Summer Challenge Day 6: Favorite Summer Color

Hey everyone! Here is my manicure showing my favorite summer color! I couldn't pick just one because my favorite colors to wear when it's hot out are pink, and orange! I really wanted to try water marbling again since I've had such tough experiences with it in the past, but I picked two really opaque colors so I was hoping it would turn out well. I used Julie G "Oh Em Gee!", which is a bright neon pink, and Love & Beauty in Orange (it reminds me of sherbet). Overall I like it! It could always be better, my technique is still not that great but I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong!

Sorry I've not been so talkative lately, like I said a lot going on...I'm going to try to keep up with the challenge but I've got some personal stuff happening at the moment so we will have to see. I plan to do my best.

Kelly

Here's what I've been doing lately..

So, like I mentioned before I haven't updated in forever because the tutorial I made and my last few hauls are on my boyfriend's camera. But I have some updates on the rest of what I've been doing lately! I finished school the first week of May and finished my practicum the week after. So I didn't have a whole lot of time to do anything super creative with my nails. I've been doing a lot of gradients 1)to practice new techniques and 2)because they're quick and easy and I like them! So here are a few I've done in the past couple weeks!

Here's a pink and gold gradient I did before my last day of work because the weather was beautiful and I felt like doing something sunny! The colors are Wet n Wild Fast Dry - How I Met Your Magenta and Revlon - Copper Penny. For my accent nail I just added a couple coats of Sally Hansen's Diamond Strength in Multi-Faceted - which I LOVE! It's a chunky black, blue and silver glitter. Anyway, for this gradient, I did a few (I think 3) coats of the Wet n Wild, then I started at the tip and painted layers of the Revlon, painting gradually more and more of the nail each time and staggering it a bit so it wasn't straight across. This would have been easier if the Revlon wasn't so opaque - it was definitely a 1-coater which I didn't know at the time.

Another angle. I really loved this mani!

This is a mani I did last week when I was getting ready to come back home to Pennsylvania to work for a couple of weeks. Again I felt summer and wanted something super bright. For this gradient, I tried a tutorial that I found at thenailasaurus.com. The picture really doesn't do it justice because of the flash - the graduation was much more subtle and cool looking than it appears to be here. I got a lot of compliments on this mani, and I liked this sponging technique better than the one I tried in my FA at gradients. I switched up my accent nail because I got a few more bumps than normal on my pointer fingers for some reason! I added a couple coats of this pretty confetti-ish glitter I got from Icing, the name is escaping me right now. The colors here are Sinful Colors - Tangerine (something or other) and Sally Hansen X-treme Colors in Pacific Blue.

And lastly, like I said I came home and since I don't have a lot of money for presents, I told my mom she could pick any mani she wanted and I would do her nails for her. She picked "tie-dye" which I begrudgingly agreed to even though as I've said before water marbling and I are not best friends. She wanted bright colors, which turned out kind of pastel over a white basecoat but she was happy. Here it is!

Mother's day mani :] It came out better than I hoped it would but I still think my swirling technique still needs work! Anyway, that's basically what I've been up to lately, more updates soon when I get my pictures off the camera. Hope everyone's summers are starting out wonderful! Mine has been full of work but I am thinking of the paycheck...  ;]



Kelly

Water Marble Wednesday!

Okay, I have to say that maybe I didn't give water marbling enough of a chance. I hated it the first time because I could not get it perfect and I also just didn't like how it came out. I think I've realized what it wasn't I didn't like about it after some experimentation. I'm just much more a fan of bright colors and I didn't like the pastel-y tones that came out, SO I've practiced with layering a bit and I like it much more! When it came out too light or I wasn't crazy about the swirl pattern, I let it dry and did another layer. This was I was able to get some great colors and some really unique patterns. So here it is, my second real attempt at water marbling!

Left hand

Right hand

Better shot of the patterns on the left hand.

Colors I ultimately used. I used Candied Violet by C for a base, it's a gorgeous white with a pale, pale lavender tone - hard to describe but so pretty. It was one of those gems that I found in my mom's old polish collection and I don't think this brand even exists anymore but I plan to use the hell out of it until it's gone!Actually all the colors I used were old finds, so it's doubtful these exist anymore, but I'm sure dupes could be found easily. Anyway that was the base, and the four colors I ended up settling on were Revlon - Bronze Beam (copperish), Wet n Wild - Denim Chrome (dark purpley blue), PRO Nailcare - 1000 Watt (bright pink), and Revlon Street Wear - Next Dimension (shimmery teal). I really liked how it turned out and I found that the Revlon actually marbled beautifully! I think in future marbles I'll try more Revlon polishes because the formula just seems great for it. Only thing I'm not crazy about is how the base shows through sometimes around the cuticle depending on how I put my nail in the water. I really tried to make sure it was all submerged but apparently I didn't get it all, but that's my only real complaint. Oh well - hopefully next time it will be even better :]

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