#WNAC2015 - May / Neon: Roundup (+ Tutorials!)

Hello everyone!

Today I have a roundup of my nail art from the #WNAC2015 posts for May to share with you.  The theme was Neon, which was so fun!  Totally had me in a happy mood, and I think I came up with some awesome nail art (a few didn't quite make it to my Instagram either, so I'll share them with you here!).

31 Day Challenge - Day 1: Red Nails

I haven't posted much nail art this past month and I am determined to start posting more, so I decided I would try the #31DC2013 31 Day Challenge by Chalkboard Nails.  Hopefully I can stick to it and get as many done as I can (or all of them, if possible!), so I'm going to try my best.  This is my first monthly challenge ever!

As you can see, Day 1 is Red Nails!  I love wearing red on my nails.  It's so flattering and always makes me happy.  I had a bunch of recently accquired reds to try, so I brought out a few that I was in the mood for.  One of my choices was a Liquid Sand by OPI from the Minnie Mouse Collection, Magazine Cover Mouse.  I used it on my accent nail and I am seriously in love with it.  One coat was fully opaque, and it's so gorgeous and sparkly.  

The remaining nails have a gradient of Enchanted Polish J'adore and China Glaze Snap My Dragon.  They both have a lovely shimmer that pair well together.  Snap My Dragon is a pink-toned red, so all of the photos came out a lot more pink than it actually looks in real life.

On top, I used OPI Royal Rajah Ruby and a base coat by Finger Paints I had sitting around for a watermarble.  The base coat actually worked really well in the water; I was impressed!

Enchanted Polish J'adore, China Glaze Snap My Dragon, Finger Paints Base Coat, OPI Royal Rajah Ruby, inm Northern Lights top coat (and OPI Magazine Cover Mouse not pictured)

Day 2 will be coming very soon!  Thank you for reading! :)

Kristin

Turquoise Stone Nails + Tutorial!

These turquoise stone nails have been quite a trend lately.  I had seen a couple people try this technique, and was inspired, but I wanted to put my own style on it.

Here is my finished look:

Now, here is the tutorial to get this look:

I tried to make the steps as clear as possible, but as always, if you have any questions please let me know.  And, feel free to send me your results, I would love to see them! :)

1. Gather your supplies and prep your nails. I used CND Stickey, Essie Where's My Chauffeur?, CND Blackjack and Gold Chrome, a piece of plastic wrap (bunched into a ball), a few toothpicks, Scotch tape, hairspray, a paper towel, a cup of luke warm (tap) water, and a piece of paper.

2. Paint two coats of your base colour. In this case, to make them look like turquoise stones, I chose the Essie's Where's My Chauffeur?. Make sure your base colour is completely dry, or use a quick dry top coat before moving to the next step.

3. Tape off your cuticle and sides of your fingers with some scotch tape.

4. Work quickly with the next few steps! Place a few drops of gold polish on a piece of paper. Dip the plastic wrap into the polish, and dab it a few times on the paper before applying it to your nails.

5. Immediately "sponge" the gold polish on your nails in a few random spots. I did this very lightly, to make it look like subtle veins of gold.

6. With a cup of luke warm water, place one drop of black polish into the water. I only used one drop of polish so the black would be quite light and veiny. As it is spreading, spray some hairspray on it. This is the most difficult part, as you may have to repeat this step a few times to get it to look right.

7. I wanted the "veins" to be quite spread out on the nail. If the spots are too close together in the water, you will have too much black on the nail, so if it does not look right in the water, just take a toothpick to remove the polish and try again.

8. Quickly dip your finger into the water, positioned where you want it, and use a toothpick to grab the leftover polish on the surface of the water before removing your nail.

9. Remove the tape. Wait a while before applying top coat so you do not smudge the black lines. Finally, finish with a top coat.

Have fun! :)

Kristin