Pigment Manicure

 
So I saw this manicure a while ago on Make Up Savvy's Blog. I
kept meaning to try it out using eyeshadow because I didn't have pigment. But as you can see in my eyeshadow manicure tutorial, the pigment turned out much richer than the eyeshadow. I think they are both fantastic though I will say that. Here is how to:

1. Gather your equipment- I didn't picture the top coat.

2. Load some pigment on the tip of the spoon handle and place on your finger right underneath the cuticle. I am doing it the way I am in the photos because they are on a swatch and not my actual nail. 

3. Blow! Like I said in my eyeshadow manicure tutorial post, you should practice your blowing before you do this!

4. And voila! Done! Wait a little before putting the top coat on, then wash your hands! 

But wait- there's more!

Gradient Tape Manicure

Galaxy Nails!

I posted a picture forever ago that showed my first galaxy nail (below). WITH THE TUTORIAL!

I really loved that one.. but... then I thought I would experiment more with some other colors...

Then I got even CRAZIER and did it with white! Still love this a ton!

But at the end of the day, I just played with new colors... 

And still love this just the same as I always did. This manicure is my guilty pleasure.. 

Corner Striped Manicure

Easy! And classy.

Diamond Nails!

This one is simple and a half! All you do is paint a base coat, then take two pieces of tape, use the corners, and stack like them like pictured and then paint as you please in the opening of the tape.

Tips:
-Wait until your base coat is COMPLETELY dry.. or you will pull off the polish with the tape.
-Stick the tape to your skin and pull off, repeat a few more times. Do this so you remove the 100% stickiness of the tape.
-Be picky about the edge of the tape and make sure there is a good "seal" on it. No air bubbles, lifting, etc.


Then finish with a top coat!

Splatter- With a Twist!

Found this AMAZING way to splatter!!! I've used a straw and a toothbrush before.....

But then I found this tutorial that I love! But there's some things that I want to add in that would make some things clearer. 

First off, use WHATEVER colors you choose. Seriously. 

Second, the paint brush I used was a paint brush that I found at hobby lobby in a bag of random ones all mixed together. So as long as the bristles are soft and decent in length, you will be made in the shade. 

Third- with the acrylic paint to "splatter" on to your nails comes a frustration I encountered. Acrylic paint is too think alone to splatter. I read in a comment that someone said to use nail polish thinner, BAD IDEA. All you need is water mixed with the paint and then you take the brush and put it in between your thumb and middle finger, then use your pointer finger to tap it enough to cause a splatter. 

Easy as cake. Let the paint sink in for about 5-10 minutes so that you have the smooth look to it. Then use a top coat and you're done! 

MESSY! But worth it, see what I mean?

Here were the colors and polishes that I used. 

String Art Manicure with Toothpick

Just a Preview....

Bright Yellow Dots

Acetone Manicure

So I am in love with this idea. And I mean IN LOVE WITH this idea. I will be doing more different variations with different colors. I got the tutorial from Nails Adored and she calls it the "Grunge Effect".

So this was my first try, and I think it came out great. I just forgot to put a top coat on and it ended up chipping the next day. I included a pretty in-depth tutorial. Keep in mind: this manicure is SO EASY! It probably takes 15 minutes from start to finish. It also helps because messing up is non-existent with this fun take on marbling.

1 & 2. I figured I don't too much with pink so I thought it would be fun to use a bunch of my pinks. The idea originally came about after seeing this picture of a breast cancer survivor. 

Her stomach says, "I had breast cancer and now I have Theo" in Portuguese.

Such a strong and amazing and brave and inspirational women. 

Swatches: Worth it!

Okay, so it has been incredibly hectic lately and please forgive me for the brief hiatus. So since I am addicted to looking at nail designs on Pintrest, and addicted to painting my own (sorry nails! I swear I'm changing!), seeing people painting nail acrylic tips so they don't paint their nails daily like I thought was a great plan. I know better now and ordered 500 clear acrylic full size tips and I think with tax and shipping, they cost $6.03 or something....? But I found them at the Born Pretty store! So worth it. Then I hot glued them to a toothpick, when you are hot gluing be careful that the nail doesn't melt. Before you stick the toothpick on the inside of nail, let it cool for a second or two before you make contact of the two. Then I took masking tape and wrapped it around the base with it's name, it's brand, and how many coats I used on the swatch. Also ended up cutting up an empty tissue box and messing around with it enough to use the other half as slot dividers. This whole thing took me about two weeks... but it was also an incredibly busy two weeks. This is an awesome weekend project and your nails will thank you!

Black Rainbow Dots

Made these dots with a bobby pin instead of a dotting tool. Also, did layers with the colors by applying cheaper top coats in between colors just for the 3D effect. 

Rainbow Dots

Stripe

Stripe of Shatter

Dip-N-Dots