40 Great Nail Art ideas - Hobbies

Hi Goddesses

Gah, today is such an exciting day !!!!!! Like, t-shirt over the head, run around the room like a crazy chicken kind of exciting !    Today sees the launch of the new challenge from Crumpet's Nail Tarts- this one is called 40 Great Nail Art Ideas.

I've been creating challenges for a couple of years now, and it's great seeing the random interpretations and inspirations for a theme.  But what about you, as a reader, as someone who paints their nails - wouldn't it be great to have them grouped together?  By theme or by pattern?  Available as one huge collage?  Located on Pinterest?

So here you have it - 40 Great Nail Art Ideas.  It's actually 2 challenges merged into one.  Every other week we're going to be doing nail art themes - today's is hobbies.  On the OTHER weeks, we're going to be doing colours and patterns, and each of us will be doing a different pattern.  Make sure you tune in next week for that one.

So this week is Hobbies.   I probably would have done an awesome book mani for today, but I did that just last week for the Digit-al Dozen, so I decided to turn to my other obsession - Netflix.    Netflix has changed my life.   I'm an all or nothing girl, so I love the binge-viewing aspect to Netflix, and I also love that they are creating some of the best new shows around - Orange Is The New Black, Better Call Saul.

For my mani, I used Right Said Red by Sally Hansen as base, and acrylics for the rest.    I love my little retro TV.  Beth, bless her, first saw it sideways and asked if I'd done a wonky penguin .... kids.

If you want to follow us, you can find our Pinterest Board here - all the members will also be sharing the collages on IG and Facebook with the above hashtags.   I hope you enjoy and find it as useful as we're finding it fun !!

An InLinkz Link-up

Summer Challenge Day 34 - Bastille Day

Hi Goddesses

Bonjour, et vive La France!

It's Bastille Day today in France, a day that is as significant as July 4th is for Americans, and as France's colours are also red, white and blue, I went with an idea I'd been toying with for my Independence Day nails.

This is super simple, but still packs a little bit of punch.  Red, white and blue nails, with red, white and blue glitter, making sure you never put the same coloured glitter over the same coloured base.   So, if your nail is blue, it can't have blue glitter on it and so on.

As I did this a few weeks ago and forgot to write the colours down, I'm a little hazy on the base polishes, but I'd bet tonight's Chinese takeaway that it was SH White On SH Right Said Red and CG Blue Year's Eve.

The glitters were Nubar White Polka Dot, LA Girl Glitter Addict in Animate and LA Girl Glitter Addict in Aqueous, which in hindsight was too pale - I think I'd have been better off going for a darker blue than such a bright blue.

Glittered skittles are so easy, and also so summery.  If you're stuck for mani inspiration, pick some brights for your nails and then stick a great glitter on top.   You won't regret it.

Enjoy xx :)

Summer Challenge - Independence Day

Hi Goddesses

And a special Helloooooo to all my American readers and friends - I hope you've all had a great day today.

Behind what I hope you might think is an awesome mani is a tale of hardship and woe.  I did these nails at the end of May, and the technique I used was supposed to be the centrepiece of Celebration 500.  However, with 89 other blog posts to prepare last month, I lost steam, and my "big wow" never made it to the stage.

So today, I'm going to share these nails with you, but try to avoid discussing the technique, and then at the weekend, or next week, I'll do the whole "how to" piece, because how I built these nails is really interesting.  (Well, to me lol, but I would say that because I was ooohing and aaaahing to myself as I did them).

Basically, this mani is 3 layers of polish - SH White On (2 coats + top coat), then a layer of red (almost certainly SH Right Said Fred) and then a layer of blue, which I think is a Rimmel blue called My Denim (which is not deminy at all, but a bright blue).

Once I did the secret jiggery pokery magicalooza, I then stamped over my nails using Konad white, and the star on BM06.   It's the first time I've deliberately stamped off centre, and I really liked how it added to the overall effect.

So yes, colour me chuffed :)  Distressed, shabby, grungey - whatever you want to call them, I like.   I'll try to get the Anatomy of a Mani post up as soon as I can.

Enjoy xx :)

Stamping Sunday - Gothic Nails !

Hi Goddesses and especially Emily

Today's Adventures In Stamping theme is one our dear friend Emily has been waiting for for the longest time - Goth!   Any mani with a bat or a skull, and Emily's there, and she was gutted a couple of weeks ago when Goth was the narrow loser.

So, with Goth now being the winner, all week we've been picking Emily's bat-winged brain to find out what a stamping-loving Goth would wear :)

I knew black would be in there somewhere, and skulls was the only image plate I could think of to use.  It was also quite a late decision to add in some blood (who, meeeee) and well ... this did not end up how I intended, but in a good way I think.

I was actually extremely lazy with this and painted the black base on top of ANOTHER mani I had just done in black and white.  I then decided to splatter on some red (SH Right Said Red).   Then one of those lovely accidents.  As I was cleaning up my "blood" I accidentally rubbed off some of the black, revealing part of the black and white underwear.  

And an idea was born.   I kept washing some of the layers away to create a 3-coloured dappled effect.   What I liked (but didn't expect) was that because the base was black with a white pattern, rubbing away the black top coat only revealed random patches of white - all the more interesting.

I then stamped using Barry M Silver Foil and Mash29 and .... yes, it just soooo needed some matte top coat.

Et voila.  It DOES look grungey and dirty .... whether it's a success or not will be decided by one woman.   More than anything though, this reminds me of the Return Of The King, when all the dead kings return to help Viggo Mortensen.  Mmmmm, he was yummy.

Enjoy xx :)

Tulips

Hi Goddesses

Ever since I wrote this challenge, I knew what my tulips mani would be - big, bold and red, with a splashed black heart, and maybe a little bit of yellow pollen.   Yeh, this isn't that mani.

I've learnt that my inability to draw / paint comes from an inability to recreate what's in my mind.  Although I'm a visual person, I can only draw if I'm looking at the shape / pattern I need.  If I just wing it and go, it doesn't work.   So usually I load up Google images and click away, and this time something unusual caught my eye - this.

This isn't at all what I planned to do, but I liked that it was different, and there was a chance no-one else would do it.   It's been quite amusing how some days, all of us in the challenge have essentially done the same mani - well, maybe not today.

This mani has 2 levels to it, and I have kicked myself for not taking a photo at the half way point.   The first level was this - 2 coats of OPI Stranger Tides, then top coat.   Then a water colour mani in vertical strokes using Barielle Polished Princess - a metallic medium green.  Unfortunately, this was too light on its own, so to better get the colour of the stalks I also added vertical washing with Essie School of Hard Rocks.  (Watercolour mani is when you add drops of the colour to your nail, then smear it around using an acetone-dipped art brush; it's VERY effective).

Once dry, I added my tulips.  To be honest, the shape of them kind of sucks.  They're not very bulb shaped, and I'm going to blame that on my left hand.  I used SH Right Said Red, CG Its Poppin', CG Papaya Punch, and a purple spectraflair franken I made.

Overall, I LOVE the effect.  Can you tell they're tulips ?  No, not really, but I still love it.  I also love that you can just about see some of the green wash between the flashes of colour.

There's something really bright and happy about this mani.  It's practically effortless, and it falls into my favourite category - artfully disguised mess.

Enjoy xx :)

China Glaze Dreamsicle - Part 2

Hi Goddesses

aka, Elizabeth, look away now !!!

Lol.  I mentioned in the Blood Oranges post, that my good friend Elizabeth despised me for what I did to one of her all-time favourite polishes.  Not only did I add a red gradient to it with SH Right Said Red, but I also added purple crackle, and if there's one thing Elizabeth hates, it's purple (really, it's a miracle we get on so well!)

The purple is Barry M's Purple Rain which is possibly my favourite crackle that I own.  I love how it shatters, in nice big spaced out chunks, but what I love most is that it dries with this amazing dusty finish, as if it would all disappear if you blew on it.

Of course, you can add a top coat and shine it up a little, but unusually for me, I love this dusty, talcy quality, especially when it contrasts so well with the base polish..

So this was 2 coats of Dreamsicle, the Right Said Red sponged gradient, and then 1 thick coat of Purple Rain.  I absolutely LOVED this.  There was something obnoxious about it that just made me smile, and even though it should all clash and look terribly wrong, there's something about it that's just soooooo right :)

Elizabeth hates it, of course, but d'you know what ..... I don't care :)   I loves it  :)

Enjoy xx :)

China Glaze Dreamsicle - Blood Oranges

Hi Goddesses

So, somewhere along the way, along with my sudden adoration of things blue, I have become a bit of an orange whore too.  I don't know whether it's happened as an antidote to winter, or whether the oranges have just really upped their game, but yes, I am liking de orange.

My cocktail buddy Elizabeth is an orange afficionado, and recommended Dreamsicle to me.  To be fair, it is pretty amazing.  A lush bright orange filled with glitter and holographic particles - sensational.  It's bursting with life and happiness, makes me smile and is just scrumptious.

Now, it's also because of dear said cocktail buddy that this post is in 2 halves.  Despite being one of my besties, dear Elizabeth remains stubbornly allergic to purple, and has called me heinous names for what I did to this polish .... so for now, let's just look at my blood orange gradient :)

After 2 coats of Dreamsicle I decided I wanted red tips and used SH Right Said Red - a lovely bright red.   I sponged using a holey sponge, and it wasn't til I'd gotten to the last nails that I really got it right.   If your gradients aren't coming out right, learn from me - the less you have on your sponge, the better.

I absolutely loved how this looked at the halfway stage, and the 2 colours melded together beautifully.  I love that there's enough dazzle in the Dreamsicle that it peaks through the red too - yummylicious!

Also, how SUGARY does Dreamsicle look ?  I just love how it's overloaded with glitter, and it also reminds me a little of how an ordinary orange looks with CG Snow Globe over it.

So begrudgingly, hat doffed to the orange woman in Florida - I love her dearly, but maaaaaaan she's going to get big headed after this :)






Enjoy xx :)