Patriotic Week - Day 4

Hi there!

It's the return of Ugly Manicure Monday- Patriotic edition...

My nails painted with Sally Hansen - Whirlwind White.
Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 2 coats of Whirlwind White before stamping with Konad's special red and special blue polishes. The plate I used was a generic plate with no identification numbers/letters.

I consider this manicure ugly because the image didn't stamp very well. Part of that was my fault, and part of that was due to the plate being of lower quality. On top of that, I used a top coat that I had never tried before with nail art. I used Color Club's topcoat, and I was completely unaware of how badly it would smear my design. After using it on my index fingernail, I decided to leave the rest of my nails without topcoat.

To see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 32

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Brooke...

Brooke said she attempted to make a patchwork manicure resembling a Bill Cosby Christmas sweater, but it didn't turn out how she anticipated.

Thanks, Brooke!

I actually think this looks perfect for being a Christmas sweater... even how the green is a different finish than the gold and red. The manicure might flow better had they all been the same finish, but then it wouldn't be a Christmas sweater (I have it in my mind that all Christmas sweaters are, by definition, ugly).

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 31

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Jenette at Elfleidy's Stuff...

OPI - My Boyfriend Scales Walls and Zoya - Sooky.
Stamped with Shany plate 20.

Jenette said the color combination was perfect, but the stamping execution wasn't. For whatever the reason, she was unable to get the image to stamp well beyond her first try.

Thanks, Jenette!

I really like this idea! It's a shame it didn't want to stamp :-(

If you have an  ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 30

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Jen at Jen's Painted Tips...

Zoya - Song, Julieanne, Ivanka, Sarah, Ziv, and OPI - Cabana Banana.

Jen said her manicure simply didn't turn out the way she had hoped. She said if she had it to do over again, she'd exclude the yellow and switch the gold for a silver.

Zoya - Song, Julieanne, Ivanka, Sarah, Ziv, and OPI - Cabana Banana.

Thanks, Jen!

The color combination reminds me of Christmas wrapping paper. I might just try something like this with red, green, and gold!

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 29

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Donna at Working Girl Nails...

Michael Jackson Thriller manicure.
Orly - Grave Mistake.

Donna wanted to create a Michael Jackson inspired manicure with his zippered red jacket, black pants, white socks, and sequined gloves. In her head, it looked great... but she said the french tip shrunk, so the black could be seen underneath the white. Donna said her index fingernail dried much darker than the rest of the red- and she didn't do anything differently to it. She also said that she thinks this manicure would have looked better if the rhinestones had been placed on top of a silver base instead of a white base.

Thanks, Donna!

Even though it didn't turn out perfectly, I think this manicure is a great idea!

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 28

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Megan at Painting Rainbows...

Breast cancer awareness manicure.

Megan painted a base of Barielle's Big Apple Red and then applied Barry M's Pink Iridescent and Color Club's Fame and Fortune over the top. She stamped with a white base and a mix between Big Apple Red and Orly's Pixy Stix. The taupe on the accent nail is painted with Barry M's Dusky Mauve.

Megan's inspiration was the tree pictured on this magnet...

She said said that the pink didn't seem to show up when stamping, so she stamped with the white base. She had seen a lot of people line the images up without fail, but she had no such luck. When Megan added her top coat, it smeared... even though she waited a good amount of time before application.

Thanks, Megan!

I absolutely love the image on that magnet! While I don't think the manicure turned out much like the magnet, I do agree with Megan that it's the thought behind it that's more important.

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 27

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Danielle at Polish Obsessed...

Sally Hansen - All The White Stuff.

Danielle said she applied 2 coats of All The White Stuff as a base. Then she added MANY coats of a Sally Hansen glow in the dark polish to try to make it even. The polish was not fully dry when she got around to stamping, so it squished out the sides. Danielle said she was able to mold it back into place for the most part, but it was still uneven. Worse, her dupe M65 plate wasn't picking up the image well enough and it was inconsistent from nail to nail. This manicure was picked off by the end of the day- and it was an easy task because of the polish thickness!

Thanks, Danielle!

I probably would have picked this manicure off, too. I do like that pattern, though. My first thought was that it would be fun to make it into a retro manicure... then I realized I've already done that, haha!

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 26

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Wendy at Wendy's Delights...

Kleancolor - Chunky Holo Black.

Wendy said it wasn't her polish combination that made this an ugly manicure... it was her application. She said this was one of  her first manicures from when she started blogging, and she can't believe how sloppy and rough she was.

Thanks, Wendy!

I think the photographing of manicures amplifies every imperfection. I've painted several manicures that looked perfect in front of my face- but when I looked at them on my computer screen, they looked smudged/incomplete/dirty/etc.

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 25

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Dawn...

Orly - Crush On You and China Glaze - Electrify.

Dawn said this is simply a manicure that doesn't compliment her skin tone. She said it's a good thing she painted this manicure for a daily challenge in a nail group she belongs to- it wasn't something she really wanted to wear.

Thanks, Dawn!

I agree that this combination doesn't look great against Dawn's skin tone... though I do love the random challenge manicures like this!

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 24

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Erika at Icy Nails...

China Glaze - Roguish Red and Orly - Monster Mash.

Erika said she wanted to get her Halloween on, but she got her ugly on instead ;-p She painted Roguish Red onto her index and ring finger, and then stamped with China Glaze's Jolly Holly using Bundle Monster plate 224. It failed because it smeared and the green wasn't opaque enough to stamp on top of the orange. Erika painted an unknown purple by Funky Fingers onto her middle and pinky finger... then topped it with Monster Mash. She said it was torture wearing this manicure!

Thanks, Erika!

I may be in the minority, but aside from the smeared bits, I like this manicure!

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 23

Hi there!

This is a manicure I painted quite some time ago, and I just discovered the photograph buried in one of my laptops...

My nails painted with Julep - Carrie, Cameron, Natasha, and Molly.

I painted a base of Carrie, and then stippled Cameron and each of the other colors onto my nails. I had high hopes for this manicure... I imagined it looking as if each color faded perfectly into the next color- much like sponging produces. The brush I had on hand at the time was much too large and dense, so I think that was my main problem with blending. Additionally, the lines aren't delicate... and, instead, they look sloppy.

Have you tried something like this with a nail art brush? If so, how did it turn out?

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 22

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Brittany...

Ugly water marble manicure.

Brittany said she wanted to experiment with water marbling, as she had never really done it before. She knew right away that this was a manicure she'd submit for Ugly Manicure Monday, so she didn't bother cleaning up her skin and cuticles. Brittany thinks her 3 middle fingers look the way they do as a result of bad aim in the water as well as not removing the excess polish from the surface of the water quickly enough. Brittany said her thumb could have been good, had it not been for the awful color combination. She also said that she was happy with the way her pinky turned out, so she went on to make a full manicure with those colors.

Thanks, Brittany!

I do love water marbling! And I'm glad to see a fail... it isn't always a piece of cake, that's for sure. Choosing polishes that mesh well together in the water can surely be a task!

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it. Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 21

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Dana...

OPI - Kreme De La Kremlin and SoFlaJo - Champagne Cocktail.

Dana took part in a random manicure challenge, where the participants randomly chose polishes for their manicures... she closed her eyes and grabbed them. While she loves each polish individually, she knew right away that they wouldn't play nicely together. Dana said her manicure might have looked better had she kept Champagne Cocktail by itself on her accent finger instead of layering it. She also said that she likes the idea of Champagne Cocktail layered over a darker, cooler-toned polish... like purple or black.

Thanks, Dana!

This is one of the first manicures I've seen where my first response was actually saying "EWW" aloud! I definitely agree that Champagne Cocktail would look better over a darker, cooler polish!

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 6

Hi there!

I should have done this manicure yesterday for Ugly Manicure Monday...

Patriotic 4th of July nail foil manicure. 

Blech! These are a generic brand of foils that I found on eBay for about $0.25, so at least I'm not out much money :-) I followed the directions of the package, but these foils just weren't meant for my nails. I think they'd work great for someone with large nail beds... and I mean large- not just larger than my own. I read before that it's best to start with the smallest finger first, so I started with my pinky. I've got to admit... I gave up on this manicure after my ring finger, so I didn't trim the middle or index finger's foils. And I didn't bother with more than 4 fingers. I knew that once I photographed it, it would all be removed. On the plus side, they were easy to remove!

If you'd like to see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here. 

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 20

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of meeee...

Julep - Selena, Olivia, and Stella.

I painted 2 coats of Selena as a base. Once that was dry, I used the large end of one of my dotting tools to place 4 dots of Olivia onto each nail. With the smaller end of my dotting tool, I added dots of Stella in the middle of each dot of Olivia. I topped it all with a coat of Seche Vite.

This manicure isn't ugly by accident. I purposely went through my polishes and grabbed 3 colors that might not look so great on their own- and voila! I don't think it looks too bad... it's more of a pretty-ugly ;-p What do you think?

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 19

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Kristin at The Manicured Monkey...

Feather manicure.

Kristin said a few things went sour with this one. Not only was the base of Loredana too dark, but some of the feathers were too dark to show as well. The feathers were a mess to trim, and they didn't lay flat in some areas. The feathers also ate her top coat so her manicure became goopy instead of glassy.

Thanks, Kristin!

The one thing that's kept me from trying a feather manicure thus far is the trimming aspect... although, now I suppose I should get to it! Even with a goopy finish, I still think it looks nice!

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 18

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Cristina at Impoverished by Polish...

China Glaze - Lubu Heels and Kleancolor - Red Hot.

Cristina painted 2 coats of Lubu Heels and 1 coat of Red Hot to achieve what's pictured. She said she hated this manicure even before she smudged it. Instead of helping to mimic Deborah Lippmann's Ruby Red Slippers, the red tint in Red Hot muddled the whole look.

Thanks, Cristina!

I like the name of Red Hot better than I like the look of it... mostly because I'm imagining it over a primary red and it's making me crave the candy, Red Hots.

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 17

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Liz at Nothing But Nail Polish...

Drizzle manicure.

Liz started with a base of white, and then sponged different designs with neon polish. Once that was dry, she added the drizzle design. Unfortunately, the drizzle wasn't dry before she added her top coat :-/

Drizzle manicure.

To create a drizzle, Liz put some black polish onto a scrap piece of paper. Using her dotting tool, she played with it until it got stringy... then she strung it over her nails.

Drizzle manicure.

Thanks, Liz!

I love the look of this manicure... minus the thumb, of course ;-p This is something I'll be trying soon! What do you think?

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 16

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Mscrys...

China Glaze - Electrify.

Mscrys said she attempted a jelly sandwich with Electrify and one of her unnamed orange LA Colors. She said she has a love/hate relationship with this manicure- mostly hate ;-p It reminded her of pollen.

Thanks, Mscrys!

I'm not sure what to think of this manicure... I don't love it, but I don't hate it. What do you think?

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 15

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of The Lacquered Lady at The Lacquered Lady...

OPI - Color So Hot It Berns and Nicole by OPI - Glitter In My Stocking.

The Lacquered Lady said she wanted to do something bright and fiery. She loves these 2 polishes separately, but didn't care for them together. She also said she thinks the tips look strange.

Thanks, The Lacquered Lady!

I actually like the combination of these 2 colors- however, I'd probably do without the gold tips. What do you think?

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...