Showing posts with label Mish Mash Challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mish Mash Challenge. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Mish Mash Challenge: Grey Nails
Hello everyone! We've made it back around to Wednesday so I've got another Mish Mash Challenge manicure to show you. I'm also rocking some shorter nails today. The length was getting out of hand and I had about 5 patches on each hand so I decided to trim them back to a more manageable length before a catastrophic break made me go full nubbin!
This week's theme is "grey". I had one heck of a time figuring out what to do and in the end I cheated a little bit by adding a pop of another color, but I think they turned out so pretty that I'm hoping you won't mind too much.
I started with 3 coats of 2% Milk by Wet 'n' Wild and then added a sponge gradient with Sinful Colors Jungle Trail on top. 2% Milk is my favorite nude of all time, I think. I love the sheerness and jelly quality it has. I liked the look of the gradient but I wanted to add something extra.
Daring Digits' Star Storm fit the bill perfectly! Star Storm is a grey-based jelly with green and white stars, white and holographic hexes, and tiny green and white glitters. I hadn't tried this color yet and I can't think why...it's simply stunning! I'm sad to report that Ashley, Daring Digits' creator, has retired and this polish is no longer available. I have a few bottles of DD and I'll be rationing them carefully as they'll have to last me forever....waaaaaaaaa!!
I hope you enjoyed this manicure and I hope you'll stop by and give the other Mish Mashers some love this week! I can't wait to see what they've done. You can find their posts via the thumbnails below. Thanks so much for reading!
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Mish Mash Challenge: Faux Stone Nails
It's Mish Mash day! This week's Challenge is one of (in my opinion) the most fun so far; faux stone. I cannot wait to see what the other participants have done this week. There's sure to be some awesomeness indeed! After much deliberation, I finally decided to try to recreate one of my favorite stones, Labradorite, in a manicure. Labradorite is a surprising stone; a sort of dull, grey-green with darker veins running through it. Until it hits the light just right and you can see the gorgeous, prism-like colors reflected. I'm not sure my mani does the stone justice, but I'll let you be the judge!
I started with one coat of Sinful Colors Last Chance, a deep, dark hunter green. Then I sponged some Jungle Trail (also Sinful Colors), a mid-toned grey with green undertones, on top randomly. I decided it needed more depth, so I made a jelly by mixing a few drops of JT, LC, and basic black into a clear base. After applying that and letting it dry, I dabbed on a couple of flakies; Finger Paints Flashy and Sally Hansen Triple Shine Hypnautical and Scale Up. I used another coat of my homemade jelly and then handpainted some veining on with LC. One more coat of jelly and then Orly's Matte Top. So, yeah, I'm wearing a TON of polish lol But I do like the final outcome.
There's a chunk of Labradorite in the above pic for visual reference :) I think I did ok! I hope you guys enjoyed this manicure and that you'll take a minute to check out the other Mish Mashers' manis as well! You can find them via the thumbnails below! Thanks so much for reading :)
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Mish Mash Challenge: Holographic
Ok, I'm not sure how the Holographic Mish Mash Challenge ended up being in November, but lemme tell ya, the Universe has a bad sense of humor! I'll apologize in advance because all my photos are indoor lighting and don't show the true holo-happiness of the polish but we do what we can with what we have, yes? That said, I'm still excited to show you this polish because it really is gorgeous in any light. Carpe Noctem Cosmetics had a deal last week with a freebie mini if you purchased more than $15...the freebie was a mystery I just couldn't pass up! Emily's polishes are always lovely, so I knew whatever it was, it would be fabulous. I was so not wrong!
Don't Panic is not only a linear holographic, its base is the shifty goodness of CNC's Interstellar Towel. This is such a stunner in sunlight that I'm totally bummed I didn't photograph it outdoors when I had the chance. The base shifts from grey to green to purple (similar to Essie's For the Twill of It) and the holographic is fantastic!
The macro shot on the left shows a more "natural" indoor light, where you can actually see that holographic better. The photo on the right shows my normal lightbox setup lighting. The holographic is more subtle, but both are pretty in my opinion.
The formula was great, smooth and opaque in 2 coats. I did not want to take this polish off! If I didn't have so much to swatch this week, I'd still be wearing it. I don't know if this is still available with orders over $20 (that was the last deal I saw on it), but I'm sad to say, I think she might be out. The base polish, Interstellar Towel, IS available however, along with lots of other fabulous creations over on the Etsy site. For updates on Carpe Noctem Cosmetics, follow her on Facebook.
I cannot wait to see what the other Mish Mashers do this week! I'm sure we're in for some awesome manicures. If you'd like to check the other gals out, you can find them via the thumbnails below! Thanks so much for reading :)
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Mish Mash Challenge: Rainbow Nails
It's Hump Day! That means it's Wednesday! That means it's Mish Mash Challenge day! I skipped last week's challenge because I spent so much time on my Sanderson Sisters manicure, then I almost skipped this week because of another Halloween manicure I've been working on (which will also hopefully be posted tonight!), but I didn't want to skip two weeks in a row...especially on the Rainbow Challenge! I know there are going to be some stunning designs this week and I can't wait to see them! After all the nail art I've done lately, I just stuck with some simple skittles for this week's Challenge.
I did dress these up a bit by using linear holographic polishes so you get rainbows with your rainbows! Like I said, they're pretty simple but I like 'em! I'll list the polishes at the end of the post so you can check 'em out if you'd like to. Though I think a lot of folks were unimpressed with the China Glaze Holographics collection, the ones I've purchased (on half off of clearance at Sally's...woot!) are really pretty in my opinion. They aren't in-your-face crazy holos, but the linear IS there and it's quite nice.
I apologize for the lack of sunlight in these photos but that's been in short supply lately here in Chicago. If Apollo manages to drag his chariot into the sky tomorrow, I'll snap a quick one to show you the linear rainbows.
Polish List:
LynBDesigns~Am I Ginger?
DifferentDimensions~Tubular
China Glaze Holographic~Not In This Galaxy, OMG A UFO, Strap On Your Moonboots
Please take a minute to peruse the other Mish Mashers' work this week...I'm betting it'll be pretty! You can find them via the thumbnails below. Thanks so much for reading!
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Mish Mash Challenge: Manicure Inspired by a Book
Hi, guys! I'm squeaking in on the Mish Mash Challenge this week. Of course, I could post it after Wednesday, but I like the idea of a deadline, at least for myself. Anyway, this week's Challenge is book-inspired nails! I was so excited for this particular theme and then we got to it and I was totally unprepared! I'm not sure how it happened. I'm normally an avid reader but this past year, I've basically stopped reading anything but blogs and Facebook. I miss it, terribly. But even though I'm not reading as much as I had been, I figured picking a book to inspire a mani was a piece of cake. Nope! I thought about Harry Potter, but didn't feel my schedule would allow me to do that theme justice right now. My bf suggested The Color Purple, mostly because it would be super easy. So easy, in fact, I thought it was almost cheating....especially since I haven't read the book! The book I finally decided on is a favorite of mine and I'm reasonably happy with how it turned out. Take a look!
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is a classic novel, classified as science fiction. I highly suggest it if you haven't read it, especially for women. It's a cautionary tale without being preachy and the social perspectives are really thought-provoking.
As you can see, I was inspired by the cover of the book. I used polish to recreate one of the Handmaids on my accent nail. I decided on basic white for my other nails, partly cuz I just ran out of time lol
She's not my best work, but I do like how she turned out.
Have you read The Handmaid's Tale? What did you think about it?
Please take a few moments to browse the other Mish Mashers creations for the week! I'm really looking forward to seeing what they all came up with! You can find them via the thumbnails below. Thanks so much for reading!
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Mish Mash Challenge: Triangles (Oh! The Fail!)
Hello and welcome to Wednesday! It's Mish Mash Challenge day, of course, and I have to tell you that my mani this week holds quite a bit of fail. The color didn't really work for me and neither did my technique :( I could have redone it, but I'm short on time this week and sometimes I like to show you guys a mistake or two, just to bring myself back down to earth lol Alright, on to the fail...er...manicure!
So what I was trying to do was recreate my Tiers of Teeny, Tiny Triangles manicure from the ABC Challenge. It's one of my favorite manicures I've ever done, and I though it might be pretty in fall colors. It might be, but not in these fall colors lol I started with the For Sweater or Worse swatch I wore yesterday as a base. Then, I painted some scotch tape with Sation's Dating the Duke and Sinful Colors Out of Bounds. After the polish dried, I cut strips of triangle shapes with pinking shears. I placed the strips on my nails, trimmed the edges, and topped everything with Seche Vite.
As I said before, this color combo just does not work for me! I thought there was no way to make FSOW look bad but this seemed to bring out a muddy brownish tone to it...which made me sad. Then my edges...oh, the horror! For some reason, my trimming scissors stuck to the tape and pulled the polish out of whack at the edges of my nails, so everything ended up bumpy. To add insult to injury, I laid on my SV too thickly and got beaucoup de bubbles! So much sad *sigh*. Oh well, we win some, we lose some!
Please take some time to look over the other Mish Mashers' manis for this week. I am quite sure they came up with much more creative and more expertly executed work than I did lol You can find them via the thumbnails below! Thanks so much for reading!
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Mish Mash Challenge: Blue
Howdy everyone! This will be the second time I write this post this evening, since I somehow managed to delete it after I finished it and was proof-reading. That's pretty much how this week has been going *sigh* Ok, enough of the pity party, on to the polish!
This week's Mish Mash Challenge is "Blue". I have tons of blues, because it's one of my favorite colors, so I decided to pay homage to one of our other Mish Mashers, Chantelle of A Polished Prance. A few weeks ago, for our "Least Expensive Polish" Challenge, she did an awesome dotticure using 73(!) different Ulta3 polishes! I figured I had almost that many blues and wanted to give it a try. The result? Take a peek:
It turns out I only had 33 blue polishes. At least, only 33 cremes and jellies. I decided not to use metallics, shimmers, or glitters, just because they don't "dot" as well for me. If you're interested in which ones I used, I'll include a polish list at the end of the post for you to peruse at your leisure.
I love the way this turned out! It reminds me of the Wonder Bread logo, even though there's no red or yellow in it. I'm weird like that :) A big thanks to Chantelle for helping me make my nails look great this week and for being the creative genius that she is!
Please take a look at the other Mish Mashers' manis this week. I can't wait to see what they've got going! You can find them via the thumbnails below and, as always, thanks so much for reading!
Polish List:
Sinful Colors~ Aquamarine, Burning Bright, Endless Blue, New Wave, Ocean Side, Rain Storm, Sail La Vie, Savage, Shock and Awe, Sugar Rush, Sweet Nothing, Tidal Wave, Why Not
China Glaze~ First Mate, Ride The Waves, Secret Peri-Wink-le,
Sunday Funday
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear~ Blue Me Away!, Breezy Blue, Pacific
Blue
Sally Hansen Insta-Dri~ Blue By!
Nina Ultra Pro~ Blue La La, Cobalt
Wet ‘n’ Wild Wild Shine~ Listening to Blue Reed, Teal Slowly
and See
Revlon~ Dreamer, Royal
Essence~ Let’s Get Lost
Zoya~ Rocky
Orly~ Snowcone
Barielle~ Swizzle Stix
O.P.I.~ Can’t Find My Czechbook
Cynthia Rowley~ Blue Jelly(no name)
Base polish is Essie's Blanc
Base polish is Essie's Blanc
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Mish Mash Challenge: Cold
Good evening everyone! I'm a late poster tonight, but I'm bound and determined to get my Mish Mash Challenge up before bed! This week the theme is "Cold". I went pretty literal with it this time around, as you can see from my inspiration photo below.
Looks kinda chilly, huh? I love the way the ice has layers of translucency and all the different shades of blue and white. So icy and pretty! Here's my interpretation:
I started with a coat of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Pacific Blue (am I the only person who thinks this polish smells weird?) and then I used Sinful Colors' Tidal Wave, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Deep Blue Sea and Breezy Blue, Barielle's Swizzle Stix, and Sally Hansen Diamond Strength in Something Blue to create the "icicles".
I'm so pleased with how this turned out. The blues are a bit darker than I wanted but, as you can see in the macro shot above, I captured the translucent nature of the ice pretty well (I hope!).
This *might* be my favorite Mish Mash mani so far! Please stop by the other Mish Mashers pages to see the fantastic manicures they've come up with for this week's theme! You can find them via the thumbnails below. Also, I'd like to remind you that there are around 2 weeks left to enter The Nail Files Turned 2! giveaway that I'm participating in, so get those entries in!
I'm also thinking about doing a Halloween/Fall themed giveaway in October. If you'd like to donate a prize, please shoot me an email at ndirks@hotmail.com. Any and all prizes, big or small, would be appreciated and you will get 2 Rafflecopter links to drive traffic your way as well. :)
Thanks so much for reading!
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Mish Mash Challenge: Least Expensive Polish
Happy Wednesday, darlings! (Sorry, I'm watching Bedazzled and Elizabeth Hurley is wearing off on me, I guess) It is, in fact, that fabulous middle day of the week, also known as Hump Day and you know what that means; it's Mish Mash Challenge Day! I don't mention it every week, but the Mish Mash Challenge is open to anyone who wants to join. We're a super laid back group and there are a very few rules to follow, so if you're interested, add a comment to this post and Kimber will get you rolling!
On to this week's Challenge. I took the "Least Expensive Polish" challenge a couple of different ways. It could mean the least expensive retail-wise polish or it could mean the polish that I personally paid the least amount for. I kind of combined both of these into my mani for the week.
I started with 2 coats of Sally Hansen's HD Hi-Definition Nail Color in Hue. This polish has been sitting on my untried shelf for awhile and, since I snagged it in a huge Ulta clearence sale for $0.49, I figured it fit the "least expensive" bill quite nicely. Hue is a pretty color, a buttery gold with a sparkly gold shimmer. I never really understood what was so "Hi-Def" about this line from SH. I've got a couple of them, but they're basically just nice shimmery colors, nothing too effect-y about them. But pretty, nonetheless!
I decided I wanted to try a new-to-me technique to spice up this manicure a bit. Fan brush manicures are something I've seen done much more successfully than I've managed here lol The theory is easy; take a fan brush, dip it in polish and brush it over your nails. What you don't know until you try, is how difficult it is to get the *right* amount of polish on the brush! Too much and you just make a mess, too little and it doesn't transfer to the nail at all. I don't hate it for my first attempt, but it's really not my favorite effect ever. I used Essie's Saturday Disco Fever (which I won in The Nail Files giveaway a few weeks ago, again fulfilling the "least expensive" challenge) and Sinful Color's Burning Bright (SC polishes are always cheap at Walgreen's and I believe I snagged this one during one of their $0.99 sales).
Here's a shot of my bottle of Hue, with that lovely clearance sticker on the front. Marked down from $5.79 to $0.49...pretty good deal!
Please take a run through the other Mish Masher's posts this week. I can't wait to see what they all come up with! You can find their posts via the thumbnails below!
Also, don't forget to enter The Nail Files Turned 2! giveaway! There are 14 great prizes from Taneja’s Bride, Accio Lacquer, My Boyfriend Hates Makeup, A Polish Playground, Mandie’s Manicures, An Accent Nail, Nail Addicted Sisters, Galactic Lacquer, Pretty Jelly, xo, noelle and myself :) Thanks so much for reading!
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Mish Mash Challenge: Hot a.k.a. That's a Spicy Pepper!
It's Wednesday! That means it's Mish Mash Challenge day! I have a fun mani for you guys today. Our Mish Mash theme this week was "Hot". I decided I didn't want to do straight up flames and I had toyed around with a couple other ideas before settling on spicy peppers. Whadya think?
I had a lot of fun with this one! My accent nail sports a flaming cartoon chili pepper while the rest of my nails are covered in teeny tiny peppers. I used Sinful Colors Song of Summer for the base polish; I figured with all the reds and oranges, a nice green would set things off nicely.
Here's a close-up of the flaming chili. Isn't he cute?? I hope you all enjoy this manicure as much as I do!
Be sure to stop in to check out what the other Mish Mashers are up to this week. There's a bunch o' talent in this bunch, so don't miss out! You can find them via the thumbnails below. Thanks so much for reading!
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Mish Mash Challenge: Music
Hi there everyone! I feel so totally off my game this week :( My posting has slacked off a bit and I think I've had a bit of a cold or something; I just haven't been feeling right, ya know? I'm a day late on my Mish Mash Challenge this week because of this...but I'm starting to get back into the swing of things, I hope! This Challenge gave me so many fails...so many. This week, we're supposed to do "Music" nails. I thought long and hard and had finally decided on incorporating violins into some nail art. About a hundred years ago, I used to play the violin and I love the iconic, cursive "f" shaped cut-outs. I thought it would be simple and cute. WRONG! After trying 3 separate manicures, I gave up on that idea lol
I went instead with a genre of music. I give you "Grunge" nails!
This is a technique I've tried before, to varying degrees of sucess. I started with 2 coats of Zoya's Micky (I was also thinking of an "Oh, Mickey you're so fine" mani, but couldn't make that work either!), a shimmery watermelon-y pink. Then I layered stripes of Orly Mayhem Mentality, a neon orange, and Wet 'n' Wild Stand the Test of Lime (bright lime green) and Teal Slowly and See (light blue creme and not really a teal at all). I let things dry between layers and then topped everything with Deborah Lippmann's Edge of Glory in black.
After the black had dried, I took a small brush and dipped it pure acetone. Nail polish remover will work, but it'll take a bit longer. Using a kind of scrubbing motion, I rubbed the brush over the layers of polish until I liked the look of the layers showing through. I cleaned up my cuticles and used a coat of Seche Vite over everything to complete the look. The colors are actually a bit brighter in real life, but I think you get a pretty good idea from the photos ;)
A quick reminder that my 100+ Trifecta Giveaway ends in a little under 48 hours so get your entries in! I'm so excited to pick my winners...I'm having to keep myself occupied to not end it early just to stop the suspense!
Please take some time to wander through my fellow Mish Mashers posts for the week, I've already seen some really great ideas for this challenge! You can find them via the thumbnails below.
Thanks so much for reading!
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Mish Mash Challege: Untried Technique
Hi there! How's your week progressing? Mine has been...exciting and stressful. My living situation is about to change and it's a little scary, but exciting as well. Here's hoping it works out for the best!
This week we're on to the 4th Mish Mash Challenge! Our task was to try a technique that we hadn't yet tried. This was harder than it sounds for me. I mean, I'm an experimental girl...there's not a lot I haven't taken a whack at in the nail polish world, regardless of result. That said, I remembered seeing a Nailasaurus post a few weeks ago that I had wanted to try but hadn't gotten around to yet. I'm glad I waited cuz now I have a pretty post for Challenge day...yay! :)
The Waterfall Manicure, as it's called, is a fairly easy nail art technique that gives a great result with minimal effort. All you need is polish and a small brush. I started with 4 (!) coats of Essie's Bottle Service. In hindsight, I would have used undies with this if I'd have realized it was so sheer. Of course, the fact that it's a neon should have been a clue. Details, details!
After those numerous layers had dried, I used a small nail art brush and, starting at the base of the nail tapering towards the tip, I drew little stripes of different colors. You want to vary the height, width, and color of the stripes to create more interest. I used Essie's Blanc, Sonia Kashuk's Rock Star, Wet 'n' Wild's Who Is Ultra Violet?, and Sinful Colors Out of Bounds for my stripes. (Shout out to The Nail Files, whose Essie giveaway I won recently made possible over half of this manicure!)
I'm really pleased with out this turned out. Bottle Service is a bit more pink than my photos are showing, but anything bright makes my camera wonk out, so you'll just have to imagine it.
I can't wait to see what the other Mish Mashers have come up with this week. Do yourselves a favor and swing by their pages to check out their talented work! You can find them via the thumbnails below.
Also, don't forget about my 100+ Trifecta Giveaway, accepting entries through midnight on 9/1/2013. There will be 6 winners so get your entries in for a chance to win!
As always, thanks so much for reading!
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Mish Mash Challenge: Metallic Nails
Howdy, everyone! Two posts back to back and I'm worn out! But I've got a busy couple of days coming up so I really wanted to get my Mish Mash Challenge post up tonight. This is the third challenge already...holy cow! We're on to Metallic Nails. This was one of those serendipitous weeks where I thought to myself "Self, I wonder what the Mish Mash Challenge is for this week" this morning. When I looked it up, I discovered that the manicure I was already wearing fit the bill! Love it when it works out that way!
A couple of days ago, whilst wandering through my local Marshall's, I stumbled upon a foil kit by Ciate. I've never tried any of their products before nor had I tried foils yet, so I decided to grab it. It's a pretty decent kit, came with one Paint Pot in Pepperminty (which I did not use yet), 6 different colors of foils with several 3"x3"ish sheets in each color, foil "glue" and a nail wheel, all for $9.99. I also saw their Velvet nails kits, but they were either $7.99 or $9.99 and I already own flocking powder so I didn't see the need. But, if you're interested in either kit, make a stop at Marshall's or TJMaxx as it seems like they're in circulation there.
My base color here is Sinful Colors' Shock and Awe, a greyed blurple creme. The foils were a lot easier to use than I thought they would be and I'm loving the effect they give! Basically, after your base color dries, you swipe on a little of the foil glue and let it dry to tackiness. Apply the foil on top, press it down firmly on the nail and then, in one quick motion, pull the foil off the nail. I had wanted to cover my nail with one color of foil initially, but I couldn't get that to work, so this is what ya get lol
All in all, a good value for the money and I can't wait to try it again!
Please take a few moments to check out some of the other Mish Mashers' manicures. They're all so talented and so darn nice! You can find them via the thumbnails below :)
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Mish Mash Challenge: Tape Manicure
Hiya! It's time for our second Mish Mash Challenge...yay! This week we're doing tape maicures...which is kind of what I did last week. So, for this week, I decided to go with a technique I haven't already tried and do something with striping tape. Here's what I came up with!
If you look closely, you can definitely see some smudges and areas where I didn't get the tape stuck down properly, but, on the whole, I think this turned out great for a first attempt (if I do say so myself).
I started with 2 coats of Wet 'n' Wild Megalast in Blue Visionary, one of the polishes in the Wet 'n' Wild Value Packs that you can find in Walgreen's. If you see this one, grab it! Seriously gorgeous shade, it leans a little more green than my photos show and it made this mani glow! I topped BV with one coat of Kleancolor's Chunky Holo Teal just for a bit of sparkle. After applying a coat of Seche Vite, I let everything dry for a bit. When there was no tackiness left, I started laying down small pieces of striping tape in different patterns on my nails (tip: tweezers are your best friend for this!). When everything was laid out the way I wanted, I applied one coat of Sinful Colors' Into The Blue over the nail, tape and all. While ITB was still wet, I pulled up the tape and voila! Tape manicure!
Please take a few moments to go check out the other fabulous ladies participating in the Mish Mash Challenge! I'm so excited to see what's shakin' on their pages for this challenge! You can find them via the thumbnails below :)
Oh! And don't forget to enter my LynBDesigns Giveaway! I've got a bottle of Am I Ginger? (courtesy of Jenna) up for grabs...trust me, you want it!
Thanks so much for reading!
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
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