April Showers

The base colors for this manicure are Zoya Breezi  and Zoya Harley.  I used Rimmel Posh Pink and Wet 'n Wild Black Creme for the umbrella.  I used Essie Pure Pearlfection for the raindrops (they show up better in real life).  I used dotting tools for all the nail art. 

Valentine's Day Manicure

Happy Valentine's Day!  The base color of this manicure is OPI I Think In Pink and I used Wet 'n Wild I Red a Good Book for the accents.  I used the polish brush itself for the heart french tips and I used a dotting tool to make the lip shapes. 

Snowmen nails

The base color for this manicure is Wet 'n Wild Megalast I Need a Refresh Mint.  I used Zoya Ginessa for the snow.  I like the hand where I did "waves of snow" better then the one where I was hoping for something similar to icicles or snow sliding off a roof.  I also used Wet 'n Wild Black Creme, Wet 'n Wild I Red a Good Book, Essie Brazilliant, and dotting tools. 

Sunset nails

This is another manicure that everyone who does nail art tries at least once.  I started out with a base of Wet 'n Wild French White cream so the yellow show up better.  I painted on two coats of Spoiled Mind Your Own Beeswax to the bottom half and one coat of Wet 'n Wild Dream Poppy to the top.  Then I sponged Essie Brazilliant onto the center section to blend the two colors together.  Frankly, I could have done a better job with the gradient.  I used the Salon Express stamping kit for the palm trees.  The palm tree stamp worked really well from that kit.  Designs from that kit are hit and miss. The thumb only needed one palm tree.   I used a dotting tool and Wet 'n Wild Black Creme for the "land" at the bottom of the nail.  I liked them, and I'll do this again. 

4th of July

This is my 4th of July manicure this year.  I started with a base of Wet 'n Wild French White Creme.  Then I taped off the french tips and stamped with an old Wet 'n Wild blue and the Salon Express stamping kit.  I tried several techniques, some involving tape some not for the stripes.  They all were a big 'ole fail.  I will alternate the nails between red and white on the bottoms next year instead.  The red is Wet 'n Wild Megalast I Red a Good Book. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day

This is Wet 'n Wild Garden Hose topped with Pure Ice Mint Dreams and Finger Paints Go Van Gogh for the shamrocks.  The garden hose link has a pic of Garden Hose alone at the bottom of the page.  The pic below shows Pure Ice Mint Dreams over Garden Hose.  Mint Dreams adds a green iridescent finish to any polish it is layered over.  This combo reminds me of glow in the dark stickers in daylight, but greener.  Sometimes I like it, sometimes I think it is a bit much. 
I used a dotting tool to make the shamrocks.  The large shamrock on my ring finger was a fail on both hands.  I won't do it next year.  If you want to try one, it is basically four heart shapes joined in the center.  I find the medium size dotting tool makes the best normal sized shamrocks. 

Rimmel Mignight Blue and Essie Trophy Wife Gradient

This is the last manicure in my Rimmel Midnight Blue manicure evolution.  I added shimmer one day and did matte/shiny stamping the next day and then did the one pictured above.  If I were to start from scratch with this manicure, the shimmer would not go all the way to the cuticles, but would also be a gradient.  I used Essie Trophy Wife and Pure Ice Oh Baby (teal glass fleck shimmer that shifts to fuchsia at some angles).  I used a make-up sponge to apply Trophy Wife.  I like this one.  I'll definitely do it again. 

Valentine's Day Manicure: Hearts and Kisses

This is my second Valentine's Day Manicure this year.  I used Wet 'n Wild Sugar Coat and OPI Big Apple Red.  If I did this again next year, I'd do the heart french tip and the kisses as an accent nail.  The french tip hearts were easy.  I used the OPI brush itself to create the heart shapes.  I used a dotting tool for everything else.  For the kisses, I made an "m" shape for the top lip and then a smaller "c" shape for the bottom lip.  That was also really easy.  The pinky hearts are upside down (oops).
I love Megalast polishes, but Sugar Coat is a dud.  It is sheer and streaky.  It takes 3-4 coats before it isn't streaky. And, the color makes me look dead.  :(

Valentine Manicure: Stamped hearts

Here is the first of my Valentine's Day themed manis.  This is Wet 'n Wild Megalast Candylicious stamped with the Salon Express (as seen on TV) kit and Sally Hansen Instadri Whirlwind White.  Next time I will actually enforce my three stamps per finger max rule.  
I'm a huge fan of Wet 'n Wild Megalast polishes and this one is no exception.  Candylicious is a very pretty barbie pink color.  When I kill this mini bottle, I'll be buying a big bottle.  I love the wide brush on Megasast and it wears like iron for me.

Dot Pyramid

This is Finger Paints Go Van Go with dots of Finger Paints A Tough Art to Follow, Wet 'n Wild Megalast Garden Hose, and Rimmel Rags to Riches.  I think the base color, Go Van Gogh, is pretty close to the Pantone color of the year, emerald.  Pantone predicts (and possibly causes) color trends.  I wouldn't be surprised if you see a lot of emerald polish this fall/winter, maybe even this summer since their emerald is a bright color.  Rags to Riches is the bottom center dot of my manicure.  I should have just used the dark green polish for that dot because Rags to Riches doesn't go with the other colors. Next time.

Black and White Halloween Nails

For this manicure, I used Wet 'n Wild Black Creme and Wet 'n Wild French White Creme.  There are too many designs to go into detail on how I did them.  Let's just say I used a dotting tool.  The flying ghosts on the right thumb and the ghost mouth on the right middle finger are a bit too tadpole shaped.  The eyes on the cat should have been almond shaped, but I forgot.  Oh well, next time.  Over all, I'm pretty pleased.  Happy Halloween.

Candy Corn Nails

First I added a layer of Wet 'n Wild French White Creme on the whole nail, two coats.  Then I added two coats of Wet 'n Wild Spoiled Mind Your Own Beeswax just shy of 2/3 of the way up my nails.  Next, I added Essie Brazilliant to the center.  I finished with a coat of Essie Pure Pearlfection followed by a coat of Pro FX Quick Dry Top Coat.  I should have used tape to get straighter lines, but I went with freehand and it isn't too terrible.  I really like the Pure Pearlfection over the top for a subtle shimmer effect.  Happy Halloween! 

Another Football Manicure

This is Sinful Colors Let's Talk (Purple) and Milani Good Morning Sunshine (gold).  My camera lies.  Let's Talk is a dark purple and not an almost blue color.  I used notebook reinforcement stickers to get the half moon shape at the bottom of the nail.  Put them on the back of your hand first to remove some of the sticky.  Make sure there is good contact between the reinforcement sticker and the nail.  Remove immediately after painting the nail.  I used a dotting tool to do the jersey on my thumb.  I may do a full hand of jerseys some day. 

Watermelon Nails

I did these a few weeks ago when it was still summer.  Every person who does nail art eventually has to do watermelon nails.  It's the law.  I started out with Wet 'n Wild French White Creme.  I applied French manicure guides to the fingers.  Then I sponged Wet 'n Wild Megalast Garden Hose (limited edition color) onto the thumb and tips of the nails with a make-up sponge. The next step was to use a dotting tool to make squiggly lines with Revlon Emerald City on the tips and thumb. I added a coat of Rimmel Speed Dating (very old red polish) to the bottom of the nails.  Then removed the French tip guides.  

Use a  dotting tool and Wet and Wild Black Creme to make the seeds.  Add a top coat to protect your nail art.  When I do this again, I will probably remove the french tip guided and then sponge the green on the tips so the top line is more diffused and less harsh.  Also, the lines on the thumbs should curve slightly inward at the tips and base of the nail to make more of a Watermelon shape.

Minnesota Vikings Nails

This is my Vikings manicure this week.  I did the striped nails with pieces of scotch tape.  I think at this point I might make better strips just using the brush itself.  I think the stripes read more cheerleader or flag of a purple/white/yellow country then football.  Oh well.  Wet n Wild French White Creme, Wet n Wild Spoiled Mind Your Own Beeswax, Sinful Colors Let's Talk.  Sinful Colors Let's Talk is a dark, bright purple on my nails, but looks blue in the pictures.  The thumb is China Glaze Mahogany Magic and a dotting tool and Wet n Wild French White Creme for the laces.  The ring finger is Essie Smooth Sailing with Finger Paints Go Van Gogh painted in an arch along the bottom.  Wet n Wild French White Creme and a dotting tool was used to make the goal posts. 

Are You Ready For Some Football Nails?

The base colors for this manicure are Finger Paints Go Van Gogh (green) and China Glaze Mahogany Magic (brown).  I used  a dotting tool and Wet n Wild French White Creme to make the designs.  I think a nail art pen may have been a better idea, but I don't have one in white. 

Blue Ombre Nails

This is a blue ombre manicure.  From light to dark:  Wet n Wild Megalast Bird Bath, L'Oreal Now You Sea Me, Sinful Colors Aquamarine, Revlon Colorstay Midnight, and Orly Star of Bombay.  I really liked this manicure.

Gray Dot Manicure

The base for this manicure is Revlon Colorstay Stormy Night.  Then I used a dotting tool to add dots.  The dots are Wet n Wild Gray's Anatomy, Zoya Laney, Zoya Harley, Milani Mrs. Milani, and a random black polish.  When I do this again, I won't use Gray's Anatomy.  I didn't like the way  the purple cast it gives mixes with the other gray polishes.  I liked this manicure and this pattern.  I'll definitely do this again. 

Poppies

Happy Memorial Day.  (Maybe you aren't supposed to wish people a happy Memorial Day?)  I decided to do a poppy manicure for Memorial day.  The base color is Sinful Colors Aquamarine.  The poppies are Wet 'n Wild Megalast Heatwave and Wet 'n Wild Black Cream.  I wanted to use Zoya Poppy for the poppies, but the color wasn't red enough.  I followed the tutorial posted below. Cutepolish on Youtube has great nail art tutorials that beginners can do.  If you want to play with nail art, check out her channel.  I only did two things differently then the video.  I used a different base color and instead of using a large dotting tool, I used a small dotting tool and made a series of small dots for the poppy centers.

Whenever I think of poppies, I always think of this scene from the Wizard of Oz.  Poppies...poppies...poppies.

Daisies Manicure

The base polish for this manicure is Wet 'n Wild Megalast Garden hose, from their 2011 spring collection.  I used Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Whirlwind White and a Sally Girl polish in light yellow for the daisies.  I used a dotting tool to make the daisies.  I wish I had done the pointer and middle fingers at different angles.  They are meant to look different, but they look pretty similar.  I think it is pretty cool. I was inspired by this manicure on The Nail Newbie.