Argyle and newsprint!

I'm not feeling too wordy tonight, so without further ado, here are my two most recent designs!

Argyle print! I personally love most prints, except maybe paisley...but I'm especially a fan of houndstooth and argyle. I had seen some argyle nails online but didn't think I could pull it off...seemed too hard. But I saw one called "big argyle" that seemed more doable. I used tape to make the four diamonds with (relatively) straight lines, and then I crisscrossed over those with a white nail art pen. I ended up really liking this - yes, I know my lines aren't perfectly straight or even and it's sloppy in some places but for a first attempt, I'm happy.

Another shot, without flash. By the way, I think part of my shakiness is because I finished this up at about 7 am. I was so thrown off by working midnights that on my nights off I just stayed awake and did nail stuff. Early in the mornings, right before I went to bed, I was somewhat wobbly and I think I'd do better if I were more awake!

And my most recent design - I did this last night!! I LOVE it.

Finally,  my first ever attempt at newsprint nails! I tried it once before, but failed miserably because I tried using nail polish remover and not alcohol. I think I just didn't read the tutorial all the way through, haha. I originally got this idea from my boyfriend's mom and I finally tried it out last night because I needed something that was fun yet professional for a job interview I had today! This was also the first manicure where I tried the acetone/paintbrush cleanup technique for around the cuticles that I saw on The Nailasaurus. It worked great! I've never had such clean lines around the nail. Too bad my cuticles are horrible. Stress will do that to ya. Anyway, above is my left hand and the hand I did first, so the letters aren't as crisp or clear.

By my second hand, I had learned to soak the nail longer and press down the newspaper longer and harder, so they came out much clearer. Well, I don't know if it was my great nails or not, but I got the job!!! Imagine that, I search for jobs for months - NOTHING - until now and I'm getting offers left and right and unfortunately have to narrow it down between jobs that all sound great. The final verdict is I've accepted one part-time job as a Job Coach, and one part-time job as a Crisis Support Specialist at the YWCA, and I think (I hope!) I'm going to love them both. :] Anyway, my newsprint nails died today as I was cleaning out bottles for frankening and the acetone ate them up. I need to pick up another paper and then I'm going to redo them tomorrow! That's all for now, hope everyone's Memorial Day was fun and relaxing!


Kelly

Update! Some new designs :]

My first attempt at water marbling did not go well AT ALL. I got so angry and frustrated and almost gave up altogether! I ended up taking it all off and trying again, and the second time it worked better but I still don't love it at all. I think it's mostly that I didn't use a base color, I just used clear base coat, so that would probably help alot. I used a black, pink and blue and I think without a base color the black just ended up looking grey. These are still not totally cleaned up, even though I used tape, but I figured I'd put it up anyway. I like how a couple of them turned out, but definitely would need more practice - if I can find the patience.

I also wanted to practice some designs on some artificial nails since I had some time this weekend. Well, I made some time - I really should be studying for a final and writing a take home final that are happening this week but I wanted some stress relief instead. So, here are some things I came up with!

My FA at argyle sucked. I've practiced a bit and improved a little since I did this, but I do like the colors so I thought I"d put it up anyway. I just need to make cleaner angles with the diamonds and criss-cross the x's a bit more. By the time I got to the pinky I just didn't care anymore :p
Then at the bottom, I tried a few things I've seen online in my searches. First is an attempt at plaid - I kind of like it, though it will need some cleaning up with practice. The second is just a two-tone with a dotting pattern (used a toothpick). Lastly I decided to attempt the feather-y design I saw done by the lovely Theodora (I hope she doesn't mind I tested it out)! Overall, I like how it came out but hers was much better!

Here I made a bug set! I've seen various bug-related designs while Googling, so I decided to put some together and make a set. I did a ladybug, a bee, a butterfly wing, an interpretation of the color of a beetle I saw online (it's an iridescent greenish purpleish that doesn't translate well in pictures), and a black widow (a sparkly dark red hourglass on a black background). Overall I really like them. I think my butterfly wing has improved a TON since the last one so hopefully I will just keep getting better :]

And, last but not least, my little shoes! I'm honestly not sure where I saw this idea, cause I've come across it several times, but I really really like it. I think they're adorable and the colors can really be played around with to fit any season, mood, etc. I felt like being bright and summery for mine! And I'm too lazy right now to list all the colors I used in the above posts, etc but if anyone is curious just ask!


So that's all for now - I finish up with finals on Wednesday and only have about a week and a half of work left so should have a bit more free time in the near future - hopefully that means I will be able to try some new techniques! I bought some new brushes today and I've been wanting to try a galaxy manicure so stay tuned for updates. Thanks for reading :]

Kelly