31 Day Challenge 2014 - Day 2: Orange

Hi everyone!

For the orange theme yesterday, I decided to wear Chanel Mirabella.  It's one of the prettiest orange polishes I have, I would say!

Mirabella was part of the Summer 2014 collection, but it's warm and quite muted compared to others, so I feel like it would be just as nice for fall too.  That said, I am a huge orange fan all year anyways.  I could've easily gotten away with one coat, but I'm wearing two for the photos just incase.

I added a floral accent nail, using white (Cult Cosmetics El Porto), neon pink (Coco & Lulu Ma Belle), Julep Hayden, Ramona, and Parker, and a bit of purple purple (Nails Inc. Westminster).

Thank you for reading!  My yellow nails for day 3 will be up very soon. :)


Kristin

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31 Day Challenge 2014 - Day 1: Red

Hello everyone!

I have decided to try to attempt the 31 Day Challenge again this year (and try to actually complete it this time).  I'm hoping that it will keep me posting more on my blog, since I've been really slacking for a while now.  I think that it helps to have a theme for some inspiration as well.  Today was the first day, so I created some gradient rose nails for the red theme.  I created a quick photo tutorial as well, which you can view down below!

I won't go into too much detail since you can read the steps below, but I was definitely inspired by all of the Rouge Louboutin inspired mani's I've seen lately, with the gorgeous black and red gradient mimicking the bottle.  For my version, I decided it needed a bit of holo of course, so I went with piCture pOlish O'hara as my base.  I really love the simplicity and gothic quality about them.

Marc Jacobs Jezebel, Essie Trombone, Julep Hayden, piCture pOlish O'hara, a-England Lancelot, and Winstonia Store #00 brush

Here's the tutorial if you would like to recreate them:

1.  Apply one coat of red nail polish, or one with holographic shimmer as I have shown.

2.  Grab a sponge and paint a few layers of black, a deep burgundy red, and your base color directly onto the sponge.

3.  Sponge lightly onto the nail.  I had to do this a few times to deepen the black.

4.  Using a peach nail polish, begin the rose near the cuticle of the nail.  I like to start with a centre dot and a half circle sticking out from the side.  Make sure you leave some black area peeking through to give some depth to the rose.

5.  Paint similar petal shapes around the centre.  I like to make some squiggly and pointy edges to create a more realistic shape.

6.  Keep creating petals until the rose is the size you like.  If it helps, you can also see me create the same rose shape in a previous video I made here: Negative Space Rose Nails

7.  Using a red polish (similar to your base color), and a nail art brush, paint directly on top of the peach lines leaving a tiny space at the outer edge of each petal.

8.  Once you have all of the red filled in, wait a few minutes, then add your top coat.   Have fun!


Thank you all for reading!  If you're also doing the challenge, let me know, as I would love to follow along with your posts as well! :)


Kristin

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31 Day Challenge - Day 14: Fall Florals + Tutorial!

Ok, so I may have failed the #31DC2013, but I figured I would still post the last nails I created for the challenge (I know I'm like 10 days late, sorry!).  They were for Day 14: Flowers.

I was actually inspired to create these floral nails after I found a random print on google.  I really liked the color combination, especially for fall, so I tried to get it as close as possible.  I'm not exactly happy with them, but I spent so much time on them that it would've been silly not to post them. 

Polishes used: Deborah Lippman Human Nature, OPI Ate Berries In the Canaries, Ciate Kiss Chase, Essie Like to Be Bad, Essie Meet Me At Sunset, and Lime Crime Once In a Blue Mousse.

Update: I finally got a tutorial up on YouTube. Enjoy!

 

Thank you for reading!

Kristin

31 Day Challenge - Day 13: Animal Print Nails

Day 13 of the #31DC2013 was Animal Print Nails.

I cheated a bit and used a Python effect top coat by Bourjois for this look.  I actually purchased it a long time ago, and have only ever swatched it on one or two nails.  I always had a hard time finding the perfect base to use under it, but I figured the animal print theme would be the perfect time to try it again.

I used two coats of Color Club Cosmic Fate (one of my favorite holos in the collection!), then I applied one coat of the Python Top Coat.  I really love how Cosmic Fate just glows through the cracks in the top coat, and the Python Top Coat really looks like leather (in person especially).  It's a very cool effect.

My accent nail is two coats of Chanel Rouge Moire, and of course I added a tiny gold stud (which is totally unnecessary, but I'm a bit obsessed).  Chanel Rouge Moire is the most perfect fall nail polish; it's absolutely gorgeous.  I did not want to remove it.

Overall, I was very happy with this look!

Thank you for reading!

Kristin

31 Day Challenge - Day 12: Stripes

Day 12 of the #31DC2013 was Stripes.  I'm super behind still as you can tell, but I'm not going to let that stop me.  I will try to complete them all!

For this design, I didn't want to go with typical stripes, so these are very loosely based on the theme, but I am so happy with them!

I used two coats of Dior Destin, a very strange sort of mocha pearly taupe color, as my base.  It just makes me want to put on a comfy sweater because it's one of those colors that I would associate with fall.  It's a really lovely neutral.  Then, I used Color Club Beyond (a black holo) and created a simple tape design on my nails, starting with a big triangle in the center of my nails, and some thinner "stripes" surrounding it.  

 Thank you for reading! :)


Kristin

31 Day Challenge - Day 11: Polka Dot Nails

Day 11 of the #31DC2013 was Polka Dot Nails.

Rather than using my dotting tools to make polka dots, I decided to place some pink holographic circle glitter on my nails to mimic the look of polka dots.

The pink holographic circles are from an Essence nail art kit.  I placed them on top of two coats of Pahlish Shake the Rust, and my accent nail is one coat of Color Club Miss Bliss.  Pahlish Shake the Rust has some really pretty copper shimmer that compliments the base color well.  It really looks like a strawberry milkshake!

 

Thank you for reading!

Kristin

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

31 Day Challenge - Day 8: Metallic Nails

Metallic Nails was Day 8 of the #31DC2013!  I have been following along and doing nail art every day, but I've got a lot of catching up to do when it comes to blog posts.  Oops!

I went with a simple fishtail mani for my metallic nails.  I used three of Essie's Mirror Metallics, Good As Gold, Penny Talk, and No Place Like Chrome.  I love working with these polishes because with the right base coat (I used CND Stickey) they are all one coaters and have the best chrome finish.

My accent nail is OPI Honey Ryder which is nearly identical to Good As Gold in color, but of course it's a Liquid Sand.  It's also opaque in one coat and super shiny.  I added a silver pyramid stud to tie it all together.  

Thank you for reading! 

Kristin