31 Day Challenge - Day 7: Black & White Nails + Tutorial

Day 7 of the 31 Day Challenge (#31DC2013) was Black & White nails.

I am always happy to create some black & white nails, and I love coming up with different combinations.  This time, I based it around another textured accent nail (can you tell I love my textured polishes?), Dance Legend Granite.  It's a black textured base loaded with tiny white glitter.  The white glitter has a bit of a sheen to it so it doesn't look flat.  It has great coverage in one coat, but I used two for the photos.

On the remaining nails, I applied one coat of CND Blackjack, then with a ball of plastic wrap I dabbed on Essie Blanc, and finished with an outline of white around the nails.  I have tried this combination a few months ago (unfortunately I never posted about it), and loved it, so I thought this was the perfect design for the Day 7 theme.

You can also watch me create these nails here:

Thank you for reading!

Kristin

31 Day Challenge - Day 2: Orange Nails + Ikat Tutorial

Day 2 of the 31 Day Challenge is Orange Nails!

Recently, I got a few of the Barry M Gelly polishes, and I've been dying to try Mango, so it's perfect for today's orange theme.  It's a really nice medium orange polish, opaque in two coats, and seriously, these Barry M Gelly polishes have the most amazing glossy finish to them; there is absolutely no need to add top coat.  Of course, I had to add some nail art, so I tried my first Ikat print.

Barry M Mango Gelly, CND Blackjack, Lime Crime Once In a Blue Mousse, and Essie Blanc

I took photos of my progress, so I decided I would make them into a photo tutorial as well!

If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them, and feel free to tag me on Instagram or send me a photo of your recreation; I would love to see them!

Enjoy!

1. Gather your supplies and prep your nails.  I used Barry M Mango Gelly, CND Blackjack, Essie Blanc, Lime Crime Once In a Blue Mousse, Elevation Polish Dzhangi-Tau, and a nail art striper brush (from my Urban Outfitters set).

2. Apply your base color.  I used two coats of orange.

3. Starting with white, map out your shapes where you want them using quick individual strokes of polish.  I made the lines of polish into a diamond shape on my middle & thumb nails, and triangles at the tips of my index and pinky.  I also did a sort of chevron line on my ring finger.  They don't have to be perfect, Ikat almost looks better the more irregular it is.

4. Following in the same shapes you just created in the previous step, apply a contrasting color (in my case a pale blue) inside, leaving just an outline of the white.

5. Once again, following the shape, apply black polish inside, leaving an outline of the previous color.  I also added some glitter over the chevron on my ring finger.  

6. Apply black polish outside of the shapes this time, trying not to cover up too much of the white. 

7. Using the same technique as before, I added a few more Ikat shapes to fill in the blank areas and complete the pattern.

8. Finish with top coat.  Have fun! :)

I will be back again tomorrow for Day 3!

Thank you for reading!

Kristin