Nail Art: #31DC2014 Day 7 Black & White

For the daily nail art challenge, today's prompt was black and white! I was really excited about this one because the colors are so simple (not really colors at all). I feel like with the absence of color  I could focus more on the design. I ended up doing a dry marble which has been somewhat difficult for me in the past. I only recently figured out that using a nail art brush is much easier than a toothpick, I don't know why that realization took me so long! The black I used is discontinued: Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro, but the 60 Second line they have now is also great. I used a Pure Ice white. You could use any black and white. I have a ton in my collection and rotate them based on what I am using them for. 

Born Pretty Store Review: Nail Stamp Plate QA 90

Press Sample

I have another Born Pretty Store review for you today! The Born Pretty Store has tons of nail stamping plates. One of which I bought myself and shared in my Turquoise Stamping post. I decided to try QA90, which has this interesting spike design along with some other interesting elements. I really liked the look of that spike design, but I ended up using the filigree look for today's mani. I used a base color of Sephora Formula X in Zing and stamped with Sally Hansen White On. In the last photo I used Mentality Pop as a base and Wet 'n' Wild Black Creme for stamping.

Nail Art: Chevrons with Street Art and Nail Studs

I have a fun and different (for me) combination to share today! I'm finding that I don't actually own that many glitter polishes, but when I saw the unique Maybelline Color Show Street Art collection, this blue and black glitter combo caught my eye. It is called Nighttime Noise. I wanted to showcase it in this mani. I started with a white base, I used Pure Ice Superstar here and on my pointer and pinky fingers added triangle shaped studs from the Born Pretty Store (use my code: HANDX31 for 10% off). I then used Nail Vinyls and painted Sinful Colors Black on Black on my thumb, middle, and ring fingers. 

Nail Art: Fourth of July Designs

Patriotic nails galore! I have been seeing a ton of patriotic nails for the Fourth of July and I am going to add mine in as well. I did one yesterday that I loved, but wasn't overtly patriotic. These today are meant for Independence Day. I used the same red, white and blue for all of these designs. I used Ruffian: Ruffian Red for the red which is exclusively sold at Birchbox. I actually have the classic colors set (along with some others), but it doesn't appear to be available at the moment. For the blue, I used Sinful Colors Into the Blue, which is amazing! It really is a perfect navy blue. It has a weird scent, but the coverage and gorgeous color help me get over the scent. For the white, I have actually been liking my China Glaze White On White. I know in the past I have said I don't like it, but something about it has changed my mind. It is a little thinner than other whites I have, maybe in the warm weather, it has thickened slightly and now I love it. I love how I have a range of drugstore to high end brands here! 

Nail Art: Sideways Moons

Sideways moons? I'm sure you have heard of half moon manis, but sideways moons? I'n not sure is it an appropriate name, but that is what I am going with here. I just thought of these one night and decided to see what they would look like. I started with a base of China Glaze White On White and carefully freehand painted Pelican Gray on the side of the nail in a somewhat curved shape. Then I painted Wet n Wild Black Creme over the grey in a similar arc shape. I then added some acrylic nail studs from the Born Pretty Store (Use code: HANDX31 for 10% off). 

Swatch and Review of OPI Moon over Mumbai

Today I have an older polish, not old to me, but it was released quite a while ago. Today I have OPI Moon Over Mumbai, which is from the 2008 Spring India Collection. I have another from that collection (Black Cherry Chutney) and had seen swatches of this on other blogs, so when I saw it on sale at Ulta, I had to grab it. It is a greyed out white with an iridescent finish. I thought it would be a prefect neutral for work events. I decided to sport these for a business meeting, and I think they worked nicely for that.

Swatch and Review of Esmaltes da Kelly Paula and Giovana

Today I have two indie polishes to share with you all! I have never tried nor heard of this brand before Llarowe had a sale, so I figured it was my chance! I have Paula, a white base with black, red and yellow glitters and Giovana, a blue base with navy blue glitters. Paula is up first: 

Comparison: Which White?

As you know, black and white are pretty much staples in any nail art lover's stash. I have recently been trying to find the best white of them all. I only have five to share with you today, but I figure that is a good start. The biggest problem I find with white polish is that it gets terribly streaky. When you use white as a base for nail art, you don't want tons of layers before you even start your nail art! I decided to try this over the last design I had on, so see more easily the contrast. I used (Left to Right) Sinful Colors: Snow Me White, Sally Hansen: White On, NYC: French White Tip, China Glaze: White On White, and OPI: Alpine Snow.

One Coat

Above I have a picture of just one coat on each nail and however many coats were needed to achieve opacity. Starting out, Sally Hansen White On was my favorite, and I think it still out performs all the others. It has the easiest formula to work with (a bit thicker than I like, but still the easiest) and it has the best opacity with no streaks. Sinful Colors Snow Me White is one that I have had forever, it also covers very well with only two coats and is a bargain at only $1.99. I would choose this as my backup because of the formula. It is a little runny, making it a little messier. OPI Alpine Snow has been acclaimed by many as their favorite white of all time, but I have to disagree. I only own the mini, so maybe the regular size is different, but I found this to not give great coverage. It has a tendency to streak and not self level, which creates a lumpy surface. I only applied two coats in the photos, but I probably would have applied three if I was using the white for a nail art design. NYC actually was surprisingly easy to work with. I have a distant memory about having a really difficult time with this polish, but maybe it was in the warmer months. This time, it seemed to apply well but didn't give as good of coverage as others. China Glaze...what do I say about White on White? Clearly from the first photo, it has the least coverage of all. I was so disappointed with this polish. I had such high hopes! I think I actually would have applied 4 coats if this were for a design. If my polish has such little coverage, I expect it to be a jelly with a gorgeous squishiness, but this was so streaky! Overall Sally Hansen White On takes it with the best coverage and formula. China Glaze was the big disappointment. I wish I could say better things about it. I would really like to know if the full size Alpine Snow is better than the mini, and if so, why would the quality of the mini be any less acceptable than the full size? Whew, I think this was the most I have written in a while, but I hope it was helpful! I may have a part two if I collect more white polishes soon! Thanks for reading and stay warm out there!

Swatch and Review of Sephora by OPI: The Way Tutu His Heart

With the discontinuation of Sephora by OPI, I now have a stockpile of it. There were too many good sales for me to let the deal go by, but now I am teasing you with discontinued polish just forewarning you. I have SOPI The Way Tutu His Heart, which appeared to be a milky white with a sheer finish online, however in real life it is a pinky-white with an opaque finish. This polish reminds me of a white that just got a tiny drop of color.I applied four coats to get this look.

As I was painting my nails I noticed a striking resemblance to Essie Fiji- which I adore. So, I thought I would do a comparison. Below I have Essie Fiji on my pointer and ring fingers and SOPI on my middle and pinky fingers.

 

These two are really similar! I can barely notice a difference in real life, I wouldn't say these are dead on dupes, but they are so close I wouldn't buy both. I prefer Essie to the SOPI. The Way Tutu His Heart had such great prospects, but it was really streaky. Not the endearing- we'll get there- streaky, but the -I hate this polish- streaky. I thought I could get away with three coats, but there was just a streak here or there that drove me crazy. I would actually be really upset if I spent the full amount on this polish, but I got it for $3, so I can't complain. Since it is discontinued, Essie is a great option. Essie is one of those- we'll get there - streaky polishes. The first coat is not pretty but a thicker second coat does it. I added a third coat here just for extra coverage. I do love the color of both, even though it wasn't as sheer as I had hoped, The Way Tutu His Heart is a lovely soft shade that I know will go with anything. Thanks for reading!

Nail Art: Patriotic Nail Designs!

Tomorrow is the Fourth of July!! Independence day kinda snuck up on me there. I love how festive things are for the fourth. BBQs, camping, fireworks and parades are just a few things that always remind me of the fourth of July. For the occasion, I thought I would share some red, white and blue inspired nail art!

Water Marble

Glitter Gradient and Doticure

Simple Flag Design

First up is the water marble design. Water marbling is hard work! I haven't mastered the art yet, but I'm trying. You can find lots of tutorials on YouTube, but it really takes practice. I find that you really have to find thin polishes that separate immediately, if not, it won't work. I use regular tap water, but I try to use colder water. After I water marbled my nails, I just added some contrasting dots. I really love the dotted effect. 

This is what the water marble looks like before you dip your finger.

Next up is a crazy design that uses a couple different techniques and looks great! I painted my nails blue with white accent nails. On the blue ones I added a glitter gradient just using the brush, no special tools. After that, I just added a ton of dots on the white nails.

Last but not least, I have a very simple American Flag design. This was inspired by Miss Jen Fabulous on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaTEKSqPBpk. As you can see, she definitely inspires me!! I just used regular tape to make the stripes, freehand painted the blue and used a dotting tool for the "stars".

These are the colors used for all designs. From left to right: Essie "Head Mistress", NYC "French White Tip" (really clever name...), Pure Ice "Celestial". The red photographed a little strange in some of these photos, but I really love the tone of this red. 

This was really fun for me. I love themed nail art! Well, I love all nail art, but I especially love themed nail art and I love America! I hope you all get to try some patriotic nail art. It is a very small way to show pride in the USA. Thanks for reading!!