Happy Halloween!

Just here to wish you all a happy Halloween!

I've managed to match my make up with my nails :D

Dutch nails for World Cup 2014 Brasil

Within less than hour the Netherlands will play their second match in the World Cup tournament.

Let's hope these nails will bring some luck :D

Index and ring finger shows a sponged red, white and blue gradient.

Middle and pinky show red, white and blue spun sugar over a golden base color.

Polishes used:

- Essence Hup Holland Hup! 01 Topscorers

- Essence Hup Holland Hup! 02 Hattrick!

- Essence Hup Holland Hup! 03 Wilhelmus van Nassouwe

- Maybelline 820 Winner takes it all!

Good luck Holland!!!

Gradient and rose nail art with OPI Sheer Tints

I wouldn't be myself if I didn't try to make new looks with these beauties.

 

I started with a white base on all the nails:

Only You White French

Then I used the sponging technique for the gradient.

I sponged one layer of the 4 colors Sheer Tints and actually was pretty satisfied with the outcome;

a sweet pastel gradient with a minimum amount of bubbles.

But of course one of my 4 kiddies needed my help with something and I ruined my index :(

I didn't want to go through the whole process of cleaning, applying basecoat, painting it white, waiting for it to dry and making the gradient again.

So I decided trying to correct the ruined part with some more layers.

It worked...but of course the colors build up too and therefore the other nails had to get some more layers as well. 

Like I mentioned in my review. Layering these polishes will cause bubbles.

I tried to flatten some of them out with a topcoat but this worked only to a certain point.

But only when you take a close look you are able to see them.

 

For the accent I chose to randomly place the colors on the nail.

I added a topcoat to seal this part.

That way I could use the black acrylic paint and was free to start over when I wasn't satisfied.

I started with other flowers but ended up with the roses.

 

 

Sunset nails

Thanks to +roa' hamouda (who you can find here on Facebook) I have another mani for you :D

She also commented on my "I have some spare time-challenge" post.

Asking me for sunset nails.

I've done some tropical nails in the past which also had a kind of sunset there

but I never got to really focus on the sunset.

 

Before starting my mani I had to check Google for some inspirational sunset images:

 

 

The left image I chose because of the colors.

I love this gradient and decided my gradient had to look like this.

The second image I chose because of the grass.

I prefer a black silhouette though (most easy) but at least my mani had to include some grass.

 

First step: Making the gradient.

 

These are the polishes I've used for the gradient:

 

- Only You White French

- Only You 113 Banana Split

- Kiko 238

- Essence Beauty Beats 01 Baby, baby, ooh!

- Maybelline 650 Midnight Blue

 

I've used the sponging technique.
And here is my sunset gradient:

 

 

Second step: Getting some silhouettes on there.

I've used black acrylic paint and a detail brush 000 to paint them.

 

 

As you can see I also added some wild flowers just to make it more me :D

Hope you like it!

 

By the way if you have ever any request for a nail art. Never hesitate to ask me!

 

 

Day 324) Reverse gradient

I don't know the exact name for today's nail art.
I've seen something simular before from other people. So, maybe someone can help me out with this?
I call it 'reverse gradient' but 'gradient on gradient' could also be a good name.

You start with a gradient and then make a design by using a reverse gradient.
Huh?

Take a look at my nail art and I'll explain:

 

I started with a sponged gradient (blue to pink).

Then I've placed dots in reverse on index, middle and pinky (pink dots on blue and blue dots on pink).

On the ring finger I placed striping tape on the first gradient. Then I sponged the reverse gradient

(Striping tape design: 1st gradient, rest of the nail: reverse gradient).

 

Interesting effect isn't it?

 

Day 271) Nail art fall gradient (inspired by a scarf)

Today a very simple and easy nail art.

The weather in the Netherlands is getting a bit colder and guess who's the first one with a laryngitis and cold...yes, of coure it's ME!

 

Today's nail art is inspired by this scarf:

 



It's a beige scarf with a dark purple print on the end sides from the brand Promiss

 

So, I started with a beige base (Catrice Ultimate Nail Lacquer Limited Edition Eve in Bloom C01 Bloomynous) and sponged a purple polish (Catrice Ultimate Nail Lacquer Limited Edition Eve in Bloom C02 Floralilac) from the tip up creating a gradient.

 

 



Day 236) Scrapbook nail art

I never did any scrapbooking...well let's say not on purpose anyway.

But I've seen scrapbook art that's truly art and I really like that.

 

Today's nail art is inspired by scrapbooking.

I used different techniques and products and tried to keep it pretty instead of a mess ;-D.

Day 219) Gradient sponged nail art

Today just a quick pic.

I'm busy making a video!!

 

Here is my gradient sponged nail art:

 

 

Day 194) Nail art Tie Dye (Sephora)

I've had a great weekend at Lisbon!
Bought some nail products, made my nail arts, but no working Wifi :-(
I'll try to get op to date as soon as possible.

I found a Sephora store in Lisbon and my hubby actually had to drag me out of there.
Í had never been in one before (shame on me) and it took me almost an hour to just look at all the nail products.
I guess my hubby didn't want to see how long it would take me to see everything ;-D
Thank god I could limit my buying by looking at the price. Everything over 10 USD I didn't want to buy.
I left the store with two nail polishes, two special topcoats and a remover. With a total under 20 USD.

For today's nail art I used one of the special topcoats: the Tie Dye.

But first things first, the base color:

Leticia Well - 444 (purple)

 

2 Coats of Leticia Well - 444 (purple)

 

Then I used the Tie Dye topcoat of Sephora:

Sephora - 05 Tie Dye

 

Because I didn't want the risk of redoing my nail art, I took it save and applied the tie dye topcoat in a way I could be sure it worked.

I applied the first coat of tie dye topcoat a little under my top cuticle. The second coat a little under the first coat and so on.

Sephora - 05 Tie Dye

 

An ombre is also easy to do. Give your nails the base color. First nail one coat of tie dye, second nail two coats of tie dye and so on.

Another thing I want to try is using the topcoat in one smooth motion to see if it will make a smooth gradient. I'm not sure if it will...but when I try, I'll share my experience with you.

 

But my experience so far is a good one:

-Nice price (5,15 USD)

-Easy to apply

-Great outcome!

 

For sure a topcoat I can recommend!



 

Day 166) Gradient with holographic designs (elegant nails)

Hi lovelies,

In addition to the black&white and ombre/gradient nails of the past days I came up with today's nail art.
I really like this nail art and keep looking at it; it's elegant, feminine and a little mysterious because of the holo.
Interested?!
There is a short step-by-step:

Step 1: Make a gradient 
I chose for greys and white
Material:

*Essence Vintage District - 04 Get arty
*Catrice Natural Nail Lacquer
  Limited Edition NEONaturals -
  C05 Have A Good Day
*ICI Paris XL - Only You - White French
*Sponge









You can apply a white polish first to get opacity at once, but I don't think this is really necessary.
Put the sponge onto your nail to estimate the size of your nails; you do want all 3 of the colors on your nail and not just 2 or even empty spaces.
Now apply, with the size of your nails in mind, the 3 nail polishes onto the sponge.
The sponge might absorb some nail polish in the beginning, so keep this in mind while applying and repeat if you don't think it's enough.

Now, place the sponge onto your nail (white on the tip) and roll it over the surface of the nail (horizontal).
At least a few times so that the colors nicely blend.
Repeat this step for the other nails. Depending on the absorption of the sponge you'll have to apply the 3 nail polishes again. Not happy with the opacity? Sponge the nails again.

As you can see, you'll have some cleaning to do.

Putting tape on fingers and cuticles can help!

After cleaning I applied a topcoat.

Step 2: Make designs of your choice on the gradiënt nails (use a popping color like red, purple)

Material:



*Catrice Ultimate Nail Lacquer - 39 Black To The Routes
*China Glaze Holographic - 1171 Infra Red 81159
*Striper brush

I chose to do more elegant designs: flower, butterfly, heart, bow and feather.

Day 165) Framed gradient/ombre

I hope gradients and ombres will last for a while.

I just love how colors work together in these.

There are so many different designs to make and each time that I'm wearing an ombre or gradient nail art, people always want to gaze at my nails.

For today's nail art I did some kind of frame nail art, but then a frame in frame in frame sort a thing.

I started with the lightest color and painted this on my whole nail. hen I painted the first frame in a slightly darker color and so on.

Day 152) Colorful tips

Today I have a nice step-by-step for you.

Step 1:
After the basecoat paint your nails in a white colour. Let it dry completely, a topcoat will speed up the process.

Essence floral Grunge nail polish (The Pearl) - 02 Lily Bloom

Step 2:
Take a striper brush and black nail polish and make a curved line (from right top down to the left where your natural tip starts).

Step 3:
Divide the tip by using striping tape.

Step 4:
I chose to do an ombre (light to dark) on the free spaces of the tip. I used different nail polishes for each stripe but of course you could just as well use a dark colour and white nail polish and mix these yourself to a kind of ombre (different shades of one colour).

Step 5:
Remove the striping tape.

Step 6:
Fix imperfections (I had to repaint my black line) and topcoat it.
Done!

For each tip I used a different colour (love colours!)

Have fun with it!

Day 136) Dotted nails Rainbow

The weather is terrible in The Netherlands.
Nothing but rain, rain and more rain.
Time to compensate these dark days with of course a multicolored nail art: a rainbowy nail art to be precise.

Today I don't have a step-by-step.
I used a white nail polish as background for my nail art.
And for the artistic part I used only a dottingtool and a lot of nail polish colors ;-D

Some extra info that might be useful:
-On the ring finger I did an outline of rainbow dots
-On the pinky I placed dots that I pulled with my dottingtool into a teardrop shape. The pulling of dot into teardrop shape can also be done by using a wooden stick or something like that.

Hope you like it!

Day 134) HOT nails

The title of my blog post suggest that I have a very nice nail art for you...and I have!
At least, so I think ;-D
Not only is the look very 'hot'.
The word 'hot' is also a reference to the design of today's nail art; which is 'flames'.

After the basecoat I painted my nails black and applied a topcoat:

For today's nail art I used 16 different colors of nail polish (including the black nail polish from above).
This is a lot and I understand that if you aren't such a huge nail polish and nail art addict as I am, you might not even own 16 different colors or more.
In that case I recommend you keep it at one colour group which means you only need 4 colors (including the black). For example if you choose the colour group pink, you'll need a lightpink, a regular pink and a darker pink or possibly white, pink and red). Whatever you like!

The nail art itself can be made in 3 simple steps:

1. Start with the lightest colour and make long flames. Starting from the tip and ending almost at the cuticle
2. Then use the middle colour to make flames, starting from the tip and ending at 2/3 of the nail
3. Last you use de darkest colour to make flames, starting from the tip and ending at 1/3 of the nail

For the flames it's best to use a striper brush. This brush almost makes flames on it's own. Because in the beginning the brush releases more nail polish than at the end (which will be the end of your flames). Not sure about it...just try a few times on paper to get used to the technique.

To illustrate the steps I have some pictures for you:
1)

First make some wavy stripes one way (picture 1), then let these stripes be crossed by wavy stripes the other way (picture 2). Start with the lightest colour, beginning from the tip and ending almost at the cuticle.

2)

Make the same wavy stripes as above with the middle colour. Beginning from the tip and ending at 2/3 of the nail.

3)

Do the same with the darkest colour, beginning from tip but ending at 1/3 of the nail.
Apply a topcoat and done!

 To make this nail art really 'hot' I used a different colour group on each nail:
- Thumb: greens
- Index finger: blues
- Middle finger: purples
- Ring finger: pinks
- Pinky: oranges

And this is the outcome of today's nail art:

HOT or NOT?
Let me know!

Day 73) Nail art gradient