The beach nails didn't last long.

The beach nails didn't last long. They just weren't my style, so I wasn't enjoying looking at them. I did these real quick last night. I didn't have a whole lot of time, and my original idea was something entirely different, but things went in their own direction, and here we are. LOL

I put down my base color (which is one I really adore! - some off brand polish I found in Douglasville a while back) and then used Saran Wrap to put the sparkly color down. Then I stamped this festive, swirly design on top. Pretty easy. I could really see that design going great over some brighter colors.

Honestly, I feel like something is missing here. I really don't enjoy it when all of my nails look the same. I have no idea why. LOL Even though these have depth and are pretty and interesting, it's just not enough. I might have to go and paint one the base color or black or something, just so I don't take them off. 😛

Research polish;
Sponging and Stamping techniques

Please pardon my dry and crusty cuticles.

Please pardon my dry and crusty cuticles.  I did moisturize before this photo, but they are obviously still pretty sad.  Between the yard work yesterday, and the ASS TON of acetone it took to clean up after sponging that gradient, I guess that's understandable.  Poor cuticles.  🙁

So... this paint job was a lot of fun to do, actually.  I've never been into free-handing anything, but I followed the tutorial linked below, so it was pretty easy.  Time-consuming - DEFINITELY.  But that's fine.  I enjoy painting nails and learning new things, and I had some free time, so why not?

I'm actually pretty proud of these.  Maybe I'll branch out and actually gain some painting skillz.  🙂

If anyone else tries these nails, I'd love to see photos!

https://www.chalkboardnails.com/2013/07/tutorial-beauty-and-beach-summer-nail.html

Various polishes;

Freehand technique

Just finished doing my nails.

Just finished doing my nails.  That was some hours.  LOL  I followed a tutorial I found online, and oddly enough, it was mostly freehand work, which I NEVER do.  But I think they turned out pretty nice.  These are not usually my style AT ALL, but I do like them.  I guess I'm finally branching out a little.  And I'm finally making use of that awesome brush set that Shaun got me so long ago.  Yay for things!  😃

So apparently...

So apparently, there are a lot of awesome stamping plates coming out.  I REALLY WANT TO BUY THEM!

But I'm being good.

And responsible.

And good.

But it sucks.

😐

Here they are!

Here they are! Galaxy Nails have been on my list of nail things to try for ages. Seriously. I don't know why I never did them before now. They were pretty easy, and they look really nice. I'm hoping I don't have to take them off for a while. Maybe they'll last at least until the weekend.

For those who are wondering, you just paint down a base color (usually black, but I went with a metallic navy blue) and then sponge down different colors in random places. Then use a small paint brush and / or dotting tool for the stars. Most of the Galaxy Nails I've ever seen were really dark. Black as a base, then a lot of deep purples, reds and blues. I like the lighter colors. I'm not a fan of anything super dark on my nails, I've discovered.

Shaun had to correct me. He says these don't look like a galaxy. They look a like a nebula. Ok, so they're Nebula Nails, then. My bad. 😃

Various polishes;
Freehand, Sponging, and Dotting techniques

I finally sat down and did some galaxy nails tonight.

I finally sat down and did some galaxy nails tonight.  They have been on my "to do" list forEVER.  I think they turned out rather pretty.  They are not as dark as most of the ones I've seen, but I think I prefer that.  I recently saw a pastel version that was really nice, but it was too light for my tastes.  So, mine are kind of in between.  Photo tomorrow!  🙂

Btw, husbang has serious issues with the fact that they are not called "Nebula Nails."  First of all, that sounds much better.  Secondly, if you look up Galaxy vs. Nebula, Nebula fits better with the nail art that people are doing.  We just had to put that out there.

This color is SOOO pretty.

This color is SOOO pretty.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE the pink with the blue-leaning sheen.  But holy cow, it STINKS.  It is scented, and it smells like VERY STRONG cheap floral perfume, and I've had a headache all day.  It's gotta go.

Not to mention that I can never keep my striping take stuck down on the edges for long.  (I don't know why.  I have tried everything.  It just doesn't last.)  And once it starts coming up, it's just SO COMPLETELY SATISFYING to pull that shit up.  My tape didn't make it past lunch today.  LOL

Research polish;
Research plate;
Stamping and Taping techniques

I just feel a little bit stupid right now.

I just feel a little bit stupid right now.  LOL  I bought this new nail polish from Walgreen's the other night and I just tried it out.  When I was using it I kept thinking, "This is super smelly.  Like fucking flowers or something."  And not in a good way.  Like, extremely overpowering floral perfume.  And it's dry, and it still smells.  So much a lot.  🙁

SO... I'm in my room, away from the nail polish, so I thought I'd Google it so I could tell you what it was.  And when I found the image, the display clearly said "Scented Nail Polish."  I'm telling you - if I'd noticed that I probably wouldn't have bought it.  At least not the flower smell.  MAYBE the vanilla, but that color wasn't as impressive.  What gets me is that it doesn't say that it's scented on the bottle.  I checked, twice.  I don't know if I can survive the night with this smell.  And I just spent two hours doing my nails.  🙁

Here it is, for anyone interested.  I got pink rose.  Blegh.

https://wieniawski.blogspot.com/2013/04/tea-beauty-bouquet-collection-opi-euro.html

Research polish

Went to Wal-Mart to look for a certain Revlon polish...

Went to Wal-Mart to look for a certain Revlon polish that's only available for the month of July.  Didn't find it.  HOWEVER, I saw some other pretty cool stuff.  They now have more interesting decals, striping tape, nail tattoos, and nail foils.  I picked up a few new things.  Hopefully, they aren't just crap.  We shall see!  😃

I saw something similar to this on a blog...

I saw something similar to this on a blog and thought I'd give it a try. This one is actually freehand! It was so super easy, though, I even did it on my left hand with my right. 😃 So you just take a really fine brush (or use striping polishes if you have them) and make partial lines. I think the one I saw online used a lot of straight lines, but I kind of like them wavy better. Gives it a neat smoky look. If you have access to a tiny brush, definitely try this. Unless you think it's ugly, then don't waste your time. 🙂

Research polishes;
Freehand technique

Damn, I needed some color...

Damn, I needed some color after a couple of days of those dark sandpaper claws. 😳 This is more like it. 😃 I guess I'm not that into dark vampy colors. Now I know.

Cherry Blossom, anyone?

Research polish;
Waterslide Decal

I got a few of the new OPI Liquid Sand polishes.

I got a few of the new OPI Liquid Sand polishes. I really like that they have texture AND sparkle. The only problem with the textured polishes is that I can't think of a lot of ways to do nail art with them, other than tape manicures of some sort. If you top-coat them like crazy, you could probably stamp over them or something, but I don't feel it's worth the effort. I really like the look of the sandy texture, anyway. Feels really nice when you have an itch, too. Like you have little pieces of sandpaper attached to your fingers. 😃

I don't usually like wearing really dark colors, but I do like this one. I think the pink glitter helps. 🙂

Even though the textured polishes aren't shiny, I dig them more than smooth matte nails. I think that the smooth matte looks really neat, but I hate the way it feels when I touch it. It totally weirds me out. LOL But texture, I can deal with.

Sorry for the weird hand angle and all that. My camera screen is still jacked, so just pointing and shooting and hoping for the best. LOL

Research polishes;

Taping technique

I had no idea that mint green and red was a thing...

I had no idea that mint green and red was a thing until Mo told me, but I guess it is. Google says so, if you don't believe her. In a thousand years I probably never would have thought of this. LOL So thank you, Mo, for helping me with color. That is something I always need help with.

So I know those are not my most creative nails, but my mint green is a textured polish, so that limits what I can do with it. Maybe I'll topcoat them later to see how they do, but you generally aren't supposed to do that because then you can't feel the texture.

Obviously, I did not paint lines that straight on my own. Tape was the magic behind these nails. 😉

Research polishes;
Taping technique