Christmas Party Manicure

Last year I went to a Christmas party and did this manicure for it. I've discovered that I have taken many, many photos of manis over the past few years that I have never actually blogged. I've been sharing some of them earlier this year in October but thought I'd show another one today. It's really interesting going back and seeing what type of manicures and techniques I previously did and how I've improved so much. Not only in my skills for nail art, but also in taking photos of it.

This manicure is so dark in the photos and I waited a few days to take the photos of it (as evidenced by the tip wear...). I can also see the difference between this photo and how using nail oil has really helped around the cuticles. They look so dry here, but now they are so much better and healthier. (I've been using Bliss Kiss for about a year now).

I started with a base of Funky Fingers Ectoplasmic and then tried my hand at a few decals. I used Il Etait un Vernis Paint It Black, Konad Green, and Funky Fingers Gesso. I made decals for the bell and champagne glasses coloring them in with silver polish and red Sharpie markers.

Plates used are as follows:
-Dashica SdP 24 (Holly Berries)
-Dashica SdP 14 (Champagne Glasses, Bells)

(Since this is from last year I'm not sure which plate the large bell is from. One thing that I've learned is that I really need to write down what I'm using so when I post I can let everyone know. Also, I might want to recreate something or use an image again.)

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What do you think? How have you grown in your nail art over the past year?

The Fair: My First Attempt at Stamping Decals and Tips to Help YOU!

A few years ago I went to the Fredericksburg Agricultural Fair to film an episode for my show, Out & About in Central Virginia. I wanted my nails to match the theme of the episode, which was filming at the newly opened museum right on the fairgrounds.

I found some images from the Cheeky Jumbo stamping plates that fit the theme. The above hot air balloons, some horses (Fredericksburg used to have horse racing as part of the fair), music notes to signify the parade that used to go through the historic downtown area (I was even told that the entire city used to have off school to go to the fair), flags, and ice cream cones.

I used a plethora of colors including Il Etait un Vernis Paint it Black to stamp. Since this was my first attempt at the decals, you can tell how rough the final product was. The images weren't long enough for my nails so there is space leftover at the bottom.

I learned a lot doing this manicure. If you look at the image above you can see how the decal sticks out from the nails a bit in places and didn't lay flat. I've since learned the trick is to get it all wet again while applying it on the nails with top coat. This allows the image to "relax" and be able to smooth out a lot more. I also learned that you should try to trim it as close as possible to your nail size BEFORE placing it on the nail. If you don't it can also lead to the image sticking up at the corners and ends as you can see on the hot air balloon nail.

Once you put the decal on, you should also put a coat of top coat over it again to help even out the final product. It can appear lumpy if you don't do this as the nail picture above shows. You can smooth it out just with your finger or even using a stamper head to help get in all the corners.

This last photo shows what happens when you don't cut the image before putting it on the nail. As I was trying to smooth it out and push the image into the corners it ended up ripping part of it off and my attempt to put it back together cause the image to be distorted. It also ripped off a bit on the bottom leaving that area of the nail blank.

I'm come along way since then but still need to remember these tips each time I prep for a decal manicure. Have you done decal stamping yet? What tips do you have to share?

Tutorial: Galaxy Manicure Featuring Mr. Spock

I've always wanted to try a galaxy manicure. They are just so beautiful! I figured it might be hard or too complicated, so that is what took me so long. But, they are actually  really easy and a lot of fun. I also did a video tutorial of this manicure so everyone can see how easy they are to do.

I used a lot of different polishes for this manicure. I started off with Il Etait Un Vernis Paint it Black as a base for all my nails and then added Il Etait Un Vernis Light Box. I made the different stars, planets, etc with those glow in the dark pumpkin polishes you find at Rite Aid around Halloween time. (you can see them in the background of the photo). I used Sugar Bubbles SB14 for the stamping of the shield and Mr Spock from Star Trek. I made stamping decals of each and colored them in and then put them on my nails. You can see all the details and step by step in the video below.

What do you think? Have you ever tried a galaxy manicure?