Winter Nails!

I am in love with the manicure I did on myself this week. It's very simply but I love the colors. They are more winter colors than Christmas themed, which is exactly what I was going for.

I did this in gel polish over acrylic nails. For my acrylic nails I did a simple clear tip with natural powder. Then I proceeded to apple the gel polish.

I didn't do a step by step tutorial on this one because it's very simple. I think next week will be something more challenging for myself!

Happy Holidays All!

Neon Peek-a-Boo Nail Tutorial

Photo in natural light

Happy Holidays! It's been a fun past few weeks. I've been busy but I haven't forgotten about my nails. I did this nail design about a month ago but I love it so much I had to post it even though it's a bit summery. You can try this with so many different colors but I love the neon touch. I am heading to the Dominican Republic in about 6 weeks and I may have to recreate this!

What you will need:
- base and top coat
- 4 different colors
- nail striping tape







Prep your nails (clip, file, etc) then paint your base coat. A base coat is very important because it helps your nails look more even so the polish goes on smoothly. Also, they sometimes have vitamins so it will help hydrate your nails. Lastly, they help so the polish does not stain your nail.

Paint each of your index, middle, and pinky fingers a different color. I chose to use pink, yellow, and orange.

Now on your thumb and ring finger, paint stripes of each of the colors you painted on your other nails.

Using your striping tape, make a triangle design on your thumb and ring fingers

Now paint the exposed area with the last color (in my case, blue). I chose to make an opposite effect where I painted inside the triangle on my ring finger and outside of the triangle on my thumb.

Let polish completely dry before removing the tape. Once dry, apply the top coat. Try different designs and different color combos on this one. Enjoy!

Photo in artificial light

Striped Nail Tutorial

This is a fun easy one that you can do if you have nail striping tape or you can use regular tape. The great thing about this mani is that the possibilities are endless and there are so many color combinations.

Here is what you will need:
- Base coat and top coat
- Two nail colors (I used white and purple)
- Nail striping tape (or scotch tape)
- A glass of wine (ok not necessary but important nonetheless!)




Start by prepping your nails (clip, file, etc). Then paint your base coat and let dry. Then paint your nail with your all over color. You want to make sure you accent color can cover the all over cover well. I chose to use the purple on the bottom because I knew the white would cover the purple.

Now, place your nail striping tape (or regular tape) in your design manner. I chose to do different designs.

Now, paint your accent color on the side of the nail you want. If you are using the nail striping tape, be careful not to paint onto the other side of the nail. If you want and have a steady hand, feel free to leave the striping tape on the nail and just paint the top coat over the tape. Make sure to trim the excess edges.

Let dry completely before removing the tape. Then apply your topcoat. Enjoy!

Leopard Zebra Mani

I like this fun bright manicure. I know it's the middle of fall and I should be dusting off all of my dark colors but I decided to brighten things up and go with this one.

I have been playing around with regular nail polish these days. It's easier to take off than the gel and I have so much time on my hands these days due to my knee surgery. Anyway hope you enjoy this easy cute mani.

What you will need:
- Top and base coats
- Pink polish
- White polish
- Black polish
- Dotting tool
- Thin nail brush

Start by prepping your nails like you normally would (file, clip, etc.)

Paint your index, middle, and pinky fingers pink and your thumb and ring finger white. Let dry completely.

On the pink fingers, add a few black dots using your dotting tool.

Then create little "C" shapes around the dots in a random pattern.

On the white fingers, paint thin black strips to make a zebra effect.

Finish with a top coat and enjoy! Have fun trying this with different color combinations.

Polka Dot Fun!

Dust off those dotting tools and lets have some fun with polka dots. I am not a huge fan of the dot manicures but I tried this one and liked it alot. I did this one with regular nail polish but I am sure it can easily be done with the gel polish as well.

For instructions on how to do gel nail polish see blog post here. For list of what you will need to do your own gel nails at home look at this blog posting.

What you will need:

• Dotting tool, like this one
• Dark all over polish. I used purple
• Three lighter colors. I used two different shades of pink and white.
• Base and Top coats.
• Small piece of foil

Step 1: Prep nails like normal (clip, file, etc) then paint your base coat and let completely dry.

Step 2: Paint your all over color. Add a second coat if needed but let dry completely in-between coats. 

Step 3: Start with one color at a time, and use your dotting tool to dot a few medium sized dots in a diagonal direction across your nail. It's easiest if you place the color on a foil piece and dip the dotting tool onto the foil instead of trying to dip the dotting tool into the bottle of polish.

Try dotting a few dots onto the foil before you dot onto your nail. This will ensure you have the right size dot, and you do not have too much polish on the tool.

Step 4: Repeat step 3 for each color. Let dry completely.

Step 5: Finish with top coat and let dry. 

Try different color combinations or try using glitter or other fun accents. Enjoy!

Reverse Ombre Gel Mani

I am back! It's been too long since I've posted. I know, bad me. I do have a few mani's lined up and I think you all will like them.

This one I did on my mom, (Thanks Mom for being my model!) This is a take on the glitter ombre manicure which I have had great feedback on. So we did some darker colors and started the glitter at the nails instead of the nail beds.

Here is what you will need:

• Dark polish (we used black)
• A lighter polish (we used a glittery pink)
• Base and Top coats

We did this using the gel polish,but you can do this using regular nail polish too.

Step 1: Start by prepping your nails as normal (clip, file, etc).

Step 2: Paint your base coat and let dry (or using gel polish cure)

Step 3: Paint your dark color 2/3 the way up starting at the nail bed and stopping 2/3 up. The more nail you leave exposed, the more of your lighter color will show. **if you are doing this with gel nails, do not cure. You want the color to mix, so you don't want to cure before step 4. 

With regular polish, do not let polish dry, go right to step 4.

Leave 1/3 of nail exposed

Step 4: Paint the exposed nail your lighter color. You want a little overlap of the two colors so start painting just before the black stops. If you are doing gel, cure your polish. If using regular polish let dry. 

Step 5: Repeat steps 3 and 4 to get a more predominant ombre effect. 

Step 6: Apply your top coat and cure or dry! Have fun and try some fun color combinations! 

P.S. for those of you wondering what the white tipless glove thing I am using, it's a glove to protect your hand from unnecessary UV exposure from the gel light. Since I do the gel nails a lot, I decided to invest in these. If you don't do the gel nails that often you don't need to worry about the exposure. You can buy them on amazon.

Ombre Tiger Gel Mani Tutorial

I got a little bored the other day and wanted to try the tiger mani with the gel polish. I've done it before with regular polish. You can see those pictures here. That one had white and orange. This time I decided to use neon orange and neon yellow.

What you will need:

• Black polish
• Orange polish
• Yellow polish 
• Glitter accent (I used gold glitter)
• Realllllllly thin nail brush

Step 1: Start by prepping your nails as normal (cut, file cuticles etc). Then put on your base coat (cure base coat if your are doing gel)

Step 2: Now, paint the orange polish 3/4 of the way up your nail starting at the cuticle and going up. **Do not cure yet**

Step 3: Now, using your yellow polish, paint the tip you left uncolored by the yellow, and paint down and just a little over the orange. The gel polish because it doesn't dry by air, will kind of run together. This is why you do not want to cure after you paint the orange on.

Step 4: Now once you have done this to all of your fingers, cure the polish. Repeat step 3. You want two coats to give you that ombre. And again, with the gel, it will blend together mixing, but be careful not to use too much polish.

Step 5: With your nail brush paint black stripes over the nail. Make them thicker on the sides and go outward thinner to look more like tiger stripes. If using the gel, cure the black stripes in the UV lamp.

Step 6: Add glitter over some of the black tiger stripes to accent. Cure if using gel.

Step 7: Top coat (if using gel... you guessed it, cure!) 

Step 8: Go out and show off your cute DIY mani! Go ahead brag that you did it yourself. I give you permission!

Heart and Design Mani

Fun and cute but I smeared the heart! 

I had fun playing with some designs. I got the idea for this manicure from a picture I saw on Pinterest. It didn't turn out perfect but it was a lot of fun.

I didn't take pictures to do a tutorial but it was actually quite simple.

Thumb: Paint nail with the two colors. Don't worry about making the line even because you will just put the gems over it. Once colors are mostly dry place the gems in a line down the nail. See easiest way to apply gems in this post.

Index Finger: Paint all over with the lighter color. With the darker color add a heart. See how to do the hearts in the heart mani tutorial.

Middle Finger: Paint the entire nail with the dark color. Once nail is mostly dry but still a little tacky, apple the gem towards the cuticle of the nail.

Ring Finger: Paint all over with light color. Once light color is dry, paint stripes in different directions. There is no rhyme or reason to this one, just so it looks good.

Pinky: Just like the middle finger, paint the entire nail with the lighter color. Once nail is mostly dry but still a little tacky, apple the gem towards the cuticle of the nail.

Top coat, let dry, and you are done!

**Make sure when you top coat, do two coats on the nails that have the gems.

Another angle, the last pic didn't have the ring finger! Whoops...

Glitter Ombre Nails

Glitter Ombre Nails

I am digging spring people! The colors, the weather, and the sunshine! I live in Arizona and spring is the best time of year because it's right before it starts to get insanely hot and we have to endure back-to-back 110 days. Guess that's the payoff for 75 degree winters!

Inspired by the Gelish Harmony new spring color line "Love In Bloom", I tried a glitter Ombre nail on my sister in law. I was surprised by how easy this was and had to share.

What you need:
- An all over color
- A medium thickness nail brush
- Accent nail glitter dust (I got mine on amazon.com for $2 and come with 12 colors)

Glitter Dust - $2 for 12 colors from Amazon.com

Start by prepping your nails as normal (clip, file, etc).

Paint your base coat and let dry (or using gel polish cure)

Paint your all over color. I used the Gelish Harmony 'A Mint of Spring'. Let your all over color dry (again if you are doing gel, cure the polish in your UV light). Paint as many coats as needed, but you don't want it too thick. I did two coats (curing each time with my UV light).


Next, before your all over color full dries, you want to put the glitter on. When using regular nail polish, you want the color a little bit tacky to give the glitter a good surface to stick to.

When using the gel polish, do your coats, and cure each time. Since the UV polish naturally has a tacky surface you can just apply the glitter after you cure your second coat.

Apply the glitter by taking your nail brush and dip into the glitter. You do not need to add anything to the brush, just lightly dip into the glitter.

Now, lightly dab the glitter onto your nail from the base (cuticle going upwards). Dust as much as you want to get the glitter effect.

Repeat for all your nails.

Lastly, apply a top coat and let dry. If using the gel nail polish, top coat and then cure top coat. If you feel like you want to add a second top coat feel free.

Try different colors and maybe even doing the ombre effect from the tip of the nail downwards.

Until next time!

Cute Leopard Mani

I'm feeling frisky and ready for another animal print mani!

I used a picture I saw on-line and mocked the idea adding a little of my own touch.

Start by prepping and painting your nails. I used Gelish Harmony Gossip Girl for the pink and use a gold I had for my ring finger and thumb. You want the accent finger to be a little lighter so you will be able to see the leopard design.

Next, using a dotting tool, crate odd shaped circles on your accent nail with the all over color you used on your other nails. So in this cause, use the pink to create the odd shaped dots on the gold.

Now, using the dotting tool again, create little odd shaped "C" shapes around the pink dots. Also, put a random black dot to give it a little accent. It's easier if you put your polish onto a piece of foil and dip the dotting tool onto the foil instead of trying to dip the dotting tool into the bottle of polish.

Now add some accent rhinestones to some of the pink leopard spots by dipping a tooth pick or an orange stick into some clear coat. Open your case of gems, and pick one out with the tip of the stick. Then place the  gem on your nail and top it off with clear coat.

Have fun trying different colors and accents. This is one you can probably do after having a few glasses of wine. My mom and I had a little slumber party and I managed to get a good result after 3 glasses of wine. Mani and wine FTW!

We did this using the gel polish. Please keep in mind if you are trying designs with the gel polish that you need to cure each coat. After we put the all over color on, we cured it in the UV light. Then we did another coat of the all over, cured again. We did the dots with black gel polish, then cured the dots in the UV light. Then we added the gems, and did two coats of the top coat, curing it after every coat.

If you do this with regular polish make sure to let each coat dry in between so you don't have any lumps or bumps.