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31 Day Challenge

31 Day Challenge, Gradient, Nail Art, Waterfall

31DC2015: Black and White Nails with a Skittle

8th September 2015

9 Comments

I literally can’t remember the last time I did a skittle mani (a different design on every finger). I went through my skittle-mania phase in 2012 so it was likely all the way back then. I am particularly fond of this one as it has a few of my signature styles in – we have a spot of stamping (which is how this blog got started), my waterfall design and the classic gradient (the tutorial for which remains, to this day, my most popular post). So alongside being a rather breathtaking monochrome mani, it’s a quick trip down memory lane too!

The Nails

Base Colour Barry M Coconut
Thumb MoYou Back to the 80s Plate 03 stamped with W7 Black
First Finger Waterfall design with W7 Black & Silver, Sally Hansen Dorian Grey & Black Platinum, Barry M White
Middle Finger Chevrons with W7 Black using Whats Up Nails Skinny Zig Zags
Ring Finger Gradient with Barry M Coconut, Sally Hansen Dorian Grey and W7 Black
Pinky Finger Dotting with W7 Black

31 Day Challenge, Glitter, Nail Art

31DC2015: Violet Nails with Lightning Flashes

7th September 2015

3 Comments

I always assume that Day 6’s Violet Nails have to be somewhere on the purple colour scale so I’ve gone right ahead and thrown in a few different shades, including one that’s actually called ‘Violet’ just for good measure! I think I feel a skittle mani coming on for Day 7 of the challenge. It’s been a long time since I went for a complete skittle (normally playing it safe with a few accents) but the more I look at this mani, the more I think it could have been even more awesome if I’d thrown in a few different designs.

The Nails

I used OPI Kiss Me – Or Elf! as the fuschia base colour, then topped with a thin coat of Glisten & Glow HK Girl. I used NailVinyls Lightning Bolts and painted over with Kiko Gel Effect in Violet.

The glitter nails are two coats of piCture pOlish Lollipop over the Kiko Violet.

It’s all topped off with two coats of HK Girl to smooth things over.

31 Day Challenge, Nail Art, Stamping

31DC2015: Blue Nails with Sci-Fi Stamping

6th September 2015

8 Comments

When you want some fine lines in your nail art, there’s no beating a bit of stamping. This plate from MoYou (Sci-Fi 05) has a couple of designs featuring insanely thin lines but I went with this circuitboard pattern for a suitably technologic design.

The Nails

My base colour is NYC Pier 17 and I stamped the design with GOSH Metallic Blue from MoYou Sc-Fi Plate 05

31 Day Challenge, Nail Art, Studs

31DC2015: Green Nails with Stripes and Studs

5th September 2015

10 Comments

Today’s Green Nails for Day 4 are a remix of a design I did a long time ago. I remembered the stripes and stud details but wasn’t sure what the colours were. When I looked back to find the first version, I saw that mint green was quite a prominent feature last time around too. Why mess with a good thing, I suppose!

I realise that we’re less than a week in to the challenge and I’ve already fallen behind but I’m determined to catch up asap! The worst thing is, I worked tirelessly all Thursday night to get my Green nails done (since I knew I wouldn’t have a chance on Friday) and then just totally forgot to schedule it. Dang!

The Nails

The mint green on the ‘solid colour’ nails is Nicole by OPI Alex by the Books.

I used Barry M Coconut as the base white for the stripes and topped with a thin coat of Glisten & Glow HK Girl. I placed two strips of Striping Tape down where I wanted the white to show through. I made the mistake of using purple tape so you can see where the colour has stuck at the edges. Note to self: next time use white striping tape!

The colour at the edges is OPI Gelato on My Mind (a shade that teeters right between mint green and candy blue) and the middle strip is Kriston 10. Finally, I added the 1.5mm Gold Studs on each nail and topped with another coat of HK Girl.

31 Day Challenge, Nail Art, Waterfall

31DC2015: Yellow Nails with a Waterfall

3rd September 2015

8 Comments

Waterfall Nails by The Nailasaurus

This year, I was actually happy for Day 3: Yellow Nails to roll around as I’ve been looking forward to using this pastel shade again. It’s just so hard to find a great yellow polish – all too often they’re streaky / runny / need too many coats to be viable – the struggle is real you guys! But how can you hate a polish that’s as buttery and good as Revlon Buttercup.

Buttercup is a three-coater, you just need that thin third coat to smooth everything over and then you have the perfect pastel yellow. And that’s no mean feat. Can I get a round of applause for Revlon on this one?

The Nail Polish

My base colour is Revlon Buttercup. I created the waterfall nail art with Barry M Passion Fruit, Barry M Mustard, NYC Sunny Manhattan and Essie Good as Gold.

31 Day Challenge, Gradient, Nail Art

31DC2015: Orange Nails with a Chevron Gradient

2nd September 2015

6 Comments

Orange Gradient Chevron Nail Art

Day 2 of the challenge calls for Orange nails and again I’ve opted for a fairly standard orange mani with a bit of fun sandwiched in to the middle. Does peach count as an orange shade? I sure hope so because I find it far more flattering against my pale skin tone than brighter shades of orange.

The Nail Polish

First I laid down three coats of China Glaze Peachy Keen and three coats of Barry M Coconut where I was prepping for the chevrons. That was all topped with Glisten & Glow HK Girl to make it dry.

Once that was solid as a rock, I went ahead and applied some of the Skinny Zig Zag Tape from Whats Up Nails over the Coconut. I created the gradient using Seventeen Bright Peach and piCture pOlish Totes. Scroll to the end of the post for a video on that!

Skip to 3:30 for the gradient tutorial…

31 Day Challenge, Glitter, Nail Art

31DC2015: Red Nails with Barry M and Lynnderella

1st September 2015

12 Comments

31DC2015 Red Nails with Barry M Gelly Red

It’s that time of year again when internet nail artists the world over have to decide between their spare time/social life/sleep and the 31 Day Challenge. Call me crazy, but this year I have once again opted for the latter! I was unsure for a while about joining the challenge this year but I eventually decided it would be plain weird not to. This will be my 5th consecutive year and it would be a real shame to break that streak so I’m going to try my hardest to stick with it right through to the end.

For the first few days I like to ease myself in with some plain(ish) manis as the prompts don’t call for much else. I took to Periscope on Monday (follow me @thesammersaurus) and asked everyone who was watching to help me choose which of my red polishes to use for Day 1’s ‘Red Nails‘. In the end, we settled on a classic red creme with a few glitter accents.

The Nail Polish

I used 2 coats of Barry M Blood Orange/Red for my base and painted on 2 thin coats of Lynnderella Ruby Red Ruby for the accents.

Here are the cues coming up in the challenge. If you’re only just finding out about this, it’s not too late to join in! Just post when you can and catch up if you have a chance. You can also follow along on the #31DC2015 hashtag pretty much everywhere but most of the action will be on Instagram!

If you fancy scrolling through the archives of my previous challenge efforts, you’ll find them here: 31DC2011 | 31DC2012 | 31DC2013 | 31DC2014

Thanks to Sarah @ Chalkboard Nails for the beautifully designed graphics again this year!