E is for e.l.f. and Elephant

Howdy, everyone!  Time for another ABC Challenge manicure!  This week's letter is "E".  I had a hard time coming up with something to do.  I knew I wanted to add some nail art this week, rather than doing just a swatch (not that there's anything wrong with swatching, I was just feeling creative!).  I ended up doing a google search for "things that start with e" lol  It worked out alright...here's what I got:

"E" is for Elephant!  Isn't he cute?!  I've named him George :)  I started here with 2 coats of Sinful Colors Smokin' (a dark grey creme) on every nail but the accent, there I started with 2 coats of e.l.f.'s Misty Haze (a light blue/grey creme).  I wanted to get a sort of elephant skin look to my non-accent nails, so I used a saran wrap technique.  After Smokin' had dried, I applied a coat of Misty Haze and then dabbed it with a bunched up piece of saran wrap.  The polish sticks to the saran wrap and lifts off the nail creating a wrinkle or marble pattern.  After Misty Haze dried, I repeated the process with e.l.f.'s Desert Haze (a beige nude creme).  I recommend at least 2 coats of top coat with this technique as the saran wrap tends to leave things bumpy.

George was created with a Sharpie, some black striping polish, a white nail art pen and Sinful Colors' Soul Mate (a salmon pink creme).  I'm pretty proud of him, as he turned out so much better than I expected. 

If you get a moment, go check out the other ladies participating in the ABC Challenge.  You can find them via the thumbnails at the bottom of the post.

Thanks so much for reading!

Saran Wrap Manicure

Howdy, everyone!  I hope your weekend is going well so far.  I managed to get today off and had brunch with my friend and her parents this morning.  I do so love brunch :)  I also got to try out a new (for me) polish technique this week:  saran wrap!  Here are my results!

 If you're not familiar with the technique*, a saran wrap manicure is similar to some wall treatments I've seen.  You apply your base color (here I've used Sonia Kashuk's Rock Star) and let it dry completely.  I used a coat of Seche Vite to speed it up.  Then you apply one coat of a different color on top (my mani uses Essie's Bangle Jangle).  While this coat is still wet, you use a small piece of saran wrap (cling film, plastic wrap, whatever your favorite term is), crunch it up and dab your nails.  The wrap picks up bits of the wet polish and creates a fun texture.  I actually did this second step twice, using Zoya's Neeka for a little bit of sparkle.  I'm enjoying this technique and would like to try it with different color combinations...maybe something a little less monochrome next time.  Here's another shot of my mani:

 

Thanks so much for reading!!

*I don't know who "invented" this technique as I've seen it on many different blogs lately.  If there's someone I should give credit to, please let me know and I'll be happy to add it in!