Day 16: Tribal Fail

This is my tribal mani, which failed so bad I took it off directly after these shots, which was some fifteen minutes later than I finished the mani and some two hours after I started. What a waste of time!

The only thing I liked about it was the base colour: two coats of China Glaze trendsetter, although some fingers on my right hand had three coats - technique matters!

 I stamped a some kind of a tribal pattern using BM 213-plate, with Konad Special polish in purple, Orly terracotta and on the accent finger one more stripe with Essence Colour&go Wake up!

I started drawing lines around and alongside the stamped patterns with Konad black polish, but soon switched to black acrylic paint. The paints I'm currently using don't adhere too well to nail polish. Once again I swear I'm getting the Orly liners soon.. And some decent acrylic paints as well..

I'm feeling brave showing you all these pics of a failed mani. I've deserved some extra chocolate tonight! Here are the polishes I used. (And a tin cup with a cow, where I keep all my nail art pens and brushes)

Day 15: Delicate Print

Today's challenge was delicate print. Maybe I could have been more creative than just to stamp on something delicate. Or maybe I could relax a bit and not to demand I should surpass myself every time.

First I freehanded a french using Wild and Crazy Montana, and painted over it with Sinful Colors Frozen Pink. I think I did two layers. With "natural look" french mani I like to put the white under the pink to soften the line of the white polish. With this polish it worked quite well, I think, because the shimmer in Frozen Pink amplifies the effect even more.

Stamping was made with BM219 and Konad black special polish. And promptly smudged by a topcoat - I think I was using Mavala One Minute quick finish at that time. I'm so happy I went for Seche Vite!

It might be nerdy, but I keep the blue or clear protective film on the stamping plates until I've used them. That helps me to grab a plate I've never used before and forces me to figure out what to do with it. And, I can tell you, the film is still on on many of my french tip plates. Stamping a french is just so annoying with curvy, oval shaped nails I have! Maybe I'll try stamping them diagonally next time...

Day 14: Dotting Tool Flowers

Today's flower design is just some simple dotting tool flowers I made to match a blouse I wore for work.

I still don't own an opaque pale pink polish. For this mani I used three coats of Crisnail French Lacquer to achieve some kind of a pink base. I've seriously got to get my hands on some Zoya nudes soon!

I dotted some dots in flower shape with a medium sized dotting tool, and then dragged the dots towards the center with a smaller one to form petals. A kind of dry marble, that is? Polishes used were Essence Colour&go Fabuless and Nivea Color Dynamite Blue Harmony.

Not one of my favourites, but went well with the blouse. :)

Day 13: Hello Leopard

You've probably heard this one before, but I've never been much into Hello Kitty stuff, but... I was out shopping one day and came across trolley bags with the same design as the backpacks here. 
They were just too cute - it's a shame I don't need a new trolley... But I instantly saw the pattern as a manicure, perfec for today's Animal Print challenge.
I started the mani with two to three coats of Wild and Crazy Montana, and then freehanded a curving french with OPI Sparrow me the Drama. Here's a "nice" pre-cleanup post-cuticle oil pic..

 I was out shopping another day, too, (*blushes*) and found some fauxnad stamping sets - including stamper, scraper and one plate - from a local chinese store for 75 cents (that's about a dollar to you US readers). I had to grab at least one, and I went for the m71 with Hello Kitty. I stamped it on my ring fingers with Konad special black polish, and used a dotting tool and SmtD for the bow, and some yellow acrylic paint for the nose.

For the other nails I dabbed random dots with the same pink polish and lined them leopard style with Essence black Nail Art Pen (which has never quite collaborated with me and which had to pass on to the nail art pen heaven after this mani). I'll have to get some Orly Instant Artist liners soon..

 Did I just imagine, or did really I get some odd looks at work with this mani? I wonder... :D

Day 12: Wobbles and Stripes

Today's nails feature wobbly stripes and some dotting tool flowers. 

This is a copycat mani again. This time I'm following in the footsteps of Sharon from Polish Infatuated. I've had her totally cute springtime mani in my "read it laters" ever since September (the springtime in Australia). For the Stripes challenge I decided to create an autumn update using the cool faded colours in the OPI Pirates collection. Sharon does some amazingly creative designs, by the way, so please go and check out her blog!

I started out by three coats of OPI Skull and Glossbones on each nail. Either the formula on this was just a little bit streaky or it was just because of the mini brush, but I really needed the three coats. Then I painted thin stripes with the other Pirates collection polishes and a size 0 nail art brush. This was the phase where I once again felt like a 3-year-old learning to hold a pen for the first time. Why do I keep doing things I'm simply not good at?! *sihg* Just because, perhaps? After the stripes I freehanded a french tip with corresponding colour.

For the flowers I grabbed a dotting tool and some more vivid colours. I thought quite a lot about the colour I'd choose for the centers of the flowers. (What do you mean "don't I have anything else to do"?) It could have been white or off-white, but I ended up using China Glaze Trensetter - partly to get it out of my untrieds. Doing ten dots with a polish counts as using it, right? And when I've got no more untrieds I need to buy more polish, right? :)

And finally, here are all the polishes I used: Essence Colour&go Ultimate Pink, OPI Sparrow me the Drama, Catrice Sold Out For Ever, OPI Planks a Lot, Essence Nail Art Twins Thelma, OPI Planks a Lot, Essence Nai Art Twins Bella, OPI Mermaid's Tears, OPI Skull and Glossbones and China Glaze Trendsetter.