“Big Sky” Constellations Nails

I was eating my breakfast the other morning thinking about what I was going to do with my nails to post today.  I was really happy with my franken from yesterday and didn’t really want to take it off.  And then it hit me… Constellations.  Perfect!Creating the design was pretty simple, but I had to do a bit of research to prepare for this one.  I looked at a couple of websites then I remembered about a constellation book I have.  I dug out my National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Night Sky and looked up the four constellations I’d decided on.

This picture is lacking a bit in quality, I did it on purpose though.  I had a hard time photographing this mani because the reflection of the lights kept obstructing the design.  It kept washing my stars out, hence, the poor quality.  I also decided I would draw the constellations out for you to see them.  I’m an Aquarius and my husband and daughter are Capricorn and Cancer.  Cassiopeia is a constellation that is pretty recognizable for me.  We vacation in “Big Sky” Montana each year and it’s near impossible to look up in the sky at night and not be able to spot constellations.  Cassiopeia is just another one that I’m familiar with and is pretty easy for me to spot.  I used OPI DS Radiance for my “stars.”

Twinsie Tuesday: Starry Starry Sky Franken

Happy Tuesday!  For this installment of Twinsie Tuesday we’re all showcasing frankens.  I must admit, I was a little scared by this one.  I’ve never done any frankening.  I had no idea what I wanted to do.  I decided I wanted to try to create something that resembles Essie Starry Starry Night, although I’ve never actually seen it.  I’m calling my masterpiece Starry Starry Sky.

I dug through my stash and found a decent bottle that I haven’t opened in years (and didn’t for see opening again) and went to work cleaning it out.  Let’s see if I can remember what I put in here…

I started with some NYX Ink, NYX Sepia and China Glaze Dorothy Who for my blue base, plus a little glitter from Dorothy Who.  I threw in a bunch of Nina Ultra Pro Opal Elegance which is a holo glitter in a slightly milky base.  It wasn’t dark enough, so I added China Glaze Liquid Leather to deepen the color.  I threw in a bunch of old Sally Hansen Diamond Strength that had a bit of dust on it.  For some more glitter and to change up the sizes a bit I threw in some Kleancolor Sugar Coat.

I’m pretty happy with the end result.  Look at that bottle shot up there!  If that doesn’t look like a night sky, I don’t know what does.  I don’t know that Starry Starry Night has holo or larger glitters, but I think they were a nice addition to my mix.  What do you think of my first franken?  Does it hold a candle to Essie SSN?

Be sure the check out every one else’s frankens today:

Amanda of Amandalandish
Anna of Going to the Showing
Anne of Grape Fizz Nails
Ashley of Art Evolve
Chelsea of Nailed Blog
ChiChi of I’m Just Me…ChiChi
Jenn of All That is Gorgeous
Jenna of I’m Still Thinking
Katherine of Haul of Fame
Marisa of Polish Obsession
Meredith of Polish and Charms
Nory of Fierce Make Up and Nails
Sarah of See Sarah Swatch

Nailside Cloud Skittles

More rainbows ala Nailside clouds!  I did these nails last week with my feathers.  I was shooting for a full feather mani, but after I finished the feathers on my left hand, I just didn’t want to do my right hand.  I had already done white clouds on all my nails, so I added bightly colored clouds to coordinate with the feathers on the other hand.

I just love how colorful they are.  I’ve been using these same colors a lot lately.  Bold, primary colors are definitely a must in any stash if you plan to do nail art and even if you don’t.  And I just can’t get enough of the cloud with some naked nail peeking through.

The polishes I used for this mani were China Glaze White on White, Kleancolor Green Grass, Color Club Reddy or Not, Sinful Colors Savage, Sinful Colors Pull Over and WnW Buffy the Violet Slayer.

Seurat Inspired Stipple Mani

Do you remember learning about this painting when you were in elementary school?  This is “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” by Georges Seurat.  When I read that Sarah over at Chalkboard Nails was hosting a contest I started brainstorming.  Her rules (in part) state that other than the brush that comes with the bottle of polish, your only tool can be a dotter of some sort.  One of the first things that came to mind was this work by Seurat.  It’s called stipple art, using dots to create your pattern.

Here’s what I came up with…

A stippled rainbow with a stippled pot of gold at the end.

This baby took a ton of polishes!  I think I counted 17.  I started with a base color of China Glaze White on White,  then a coat of OPI Swedish Nude to tone down the gleam on the white.  Then the dotting started.  I used a light and a dark shade of each color.  I did the whole rainbow in the lighter colors first, then filled in the gaps with the darker shades.  Then did the pot of gold in the same manner.

The only complaint I have about this mani is that if my fingers aren’t all lined up like this, it just doesn’t have the same impact.  I guess that’s what I get for doing a design that spans across all my nails.  Despite this, I really like it!  It’s putting me in the mood for spring and getting me thinking about St. Patrick’s Day.  What do you think of the stippling technique?  Does it just look messy?  Wish me luck in the contest!

Now let’s catalog the polishes I used for this design:
Purples are OPI Do You Lilac It? and WnW Buffy the Violet Slayer
Blues are Sinful Colors Aquamarine and Julep Marisa
Greens are Orly Green Apple and Kleancolor Green Grass
Yellows are American Apparel Butter and Sinful Colors Pull Over
Oranges are WnW Sunny Side Up and Jordana Orangesicle
Reds are Color Club Reddy or Not and China Glaze Phat Santa
The pot is China Glaze Liquid Leather and CND Asphalt
The gold is Sinful Colors Pull Over and Sinful Colors This is it

Rainbow Leopard

I’m on a bit of a rainbow kick this week.  This is the fourth one I’ve done this week (although this is only the second one I’ve posted).  Maybe it’s because St. Patrick’s Day is coming and I’m anxious for spring.

Who doesn’t love leopard print?  And a ROY G BV leopard is even better, right?  I love that all you need to create a leopard print are a couple polishes and some sort of dotting tool.  Super easy, but makes a bit statement.

Minus top coat this mani took 13 polishes.  My bathroom counter top looks like a nail polish battlefield from this mani and another that took 17 polishes (mind you, I used some polishes in both designs).

Are you ready for all these polishes?  Here we go:

Base is China Glaze White on White
Purples are OPI Do You Lilac It? and OPI Plugged-In Plum
Blues are Sinful Colors Aquamarine and Julep Marisa
Greens are Orly Green Apple and Kleancolor Green Grass
Yellows are American Apparel Butter and Sinful Colors Pull Over
Oranges are WnW Sunny Side Up and Jordana Orangesicle
Reds are Color Club Reddy or Not and China Glaze Velvet Bow