31 Day Challenge - Day 3: Yellow Nails

I rarely wear yellow on my nails, but I knew exactly the yellow I was going to use for Day 3 of the 31 Day Challenge (#31DC2013); Lime Crime's Crema de Limon.

Crema de Limon is a very pretty soft yellow, and while I'm not sure if the formula is streaky on it's own, I decided to use it as a gradient with Essie Blanc to skip any application issues.  I topped the gradient with China Glaze Golden Enchantment (my bottle is very sad looking!), and a few pyramid studs from Born Pretty Store.

On my accent nail, I have one coat of Elevation Polish Mount Feathertop, then I placed some striping tape vertically on my nail, and applied the same gradient as the other nails to create a "negative space" design.  I added a small round stud near the cuticle, and topped it with Golden Enchantment as well.

By the way, if you are ordering anything from Born Pretty Store, you can use the code KSG10 to get 10% off your order, with free shipping worldwide!

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

Floral Nails, Glitter Placement and Born Pretty Store Review!

Hello! :)

My most recent design is another floral print (you can view my previous florals on my Instagram, which is also in the sidebar).  I have really been into florals lately.  They always look so beautiful and complicated, and I won't lie, it's pretty funny when people ask you if your nails are stickers or stencils!  My new set of nail art brushes from Born Pretty Store, are what I have used to create this look:

For the past few months, I have just been using the same tiny old paintbrush (yes, just one!) from my kit when I was taking art in high school.  So, I knew it was about time I get myself a fresh set of real nail art brushes!  While I was at it, I picked up some multicolored loose glitter as well, and I am addicted!

I'll have a bonus glitter mani at the end of this post, but for now here's what my order consisted of from the lovely Born Pretty Store:

Look at the gorgeous colors!

The brushes are really great!  I used all four to create my floral print, and it was so nice to have a selection of sizes so I could use one for each color on my nails.  They are perfect for fine details like the small flowers and dots in the center of the flowers.

Here's what one of the brushes looks like compared to my nail.  See how small it is?

These are the polishes I used to get this look:

 

Butter London Billy No Mates and Stag Do, Essie Instant Hot (on the accent nail) and Blanc, and Misa Great Grape and Lime Love.

And here's a little bonus glitter placement:

The base is Essie The Girl's Are Out.

It's so fun placing the individual glitters in different shapes or patterns, and it's not a pain to remove after a few days.  You will definitely see some more glitter placement nails from me soon!

If you would like to order from Born Pretty Store, (their prices are great, and it's free worldwide shipping!) you can use this coupon for 10% off your order:

Have a lovely day! :)


Kristin