Rainbow Leopard Print

Another one taken from Sharmadean Reid’s The WAH Nails Book of Nail Art, which I absolutely LOVELOVELOVE. The designs are so exciting and fresh, with classics livened up and bright new designs ready to go.

I mixed this one up a bit by using different colours, and it’s quite a fun design so I’ll definitely be experimenting with it in the future. I’m trying to take more pictures of the process to properly illustrate what I’m doing, but I might have gone a bit overboard this time!

  

Equipment

- 5 brightly coloured nail polishes

- White nail polish

- Black nail art pen

- Clear top coat

My Technique

I started off with a 5 different base colours, a pink, blue, yellow, green and red combination, and gave a double layer base coat to each nail. It’s important to give a strong base with this, especially if you’re going for brighter colour pops.

I used an ordinary white nail polish to add in  various splodges and marks. They don’t have to be neat or even, in fact the messier it looks at first the more interesting it will be at the end. Be careful not to overload the nails too much though, as you still want the colour peeking through.

Once dry, I used a black nail art pen to add in outlining around the edges of the white, and extra spots in the empty spaces. With the outlining, try dabbing with the pen to create a more uneven edge for some of the white spots and mix it up with even lines as well.

It does take a little bit of patience to wait for everything to dry, but after a top coat to finish it is so worth it!

 Alternative Techniques and Styles

I would recommend using a nail polish brush for the white dabs rather than a pen, as it’s easier to play around with size and style and you don’t have to worry about too much thickness across your nails.

After using different base colours, I’d definitely like to try out different colour pens for outlining as well. It’s such a simple design that you can really go wild with it!

~ HS

POW Nails

These are taken from a wicked Nail Art book a friend bought me for Christmas, The WAH Nails Book of Nail Art by Sharmadean Reid. 

It’s a brilliant book full of new and interesting designs as well as takes on some of the classics. This one is one of my favourites so I had to try it out first! I’m sure I’ll be posting plenty of others soon.

Equipment

- Base coat
- 5 different coloured nail polishes
- White nail polish
- White nail art pen
- Black nail art pen
- Clear top coat

My Technique

I started with giving my nails a good pampering, because they haven’t had one for a while, and it’s important to treat them nicely. I took off all remnants of old nail polish, and then gave them a good file and buff to get them in nice shape as a decent base.

I then slicked on a plain base coat for added protection.

I chose five different colours (purple, red, yellow, blue and green) and coloured and gave two coats to each nail to get an even colour.

Once completely dry, I used a plain white and coloured random corners and edges of each nail.

Using a white nail art pen, I fanned out the edges to give an explosion look to each.

Once dry, I added in the lettering and black outline with a black nail pen and added the polka dots with my white pen.

And once everything had dried off, I added a clear top coat to finish.

 Alternative Techniques and Styles

Of course there’s all sorts of colours you could use, and lettering as well. I went with comic-strip words such as ‘POW’, ‘BAM’ and ‘ZAP’, but you can add in whatever you like to make it your look.

One thing I would suggest is using specific nail pens. Unless you’re a dab hand at another technique that produces the same results, it was tricky enough to get this right with pens, so I would advise using appropriate tools.

These are fun and a bit different, and I’ve already had quite a few compliments on them tonight!

~ HS

The Disastrous Nail Wrap Affair

With the recent trend of nail wraps and stickers, I decided to give it a go. My experience was not the best, but I would be tempted to try again before condemning them completely.

 

Equipment

- Nail wrap stickers
- Tweezers
- Hair dryer
- Lots of nail polish remover!

My Technique

The packet instructed me to clean my hands and nails first, freeing them of any polish, which I did.

I then had to peel away the stickers and apply to my nails. Sounds simple enough, right? These were very sticky and I managed to transfer the glue from them all over the place, before managing to get them in the right position on my nails. (Tweezers I soon found were essential for this task.)

The next step was to heat with a hair dryer for 20 – 30 seconds. Now, the only setting I found I could use for 20 – 30 seconds on my fingers was the cold setting. I tried warmer ones, but the burning just wasn’t worth it, so these were not treated to heating they required. Another downfall.

The final step was to simply file off the edges of each wrap to fit with the edge of my nail. 

No. 

Not simply. 

The edges came away all over the place, most definitely not in line with nails. Some I could get away with by filing my own nails down to match, but some that had torn at bizarre angles meant I was left with gaping holes where the wrap should have covered.

Deciding to put it down to a bad job and simply enjoy the coverage I did have, I let them be for a while. Within minutes, the edges started peeling away all around most nails, making my nails and hands feel uncomfortable and awkward.

Exasperated, I decided to give up and remove them all, only to find a thick, gluey residue left across my nails that could only be removed through liberal applications of nail polish remover.

Not a success in the slightest.

 Alternative Techniques and Styles

Maybe a different brand would work, I’m not sure. I’m reluctant to criticize all wraps entirely, perhaps this was just a bad experience.

But for the price they are and the single-use disposability, I’d say it’s easier, less time consuming and better value to invest in some good nail polish and have your nails looking nice the way you want them.

~ HS

Black and White Bows

I put these together in a bit of a rush as something a bit more interesting to go with a funeral outfit. My shirt was white with black bows printed on it, so I attempted nails to match. These were not really what I was aiming for, and you can see from the edges that I didn’t have time to finish them properly.

Equipment

- White nail polish
- Black nail polish
- White nail art pen
- Black nail art pen
- Clear top coat

My Technique

These started as plain white base coats, with a black base on each ring finger.

Once dry, I used pens to add small bow details to each, and then finished with a top coat.

It was difficult to get the bows to look like bows, and my mother kindly commented that they looked more like flies.

 Alternative Techniques and Styles

If I was to do this again I would probably go with bigger bows, possible one per nail. And a colour injection would be nice.

~ HS

2012 Fantastic

With 2012 being a great year to be proud to be British, this was certainly fitting! Nails for any patriotic occasion, from the Olympics to the Jubilee, Eurovision to (a personal favourite) the Great British Bake-Off.

Equipment

- White nail polish/white base coat
- Red striper
- Red nail art pen
- Blue nail art pen
- Clear top coat

My Technique

I started with a plain white as a base coat. As it was summer when I did these, I wanted to give them a lighter colour than the darker blue of the Union Jack.

I then used a red striper to create the cross down the middle of each nail.

Once dry, I used a pen to add in the red diagonals, and then a blue pen to finish the corners.

After a top coat to finish, these are nails that definitely stand out!

 Alternative Techniques and Styles

The nice thing about this style is that it can suit nails of any length. There aren’t too many designs out there that can be applied to short nails, but this is simple and effective enough to work on all hands, British or not!

You can also try starting with a blue base coat rather than white, and then adding the white details around each red line with a pen. Either way, you’ll get a similar result.

I’d be interested to try other flags for my nails. I might wait to see which country I end up supporting at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

~ HS

Summer Paradise

This was a nice one to get through those cold, damp, winter months! A bit more detailed than usual, but you can see where the inspiration for Beach Waves came from. Only attempt if you have plenty of time.

Equipment

- White nail polish/white base coat
- Sunset coloured striper brushes (red, pink, orange, yellow)
- Brown/Sand coloured nail polish
- Blue nail polish
- Blue nail art pen
- White nail art pen
- Black nail art pen
- Clear top coat

My Technique

I started with a plain white base rather than a clear base coat, as I was expecting a lot of colour and layers.

I then used striping brushed to create the sunset background on top of the white. This base really brings out the strong colours. I used a red into pink into yellow into white combination, but any appropriate colours can of course be used.

Once thoroughly dry, and this did take a while (and patience), I used a blue to add in the sea detail across the bottom of a few nails, and a brown for the sand-based nails. I then used a pen in a similar blue to add curves to the larger waves, and a white pen to add further detail.

Again, after waiting to dry, I used a black pen to create beach-themed silhouettes. These included palm trees, hammocks, boats and birds. It was difficult to get the look exactly as I wanted, as mistakes would cost a lot of time, with an entire nail needing to be started again from scratch.

Finally, a top coat to cover and protect.

 Alternative Techniques and Styles

This was my first and only attempt at ombre nails so far. I think I’m going to have to invest in sponges or something similar if I’m going to try again, but it can be done with pens. It just takes a long time and a lot of patience.

There are all sorts of scenes you can put into your summer paradise. Let me know what ideas you have. Let your imagination and dreams of holidays run wild!

~ HS

Hogwarts Houses – Hufflepuff Corners

In homage to Hufflepuff, this is quite a cool design that can be worn without affiliation to Harry Potter and still looks just as good.

My Technique

A base coat followed by alternate black and yellow fingers to begin with.

Using nail polish remover and some decent cotton wool pads, I folded each circle into quarters to give a solid line and then removed the top corner of each nail.

Then, using the alterative paint to the main colour of each, I filled in the corners.

This does take a bit of a steady hand, but shouldn’t take too long to do.

Alternative Techniques and Styles

Once again, there are so many styles you can try out with this. I particularly like the alternating colours of this one. I’m thinking of trying out a similar style with non-matching colours across each nail, to bring a bit of vibrancy to 2013!

Here’s another few I tried out, with Slytherin green and silver, also blues and greens – a good one for autumn, and a Gryffindor themed style using vertical stripes rather than diagonals. 

There’s so much you can do with this simple style.

~ HS

Beach Waves

This one is quite simple and all about experimentation. I took a few goes at this before photographing, but I’m not sure it’s exactly as I’d like. I might try it again some time soon and post the results.

My Technique

This one has no base colour, so just a simple base coat to begin with. This also makes it easier if you decide to start over.

I chose a light blue and made a sweep across each nail, not worrying too much about the tip of the curve as this can be added with later detail. The same can be said for the overall shape.

After that, it was literally a case of choosing appropriate colours in both pens and ordinary nail polish and adding flecks and splashes of colour here and there until it looked exactly as I wanted.

I went with light blues, dark blues, greens and whites to give that surf-y sea foam look, before finishing off with a top coat.

Alternative Techniques and Styles

The beauty of this one is that you can literally just keep adding to it to get the look you like. Of course there is a limit - remember that more detail means the paint gets thicker and takes longer to dry.

You can try all sorts of colours with this. Try adding pinks and yellows to give a sunset feel to the waves.

~ HS

Strawberry Fair

This was one I put together for the summer. We didn't get to the Strawberry Fair in the end, but my nails sure looked nice! This is definitely one that needs pens or a dotting tool of some kind.

My Technique

I began by painting a base coat, then covering with a pale mint green.

Once dry, I added dabs of red with an ordinary nail varnish brush. This gave better opportunity for different sizes and shapes of strawberry.

I then added the vines, as well as leaf detail to the tops of the strawberries, before finishing with small white dots to make them look good enough to eat!

The whole look was finished off with a top coat for protection.

Alternative Techniques and Styles

Different backgrounds can be used – I went with green this time, but other pales and pastels can be used. If it’s too vibrant you begin to lose the effect of the strawberries.

Other tools can be used to add the detail of course, I tend to favour pens.

You could try other fruit or even vegetables, for a seasonal look all year round!

~ HS

Welcome to 2013!

I apologise for my prolonged absence!

Sadly, my art was very limited for a time due to a new job handling food. But now said job has changed, I can have my nails painted once again, so look for some fun DIY designs coming your way for 2013!

And a Happy New Year!