40 Great Nail Art Ideas: Week 3 Geek

This week's prompt is Geek, which brings to my mind geeks vs. nerds vs. dorks.  However, I was seeing others in the nail art challenge pursuing art that honors their favorite "geeky" tv show.  So I started thinking about Dr. Who, Harry Potter, Big Bang Theory as geeky shows I know....  Then I realized I geek out over Friends!  I own the original boxed set and I put it on in the background when I craft so I literally have seen it over 50 times, easily.  So I tried recreating the iconic logo.  I used multichrome rhinestones as the dots because the color pattern varied too much on the logos I was looking at on Google and even on my own box set.  I apologize for the streaking on the white - I'm used to indies drying quickly and this is a mainstream polish that appears to dry VERY slowly and I keep mis-timing when to put on the top coat.

Tell me in the comments what's your favorite tv show or what you "geek out" about!

Disclaimer: all opinions are my own.  Products were purchased by me for my own personal use.  No affiliation with Zoya or other products used in this post.

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40 Great Nail Art Ideas: Week 1 Hobbies

I have joined another nail art challenge!  Another great one hosted by Crumpet's Nail Tarts.  I am challenging myself to the one-a-week prompt style.  I typically post manis on Monday, so this'll be an adjustment for me at first.  This week's prompt is hobbies!

Now, I consider myself to have many hobbies.  Crafting has always been my number one, but since I'm living with my parents that's kind of gone on the backburner due to space constraints (and them not being fans of how much room it takes)... plus I wasn't sure how to do nail art on that.  I enjoying cooking and baking, but, there again, haven't been really able to do that since this isn't my house.  I'm slowly getting to where make-up *might* be a hobby; nail polish definitely is, but I have a feeling plenty of other manis will be about that.  And then there's a few hobbies I've mine I've let go dormant: photography, scrapbooking, crocheting....

However, the thing I am most passionate about is animal advocacy: I could easily do it as a full time job.  I currently volunteer for my friend's rescue as well as dedicate my time to being a helicopter mom to three kitties.  I am also the random weirdo in your local pet store teaching you (and sometimes the employees!) about proper pet care while shopping.  While this might not be considered a traditional "hobby," it IS what I am most passionate about right now.  And I could come up with some nail art for it. :)

I used three untrieds from my A Box, Indied stash to create this mani: Pahlish Fields of Gold (March 2015), Contrary Polish When in Rome (Aug 2015), and Different Dimension Witch & Famous (Oct 2015).  In conjunction with some white polish as well as cat vinyl decals I purchased from What's Up Nails, I created a mani inspired by the colorings of my three adorable furbabies.  This came out a little more Halloweenie than I intended, but that's bound to happen when I'm working with polishes I haven't tried on before this.  Also when what's in your head doesn't translate as well as one hoped.

I had some difficulty applying the Contrary Polish.  I am not sure if this is due to it not liking my basecoat or that is simply its consistency.  I have had this issue in the past with Contrary Polish.  While the first coat is streaky and drags, the second coat evens things out.  The Different Dimension I had no difficulties with, although I'm not sure how I feel about the bigger brush.  Pahlish is a brand I'm already familiar with and have quite the stash already, whereas Contrary and DD I'm newly introduced through ABI.

Tell me in the comments below what you think!  And let me know what your favorite hobby is that would inspire your nail art mani!

 pinkie = Maddie

ring = Brandon

middle = Annabelle

pointer is a fun decal :)

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the polish brands mentioned above.  All opinions are my own.  Polishes were purchased by me for my own personal usage.

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Monday Mani: #52WPNMC with Superficially Colorful Tsahik Accented by Darling Diva The Alchemist and Dark Ritual

This week's Monday Mani features red, orange, and green from the #52WPNMC nail art challenge.  My mani was inspired by Lacquerologist's gorgeous mani from last week, which I discovered in my feed on Instagram and you can find on her blog here (and, yes, I SO want that KBShimmer now!).

I used Superficially Colorful in Tsahik for the orange, Darling Diva in The Alchemist for the red, and Darling Diva in Dark Ritual for the green.  I'm not a big fan of orange in general and, thus, don't have really any in my stash, so I thought I was *really* stretching it using Tsahik, but thought I could roll with it since it's described as a bright holographic orange/coral red polish.  What I discovered pleasantly surprised me: while in indoor lighting it clearly leans coral in hue, in the outdoors it lights up to an almost-neon orange.  Crazy cool!  Formula was ah-mazing on this, and could easily be a one coater depending on how you applied it.  I went for two thin coats.  As is the case with my Darling Diva polishes, no application issues there either.  Although I was a little impatient applying topcoat (need to get better about that!), it really brought out the holo in Tsahik, which otherwise dries as semi-matte.  Dark Ritual is a deep blackened evergreen linear holo and The Alchemist is a bright red holo.

Tell me in the comments what you think!  It's hard to put these colors together - did I pull it off?

Indirect outdoor lighting under shade

Full shade

Full shade

Full direct sun

Monday Mani is about showcasing beautiful indie polishes that I've purchased through lifestyle shots. So many swatches out there are captured under lighting and conditions that aren't common of every day. My intention is to show mani's under typical lighting and wearing conditions so you can decide if the beauty is right for you or not. Please note that although colors are accurate on my computer monitor (Macbook Pro), colors do vary among devices. Professional blogger swatches are perfect - here's my life lessons from a handmade artisan.

Disclaimer: All reviews and opinions are my own. Products were purchased with my own money. No affiliation with Superficially Colorful, Darling Diva, and their respective products.

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Monday Mani: #52WPNMC with Picture Polish Tail Feather, Girly Bits What the Deuce, and A England Saint George

Week 35 of the 52 Week Pick N Mix Challenge is "patchwork" or "bright & happy".  I went with bright and happy.  I always think of yellow when I think "happy" (as most people probably do), but my first mani for this challenge was an epic fail.  I also think of bright green when I think happy so I went for something I haven't tried before and did a faux ombre on a diagonal with green.  I got a little impatient with applying the top coat so I had to do a little patch job to attempt to correct the smearing, but other than that I am SO stoked with how this looks.

Featured on bottom is three thin coats of Tail Feather by Picture Polish, a lime green bijou holo that leans to the mint side and is a little sheer.  Application was easy and did a good job of self-leveling (which it needed).  The middle color is What the Deuce? by Girly Bits, a kelly green holo shimmer that is saturated with color.  GB is always great, and I'm loving this color.  The darkest green, and last layer, is Saint George by A-England, which is described as a teal, but I would argue is more of a forest green loaded with holo.  I put skinny white striping tape on the two fingers that feature all three colors.

I'm definitely loving this nail art look and am going to try for some more faux ombres with other colors!

Indirect sunlight on the patio, afternoon sun

In the shade under trees

Somewhat direct afternoon sun

Indirect lighting on the patio, afternoon sun

Complete and direct afternoon sunlight

Monday Mani is about showcasing beautiful indie polishes that I've purchased through lifestyle shots. So many swatches out there are captured under lighting and conditions that aren't common of every day. My intention is to show mani's under typical lighting and wearing conditions so you can decide if the beauty is right for you or not. Please note that although colors are accurate on my computer monitor (Macbook Pro), colors do vary among devices. Professionals blogger swatches are perfect - here's my life lessons from a handmade artisan.

Disclaimer: All reviews and opinions are my own. Products were purchased with my own money. No affiliation with Picture Polish, Girly Bits, or A England and their respective products.

An InLinkz Link-up

Monday Mani: #52WPNMC with Girly Bits Just My Cup of Tea'l and Polynesian Sunset

It's Week 34 of the 52 Week Pick N Mix Challenge with this week's prompts being lilac and teal or pastels. Considering I have a most-likely-diagnosable problem with the amount of blues and purples I buy, I figured why not give the lilac and teal a shot. Luckily for me, I have the perfect duo of untrieds to fit the bill.  From my stash I picked from one of my favorite indie handmade brands, Girly Bits. Pam released a custom polish trio in June 2014 exclusive to the GBCF Facebook group, two of which happen to be a purple and a teal. For the purposes of this nail art challenge, I'm arguing it's a lilac. ;) 

Since these were released as customs, they were available only one time to a select group of people and did not have an official description. As provided by Pam at the time of preview for purchase: "This teal leans slightly more blue than #islandtime and it has more aqua shimmer and less gold. This purple is slightly darker than #endlesslove, with prominent pink shimmer and silver holo sparks in addition to the base holo." I applied both colors in thin layers (with top coat), and both, as is my usual experience with GB, were super easy to apply and dried quickly. I had not discovered the pink shimmer (which I thought at the time was a pink flash) of Polynesian Sunset until later under the lighting of my bedroom light fan, a very pleasant surprise. I enjoyed Polynesian Sunset for two days with very minimal tip wear (only one minor chip), which is also my typical experience with GB, as a monochromatic mani. I later applied Just My Cup of Tea'l ruffian style, mimicking nail art from this post.  Both are jam packed with holo and stunning colors.

As you will see in the nail art photo, my index finger is not pictured.  To my surprise, the lilac layer pulled up with my vinyl upon removal.  While I patched the screw up with the teal polish, I felt it wasn't camera ready.  I have had the teal on since Thursday with extremely minimal tip wear, only one chip (I'm sensing a theme).  Girly Bits polishes are VERY hardy.

In the shade with indirect lighting

In the shade

In the shade with indirect lighting

In the shade

Monday Mani is about showcasing beautiful indie polishes that I've purchased through lifestyle shots. So many swatches out there are captured under lighting and conditions that aren't common of every day. My intention is to show mani's under typical lighting and wearing conditions so you can decide if the beauty is right for you or not. Please note that although colors are accurate on my computer monitor (Macbook Pro), colors do vary among devices. Professionals blogger swatches are perfect - here's my life lessons from a handmade artisan.

Disclaimer: All reviews and opinions are my own. Products were purchased with my own money. No affiliation with Girly Bits or their products.

An InLinkz Link-up

Monday Mani: #52WPNMC - Elevation Walk A Little Farther and Girly Bits Winter Sanctuary

Week 32 of the #52WPNMC is about Outlines.  I wanted to try out my new zebra vinyls from Nail Vinyls and thought this was the perfect prompt to do so.  Now, as we've already learned, I don't own any neons, which, I have to admit, make for a pretty stellar zebra pattern.  So I had to make do.

Walk a Little Farther is from the January 2015 collection by Elevation Polish and is a soft baby blue with intense blue micro shimmer.  I wore it for one day on its own and got several compliments.  The shimmer is not that prominent unless under more intense lighting.  Formula was on the thick side so I actually created bubbles during application.  My nail chemistry has a harder time with EvP so I'm still working on my technique with it, but overall I would say it's a nice creme.

I laid down my nail vinyls and applied the sparkly gorgeousness that is Winter Sanctuary, a collaboration between Girly Bits and epic blogger Cosmetic Sanctuary.  It's a stunning medium to dark cobalt blue shimmolo with a hint of purple and a scattering of holo microglitter in it.  Now, I didn't put on enough to see the hints of purple, but I for sure see the lovely sparkliness of the microglitter.  This has quickly been put on my favorites list.

Here's my epic fail whale confession: I'm still perfecting my technique with vinyls in trying to figure out when to take them off for clean lines.  Instructions say right away, so the balance is trying to get the second polish on in one coat.  As a result, I tend to put on too thick a coat.  When I put on the PDQ top coat from Colors by Llarowe, it smeared Winter Sanctuary.  So I waited longer on the right hand before applying the quick dry topcoat (which seems counterintuitive, honestly) and it smeared a little less, but nonetheless smeared.  So not quite sure about that, but I'm hoping it's user error.

I definitely want to wear both these colors again, in a more monochromatic look to enjoy their full beauty.  Perhaps each with just tips for a little pizzazz (I'm starting to get bored with a monochromatic look, which is what I usually do to fully enjoy the beauty of polishes).  I'm loving the zebra look so I'll still be experimenting with those to get my technique perfected.

Let me know what you think in the comments!  Any tips or suggestions as to the smearing?

Indirect shade lighting

Indirect shade lighting

Indirect shade lighting

Indirect shade lighting

Indirect shade lighting

Direct sun lighting

Monday Mani is about showcasing beautiful indie polishes that I've purchased through lifestyle shots.  So many swatches out there are captured under lighting and conditions that aren't common of every day.  My intention is to show mani's under typical lighting and wearing conditions so you can decide if the beauty is right for you or not.  Please note that although colors are accurate on my computer monitor (Macbook Pro), colors do vary among devices.  Professionals blogger swatches are perfect - here's my life lessons from a handmade artisan.

Disclaimer:  All reviews and opinions are my own.  Products were purchased with my own money.  No affiliation with Girly Bits or Elevation Polish and their products.

An InLinkz Link-up

Monday Mani: #52WPNMC - Girly Bits Cosmic Ocean and piCture pOlish Sea Jewel

It is week 31 of 52 Week Pick N Mix Challenge (#52WPNMC) for which I chose the prompt Oceanic.  I picked two ocean-y colored and named(!) polishes just for the occasion, then used tip guides to create a faux mermaid tale reminiscent effect.  Although, on afterthought, I kind of wish I had thought of mermaid scales.  (And, yes, been less lazy with the clean-up.)

I used basecoat then put down two layers of black undies to make the colors pop even more (although I know the colors look fine on their own, I just wanted the extra effect).  First came two layers of Cosmic Ocean by Girly Bits Cosmetics, a blue/green/purple duochrome.  I could not find the purple, but I definitely saw several dimensions of blue and green.  It's just stunning (I've actually used it in my nail polish jewelry).  Then, using the tip guides, I put on a thick layer of Sea Jewel by piCture pOlish, a green and silver metallic green that dries with a smidgen of texture.  I layered on topcoat, which really made things pop even more.  I didn't have any troubles with application, and both dry fairly fast with my nail chemistry.

It is hard to capture all of the colors of Cosmic Ocean because it changes so easily and frequently under different lights.  You can literally move two feet and see a different color dimension to it.  I'm really digging how this mani turned out.  Tell me in the comments below what you think!

Under shade lighting, highlighting the dark green color aspect

Under shade lighting, highlighting the dark blue hues

Shade lighting

Direct sun, showing off all the sparkle!

Shade lighting, angled to show dark blue hues

Shade lighting, angled to show various dimension

Monday Mani is about realistically showcasing beautiful indie polishes that I've purchased.  So many swatches out there are captured under lighting that we simply don't use every day.  My intention is to show mani's under typical lighting and wearing conditions so you can decide if the beauty is right for you or not.  Please note that although colors are accurate on my computer monitor (Macbook Pro), colors do vary among devices.

Disclaimer:  All reviews and opinions are my own.  Products were purchased with my own money.  No affiliation with Girly Bits or Picture Polish and their products.

An InLinkz Link-up

Monday Mani: Echinops and Kilauea by Elevation Polish used for the #52WPNMC

Today's post is brought to you by the epic Mr. Fail Whale.  On several levels.

I entered the 52 Week Pick N Mix Challenge (#52WPNMC) with this week's prompts being indie or neons.  Well, I always do Monday Mani's with indies so easy peasy.  I was hoping to meet both, but I actually don't own neons because they don't really speak to me.  So, as a compromise, I chose what I had closest to resembling neons.  Now, I had an epic idea in my head for some nail art - combine the ruffian and starburst vinyl looks - that, unbeknownst to me, would turn into an epic fail.  Insert sad face here, BUT it's all about learning, right?  So while you bask in my "wonderful idea" turned failure, please admire the colors instead.

I used Elevation Polishes with Zoya basecoat and topcoat.  My first fail is that my base and topcoat bottles are almost gone so getting polish on the brush and nail was difficult.  I first used Echinops as the base, a soft Lavender/Blurple creme base with medium/low density holographic pigment.  The second color I layered on top is Kilauea, a bold Magenta/Pink creme.  Oddly enough, my experience was different than the descriptions in terms of coats.  I wasn't too worried about coverage from Echinops since I knew Kilauea was going over it, but it could've used 3 thin coats for full coverage instead of the 2 I used, whereas Kilauea is much creamier and really perhaps only needed one coat whereas I used 2.  However, it having a color underneath I noticed it really affected its look and came out leaning more red than pink (as you can see from the pics, the bottle shot looks different in color than the mani).  I imagined this color to be that of hawaiian punch so I'll be trying it on its own.  I used the starburst vinyl from Nail Vinyls on my middle finger.  Depending on what kind of look you want, the vinyl could be cut in half and placed as a smaller burst on the nail.

As you'll see from my pictures, it wasn't exactly an awesome mani.  I experienced some odd shrinkage, I believe, on my index finger.  I had spotty coverage due to user error.  My polish smeared a little bit.  I think I need to be more patient when applying Elevations because I think the formula doesn't agree as well as some other indies I buy with my nail chemistry.  But I know many other bloggers who have great success with the formula so I'll keep plugging away at my efforts to get into a groove with it.  However, due to them almost feeling rubber-like, the wear time on EvP is amazing.  In the meantime, tell me in the comments your thoughts about my fail - perhaps it gave you a good laugh!

Echinops in the shade

Echinops in direct sunlight.  Oooo, holo!

Nail art in the shade

Nail art in the sun

Monday Mani is about realistically showcasing beautiful indie polishes that I've purchased.  So many swatches out there are captured under lighting that we simply don't use every day.  (I typically am not admiring my nails under Ott lights.)  My goal is to show mani's under typical lighting and wearing conditions so you can decide if the beauty is right for you or not.

Disclaimer:  All reviews and opinions are my own.  Products were purchased with my own money.  No affiliation with Elevation or its products.

An InLinkz Link-up

Day4JNAC - 13 Days of January Nail Art Challenge: Monochromatic

It's no secret blue is my most favorite color.  Yo Cupid Take A Hike by Colors by Llarowe is my biggest lemming so I'm constantly searching for a dupe.

Now, I can't say for sure this is a dupe since I don't own both to compare, but I CAN say that this is literally the exact shade of blue that is my most favorite color.  You know how you have a favorite color, but it's a certain shade within that spectrum that's your most favorite shade, the one that you think is the best representation of that color?  Yeah, this is it.

Say hello to Dream Walker by Darling Diva Polish.  This is almost a one coater polish.  I tried out some new stickers I got and I can't believe how gorgeous this looks.  I decided to be simple and go REALLY monochromatic for this post.  Just mono, haha.  I could just stare at my nails all day long.  I love it.  I'm going to get some serious mileage out of this bottle!

Also, holo.  That is all.

Photos taken outdoors in the shade.

An InLinkz Link-up

Day3JNAC - 13 Days of January Nail Art Challenge: Half and Half

So this is turning out to be *quite* the learning experience.  Things I learned yesterday: the answer to the question "Do I still need to wait several minutes after applying quick dry top coat before trying nail art with Scotch tape?" (the answer is yes); pulling tape off not-completely-dry polish creates a cool, but undesirable effect; sometimes doing lines freehand is easier; using a second color to completely cover the basecoat color is easier said than done.

However, like usual, Girly Bits did not disappoint.  Although My Ten Friends will always hold a special place in my heart, Girly Bits is quickly becoming possibly my second favorite indie brand.  The formula is so amazing that it doesn't require clean-up if you've got good technique.  Unless I slip, I'm able to paint with BOTH my hands without clean-up being warranted.  Dries quickly and the wear on it is AMAZING.  Tomorrow will be my third day wearing it and I'm willing to bet I'll end the day with hard-to-notice tip wear.  Oh, and she also makes pretty colors. ;)

Today's nail art is half and half.  Of course, this was WAY cooler in my head... also would've helped if I was patient with the tape.  Ah well, live and learn.  I used What Happens in Vegas Ends Up on Facebook (2014 version) and What Happens in Vegas Ends Up on Instagram (2014 version).  I wish the camera would capture the stunning glitters in this better - they're a gorgeous surprise.  The purple glitter in particular is breathtaking.  Maybe tomorrow's sun pictures will do it justice.

Indoor Lighting

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Day2JNAC: 13 Days of January Nail Art Challenge - Happiness

So apparently I can't read and thought today's prompt was a tape mani.  Whoops!  BUT french tips *do* make me happy, so this still counts, right?  This was my first time using decorative tape so I still need some practice on using it right.  Also had trouble getting it to stick.  And WOW I did not realize how poor a clean-up job I did - once again that darn camera is unforgiving, huh?!

Although I prefer to freehand french tips, I used some tape guides to help me create tips on three nails, and accented my pointer with two strips of silver decorative tape.  I used BEWBS! and Ashes Ashes for the mani, both by Darling Diva.  Formulas are on the thicker side, but boy are they rich, deep colors kissed by holo.  Despite the formulas being a smidgen thick, it creates a solid finish - almost reminiscent of rubbery, perhaps - that is not prone to chippage.  The following are indoor pics from tonight, I'll do outdoor pics tomorrow if my mani survives well enough.

And outdoor pics in the shade!  With a JUICY bottle shot of BEWBS.

An InLinkz Link-up

Day1CNT: 13 Days of January Nail Art Challenge - Follow A Tutorial

BKD Signature is participating in its first ever nail art challenge!  I'm joining a group of lovely bloggers in showcasing some gorgeous polishes and stunning nail art skills.  Of course, not MY stunning nail art skills, so this is a fun challenge I'm participating in to expand my skillset and challenge myself.  You can admire everyone else's beautiful works and giggle at my attempts. ;)  But most importantly, say hi to some awesome indie polishes!  My goal is to try to stick to only using handmade lacquer.

Today is Day One of The Thirteen Days of January Nail Art Challenge or #Day1CNT!  Today's theme is Follow A Tutorial.  I found inspiration from one of my awesome blogger friends, Chalkboard Nails.  I followed her ruffian mani, which you can find on Instagram.

I used NailNation 3000 "The High Life" under Girly Bits Limited Edition "Joyeux Noël".  I did this quick mani after a long day at work so please excuse the poor lighting.  I prefer to snap my mani's under natural light, but I figured moonlight wasn't enough. ;)  I'll snap better ones tomorrow and edit this post.

The High Life is a gorgeous yellow gold chock full of holo.  Joyeux Noël is a stunning magenta-leaning red with microglitter.  Had some trouble getting the NN3000 to dry (usually indies dry on my nails crazy fast), but the formula and brush were awesome for application.  The Girly Bits dried fairly quickly and also had nice application, as is my experience with GB.  Because I am not good at freehand, I used french tip nail guides to help me (which I could use practice applying).  However, I AM proud to say that my using polishes with amazing application leads to almost zero need for clean-up!

Edited to include some photos I took outdoors next day.  In the shade, in the backyard.

An InLinkz Link-up