Dragon scales - triple scaled gradient nails

Back to simply nailogical basics!!! I've been trying out all sorts of different (or new to me) nail arts recently and I randomly had an urge to go back to my ways of gradienting all the nails. Since my nails are long af right now, it was the perfect time to do some triple scaled gradient action nails, that pretty much look like red dragon scales!

I used chevron/zig zag nail vinyls from Twinkled T to create this look, plus a lot of top coat and patience, lol. You can use my code SIMPLY at Twinkled T to get 10% off your entire order! Watch the video below!

 

VIDEO TUTORIAL RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW ↓!

Chevron scaled gradient - on short nails!

To all the non-believers out there (mostly 12 year olds on Instagram), you CAN DO a scaled gradient on short nails! Despite popular belief, it is totally possible, so long as you mind your gradient spacing :) I did these ones more or less to prove this point, figured I'd make use of my newfounds nubs (see more on my nail break travesty here and an update here). This original scaled gradient design was created for the weekly nail art challenge I co-host on Instagram along with @missbellatracey and Lacquerstyle. The prompt is gradient (which I hi-jacked to scaled gradient of course) and the theme is matte - check out the matte version below!

 

VIDEO TUTORIAL AT THE END OF THE POST!

Abstract starburst rainbow foil nail art

~Le français suit~

I'm a first timer! First time nail foiler that is, if that's such a verb - I don't know. I was going for an abstract look for a metallic-themed weekly nail art challenge I'm co-hosting on instagram with talented nail artists Kristin of Lacquerstyle and Tracey of @missbellatracey, and 'abstract' was the prompt for this week. I got this awesome rainbow nail foil and foil glue from nail art shop Née Jolie, but having never foiled before I kept things simple and stuck to a single-coloured deep burgundy creme base accented with the metallic rainbow goodness. Me likey the foilies!

 

VIDEO TUTORIAL AT THE END OF THE POST!

Fall-toned asymmetrical colour-blocking with matte textured glitters

Colour-block cause why not! A simple asymmetrical colour-block featuring three new polishes from Colour Club's Made in New York and Seven Deadly Sins Fall 2014 collections. These three colours just go so well together and are fresh and fit for this fall weather we're having over here in Canada. Although with our luck, it will be snowing next week and I'll be reaching for deep blues and iridescent white flakies. Enjoy fall manis while they last!

 

VIDEO TUTORIAL AT THE END OF THE POST!

Broken glass flakies

Last month I posted an 'emerald green runway' mani that consisted of mattified green polish, negative space and green flakies galore. There's been so many flakies-over-dark-colour manis floating around mani-land lately, and I just love it. Notably, this includes Kristin from Lacquerstyle's flakies over a deep burgundy,  @chorubim's flakies over a royal blue, and Amy from McPolish's flakies over an emerald green (which coincidentally I had also unknowingly conjured up in my nail art lair). I decided that they should all have a baby and this is what was born:

That's a fine looking baby. 

Oh hey there, magnetic polish, where you been hiding?

Magnetic polish was a hot new thing for nails along with other sorts of textures (concrete, leather, etc.) that started trending a couple years ago. I'm pretty sure the first time I ever heard of it was in 2011, with hard-to-find-companies (at least in Canada) like Layla Cosmetics and Nails Inc. releasing a line of magnetic polishes. Soon enough wallet-friendly brands like Sally Hansen and Revlon among others caught on and the next thing you know almost ever brand of polish had at least one magnetic polish and you could find them at your local drug store. That shit spread like wildfire.

What is magnetic polish? Essentially it's polish that has magnetic particles in it so that when you hold a magnet directly over your nail immediately after applying the polish it replicates the design of whatever the magnet's shape is. No, not just any magnet will work. Specialty magnets usually came with the polish (embedded in the cap) in various designs like stars, lines, waves, and so on. Essie jumped on the magnetic polish party train in late 2012, releasing a line of 6 magnetic polishes under the 'repstyle' collection, all with the same snakeskin-ish pattern that would be revealed by the magnet.  Some reviews of the collection weren't so great, and some talked about using ad hoc tricks to get the magnetic pattern to better show itself.

I've had these two Essie repstyle magnetic polishes for probably two years now and had only ever used them once. I hated how they turned out cause whenever I placed the magnet over the wet polish I ended up smushing it cause I'm a tard, and then well, it was just ugly. So when I was re-organizing my polish rack I thought I should give these little bastards a try again. This is the result:

Abstract contrast tri-colour

This abstract contrast mani was created using tape and three different colours that have some serious contrast. I was loosely inspired by Nails by Josse for the colour scheme, but other ladies such as Reinovate Nails have executed some beautiful edgy abstract designs as well.

I really wanted to do this look with more of a rich dark brown and a really saturated orange (but not pale, peachy or neon like all the variations of orange polish that I currently have in my stash), but I didn't have the exact colours I wanted so I ended up with this.