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

My Mint Mani for Talia Joy

On Friday July 19th, many of the nail art accounts on Instagram joined together for #mintmanisfortaliajoy.  Talia was wearing a lovely mint color on her nails in one of the last photos she posted on her Instagram.  She touched a lot of people, and my thoughts truly go out to her friends and family.

For my recreation of Talia's nails, I tried to use the closest color I had to the one she was wearing, and I really love how they turned out.  I used Ruby Wing Gypsy in a gradient with Essie Absolutely Shore on three nails, and topped it with Essie Shine of the Times.  On my accent nails, I wore Gypsy topped with inm Northern Lights top coat, then I placed some loose silver glitter in the shape of a heart and outlined it in white.

Thank you for reading! :)


Kristin

Monochromatic Sparkly Skull Skittles

I went with a monochromatic look for today's nail art, but of course I had to add some glitter and a skull (my first ever!).  I usually don't even think to use rhinestones in my nail art, but I found this cute little set that I hadn't even opened, and the black stones inspired me as soon as I saw them.

Here is a list of the polishes I used since every nail is different:

Thumb: CND Blackjack (one coat), Face It Glam Stud and inm Northern Lights Top Coat

Index: Elevation Polish Mountain Air (two coats) and black rhinestones

Middle: CND Brilliant White (one coat) and Orly Peaceful Opposition (one coat)

Ring: CND Blackjack (one coat), inm Northern Lights Top Coat, and an outline of Milani White Canvas

Pinky: Elevation Polish Mountain Air (two coats), tiny CND Brilliant White polka dots, and a Nubar Black Polka Dot gradient

Elevation Polish Mountain Air, Nubar Black Polka Dot, CND Brilliant White and Blackjack, Orly Peaceful Opposition, Milani White Canvas, Face It Glam Stud

I was playing around with the rhinestones on a piece of paper for a while, trying to figure out how I could create the shape of a skull.  It finally came to me after a few tries, and I'm pretty happy with the end result.

One of my first tries creating a skull

I really love skittle manicures.  They give me a chance to use a few polishes I have been wanting to try at the same time, and I love the challenge of trying to tie in each nail with the next.

I hope you enjoyed these nails.  Let me know what you thought of them; I always love to know!

Thank you for reading! :)

Kristin