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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Mish Mash Challenge: Purple & a Tutorial


Hello and welcome to the very first Kimber's Amazing Challenge Ladies Mish Mash Challenge!  This group of gals hung through the ABC Challenge earlier in the year and we enjoyed it so much, we just had to do another!  True to its name, the Mish Mash Challenge is a kind of hodge podge of ideas that everyone came up with.  Here's the fancy badge that the lovely Liz of A Mani-Maniac designed for us :)
And the Challenge list that takes us through to next year, if you can believe that!  A big thank you to Liz and Lisa LozLosa from LOZLOSA for doing most of the organizing for this one!



The first Challenge, as you can see above, is Purple nails.  I decided I wanted to combine this challenge with the tutorial for the chevrons I promised you a few posts ago, because it's such a great and simple technique!  Let's get goin', shall we?


The first thing you should always do before attempting any nail art is to gather your supplies.  There's not a lot worse than having to fish through a bin or drawer of supplies while your nails are wet because you forgot something.  Here I've got my 4 polishes (I'll list them at the end of the post if you're interested), scotch tape, pinking shears (you can also use any craft scissors with a scalloped or zigzag edge), regular scissors, and a flattening implement (cuticle stick/paintbrush end/other object) to smooth the tape onto your nails and ensure a sealed edge.  What I forgot to include in this pic is my top coat and the acetone I use for clean up.  I used Seche Vite and I do recommend that for this look, you use a thicker top coat like SV or Gelous to seal everything up.

The photo montage shows the super easy steps for this look.  The technique I'm showing you here is SO easy, I wish I could say I thought of it myself.  I saw it on Pinterest awhile back, though I can't for the life of me remember where!  I didn't re-Pin it so I can't seem to find the source.  I believe it may have been The Beauty Department, but if anyone knows different, please tell me so I can give credit where it's due!

You can use as few as 2 or as many polishes as you like for this look.  Start by applying 2 coats of your base color and cleaning up any overflow with a small brush dipped in acetone.  I go ahead and apply a thin coat of SV, just to get things drying faster.


Next, you're going to paint a small section of your scotch tape with one of your stripe colors, as shown in Step 1 above.  Let it dry in between coats, I usually do 2-3 coats depending on the opacity of the polish.  This is something you can do ahead of time if you'd like.  Let the polish dry completely on the tape (I try to give it at least 15 minutes before moving on to Step 2) and then tear off the painted tape from the dispenser.

Using your pinking shears or craft scissors, cut small strips of polished tape as shown in Step 2.  You can cut these in whatever width you'd like; I varied mine from wide to narrow to create my look.  I cut a whole bunch of strips at a time so I can have them all ready to go at once.  You can stick the strips to the edge of a desk or table until you're ready to apply them.

In Step 3, I've applied one strip to my nail.  The great thing about this technique is that if you don't like the placement, you can peel it off and restick it.  Makes life so much easier!

When you've decided on placement, use your regular scissors to trim the edges of the tape to fit your nail, as in Step 4. Then, using your cuticle stick/flattening instrument, press the edges of the tape onto your nail, completing Step 5.  Repeat these steps as many times as needed to get the look you want.  Don't forget to leave a little space between your tape strips so that your base color shows through! 

Top everything with at least 2 coats of top coat.  You want to make sure to cover the tape completely so the edges don't stick up.  I've used this technique a few times now and haven't had any trouble with things peeling off before I take off the manicure.  Additionally, the tape's glue dissolves in nail polish remover, so it's easy to take off when you're ready.

Here's my finished look:




I hope the tutorial was helpful!  I feel like a rambled a bit, but hopefully you guys get the idea.  Feel free to throw out questions or give suggestions on how to make it more concise!

Please go visit the other ladies' pages if you get a chance. I can't wait to see what everyone did for the first Challenge!  There's a lot of talent in this group, so be prepared for some jaw-dropping!  You can find them via the thumbnails below.

Lastly, don't forget to enter my LynBDesigns giveaway!  It's running through 8/9 and the prize is pretty fabulous, so don't miss out!  As always, thanks so much for reading!

Polish List:
Base color:
Wet 'n' Wild FastDry~Who Is Ultra Violet?
Chevron colors:
Sinful Colors~Tempest
Hard Candy~Crush On Amethyst
Orly~Out Of This World

 

41 comments:

  1. And we're off! That looks pretty awesome. Love how easy this is & thanks for the tutorial. Never would I have thought to paint the tape and use it like stickers. This opens up some other ideas...

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    1. I've also seen people using hole punches in different shapes with the painted tape to create decals. I want to try that, too, but the hole punches I find are either humungous or super expensive so that's on the back burner. Thanks, Liz! Looking forward to seeing everyone's posts!

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  2. This is sick. I LOVE IT!

    And a tute, to boot!

    Off to a GREAT start, Liz. Fabu!

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  3. Yeah I love how easy to do these are. Cool!

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    1. They are super easy to do which is why I knew I had to share! Thanks :)

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  4. It looks so perfect! I still have to try this out :D Thanks for the pusssssh!

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  5. Natalie - So sorry for calling you Liz in my earlier comment. Brain fart. I should be removed from my intravenous Internet connection by 11 p.m., because I can't be trusted to know my own name after that hour.

    This mani is, like I said above...amazing. Love how you took it outside the box with the use of polished transparent tape. I'm terrible with chevrons and this is one way for someone like me to achieve the look without the hassle. I thank you for that!

    And thank you also for your lovely comment. <3

    Lisa

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    1. I'm OK with taking the credit for Natalie's manicure. You can credit me in all the awesome manicures that come up with purple...the whole challenge even. I don't mind. :)

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    2. Lol you ladies are cracking me up! As I said before, I'll take you confusing me with Liz any day...many worse names to be called out there :)

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  6. This is fabulous!! And thanks for the great tutorial!! I wouldn't have thought of painting the tape. I bought some cheap pinking shears and they didn't work so I gave up. But this looks so great I'm going to have to buy some good ones now.

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    1. Thanks, Dionne! I did see someone post somewhere that if you stick the tape to wax paper and then cut it, it can help give some thickness for the scissors to cut into better. Not sure if that's the issue for you but might be worth a shot!

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  7. So pretty! Thanks for the step by step tutorial, will be adding this to my must try list!

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  8. This is brilliant! I have to try this!

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  9. A definite must try, this is gorgeous. I never would have thought it as scotch tape.

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  10. You paint over the tape! That's brilliant, thanks for the tip!!!!!!!!

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  11. What a neat technique! Never thought of that. Thanks for the tutorial :) That's a gorgeous manicure you created :)

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  12. All of the purple challengers look great. I love your technique as well, very unique!

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    1. It's shaping up to be a great challenge, that's for sure :) Thanks!

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  13. I've always wondered if this technique works!! Good to know, and it looks fantabulous!!!

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    1. I've had good luck with it so far. Thanks, Meredith!

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  14. Holy Moses I love it!!!! I'm trying this next week! I actually bought a container of scissors from the craft store that have different designs. I never thought about painting the tape and then cutting it that way! GENIUS! Great job!

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    1. Thanks, Raquel! I look forward to seeing what you do with it!

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  15. I love this technique, can't wait to try it out myself!! :D

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  16. Great mani! The different shades and finishes really give it something special!

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  17. The colors you chose here took this mani to another level of awesome. Great job!!

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    1. Purple's my favorite, it was hard to narrow it down to just 4 shades lol Thanks, Michelle!

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  18. This is gorgeous!!! The color combination is just perfect!! :)

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  19. OMG I love this!!!! Chevrons are one of my fave patterns for nail art, and I love the use of different shades of purple.

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    1. I'm a fan of the chevron as well, Kimber. And anything that makes them easier, makes me happy lol Thanks :)

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  20. Great combo! I tried the tape as a sticker/decal technique once and had a hard time removing it. It was like the tape wasn't acetone soluble or something. Did you have that problem?

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    1. I didn't have any trouble removing the tape, it seemed like the nail polish remover dissolved the glue or something. You were using scotch tape? I don't know if it would work as well with something stickier like packing tape. Thanks, Erika!

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  21. Whoaa!!! These are some awesome nails ^^

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