Friday, 30 May 2014

SIMPLES - Week 3 - Ombre

Hi Goddesses



Today's post should be a super simple and easy one, but WOW, the word "ombre" stirs up a lot of debate!



Ombre and gradient are very different things, yet if you Google "ombre nails" most of what you will see are gradients!  No wonder everyone is confused!



So, what is an OMBRE?

Ombre literally means shadow, in French.  An ombre mani, therefore, is one where the nails move through varying SHADES of the same colour, from light to dark, or dark to light, across the entire hand.




I've deliberately done my ombre in grayscale as I think it illustrates it better.  I have used the following polishes -
thumb - OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls
index - KIKO 329
middle - Bettina Iron
ring - Nubar Stronghold
pinkie - w7 Black



A TRUE ombre actually uses only one coloured polish, with black and white added.  The proper way to create your ombre is to paint your middle nail, and then add a blob of white to that colour before you paint your index, and then dilute it again with white to do your thumb.   For your other 2 fingers, you do similar - one blob of colour and one blob of black for your ring finger, and add more black for your pinkie.


A word of caution - when using colours such as blue, purple, green, really think carefully about whether you are using hot or cold shades.  If you try to mix them, the ombre will jar to the eye.  If you think of purples, some are browny-purples, some are bluey-purples - if you mix them in the same ombre, it really won't look right.



If you want to read a GREAT post on gradients v ombre - click HERE to read a post by The Swatchaholic.


Right, let's look at some of the manis that crop up early on in Google images and decide whether they really are ombres.


This is the first image I get when I Google - by cagedcanarynz.blogspot.com



Clearly a gradient - the same 2 colours used on each nail.  Gorgeous, but not an ombre.


Then I see these nails from sonailicious.com



Again, looks like a gradient to me.


Interestingly, I also see Sammy, The Nailasaurus's, FAMOUS gradient tutorial, but relabelled (without her watermark) as  "how to create an ombre".  Idiots, as well as thieves.


Now this is gorgeous and makes my heart pitter-patter, from aubreyhannah1.blogspot.com

Now, to me, this is a gradient, but I have some sympathy for why this may be called an ombre, because each nail does move distinctly from light to dark (gorgeously).  However, the movement needs to be across the HAND to be an ombre.


So finally we find some good examples - 

From the always-awesome Chalkboard Nails -


And from www.glittagloves.com



And from trendygirlnyc.blogspot.com



I hope that's helped clear things up.  As ever, you're welcome to come and post your manis and have a chat and a natter in our Facebook Group HERE.


Next week we look at Saran Wrap and then we start our first 4-week rotation with dotting tools!


OPI Brazil - Pink Lemonade and Fruit Salad

Hi Goddesses




We are finally at the end of my epic stretch of OPI Brazil manis.  For now lol.  I love these colours so much - and how they combine - that I am sure I will be back to these before the summer ends, but for now, here's your last double doozy.


This starts as a gradient featuring I Just Can't Cope-acabana and Kiss Me I'm Brazilian.






I loved how these 2 looked together, and they reminded me of Pink Lemonade.  Someone else at work said they reminded her of the Fruit Salad chewy sweets, so that night .... there was only one thing to be done lol - make a fruit salad!






And this is how it looks with Winstonia W118.







Whilst I still like it, I don't love how the white has bled away some fo the vibrancy of the gradient - it's just not as shiny and juicy as it was in the beginning lol.




Still, at least everyone at work agreed it definitely was now a fruit salad!





Thursday, 29 May 2014

OPI Brazil - Candy Stripes

Hi Goddesses



And welcome to another post in my "obsession with OPI Brazil" series lol.




Today we turn to stripes, and I don't know about you, but I kind of want to eat my fingers - don't they look like chewy sweets?




To get a more random look, I again painted my base colour in a skittle.  I like things to be slightly off centre, and this prompts you to do your stripes in a different order.




Again, I was only using the brights from the Collection, so we have - 
I Just Can't Cope-acabana
 Where Did Suzi's Man-go?
Kiss Me I'm Brazilian
Toucan Do It If You Try
Live.Love.Carnaval.



I know I keep saying it, but I do like it when a collection plays so nicely together :)



Guest Post for Wondrously Polished

Hi Goddesses


Wanna see a Guest Post I did this week for Lindsey of Wondrously Polished?



***************


I'm really honoured to be on Lindsey's blog.  She's one of my favourite bloggers, as well as a co-member of the Digit-al Dozen.   I remember being blown away when she won my Blogger of the Month competition last year, and I couldn't understand how this amazing nail artist had so few blog followers.  Of course, I didn't realise at the time that she had a billion IG followers :)





Usually, I look at what Lindsey does and just sigh, knowing I'll never be able to replicate.  The one area we do have in common though is a love of floral manis, and whilst mine if nowhere is near as complex as hers, it will hopefully make you smile :)




All the polishes in this mani are from the OPI Brazil collection, with Don't Bossa Nova Me Around on base.    Then we have - 
* yellow - I Just Can't Cope-acabana
* light orange - Where Did Suzi's Man-go
* pink - Kiss Me I'm Brazilian
* coral - Live.Love.Carnaval.




All the flowers were done with a medium sized dotting tool.  I created the 4 petals first, and then added the yellow centre afterwards.




Perfectly summery :)   Thanks for having me xx



Wednesday, 28 May 2014

OPI Brazil - Lotsa Dots

Hi Goddesses



I love the OPI Brazil Collection, well, at least this half of it.  I also like the taupes, but these, the fruity brights, these are pure happiness for me, hence the run of 5 manis you're seeing.




Dots is always fun, and I thought these colours might look good chaotic and layered on top of each other.




The base is OPI Don't Bossa Nova Me Around, and then we have identical sized dots in each the following -
I Just Can't Cope-acabana
 Where Did Suzi's Man-go?
Kiss Me I'm Brazilian
Toucan Do It If You Try
Live.Love.Carnaval.




No great secret to this type of dotting, just don't be afraid to be critical at the end and admit it needs one more pink dot ...... juuuuuuust ...... there.




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