorgeous, intense coral, with a very fine texture.  It's super bright, dries extremely fast, and has a similar texture to the Nails Inc. Leathers, (not like the China Glaze Textures, which I thought were a bit blah).  I used two coats for the photos.

My accent nail is China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy with a little gold stud.  Compared to Flip Flop Fantasy, Panandji looks much more vivid, which is pretty impressive, especially for a textured polish.

I bought Dance Legend Panandji from Llarowe for $9, but it's actually on sale at the moment for $7 (here!).

If you are a fan of textured polishes, and neons, then you will absolutely love this one, like I do!


Thank you for reading! :)


Kristin

Summer Brights Acetone Marbled Nail Art

This is one of those cases (which actually happens to me a lot) where this design was supposed to be something completely different.  I still really like the outcome, and I will give you a little description of how I created this design down below.

What I used:

China Glaze Make a Spectacle, China Glaze Pool Party, OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls, Orly Skinny Dip, Lime Crime Lavendairy and Pastelchio, Dior top coat, a cosmetic sponge, (and Beauty Secrets Pure Acetone & a nail art brush, not pictured)

I used a base of My Boyfriend Scales Walls and added top coat (this is a must when using acetone!).  Then, I made random brush strokes and dabs of polish with each color, very messily covering the majority of the white base.  While the polish was still wet, I dipped a nail art brush in some acetone and swirled or "marbled" the colors together.  I had to dip my brush in acetone and swirl the polishes a few times so they looked the way I wanted.  The accent nail is a simple gradient of Lavendairy, Skinny Dip, and Pastelchio, topped with Make a Spectacle.  I really love how the accent nail turned out!

I love having some super bright nails to look at, especially if I'm not in the greatest mood.  They just cheer me up instantly (I know, that probably sounds really silly!).

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this post!  I have a lot of swatching to do since I have received an insane amount of nailmail recently, so you will probably be seeing a few swatch posts soon, plus hopefully some new YouTube videos!

Thank you for reading! :)

Kristin