This is what I wore over the weekend.
These Ladybug Nails were so easy to do, and you just need 3 colours of polish. Chances are that you already have these in your stash.
If you’re looking for simple nail art, this is definitely it. There aren’t many steps, and you don’t have to be good at drawing. It’s just dots, stripes, and painting the tip of your nails.
Some designs are more complicated and can be a challenge replicating it using your non-dominant hand. The ladybug nail art is easy-peasy to do on both hands. You just need the right tools.
I got this idea from a cutepolish YouTube video, which I’ll link to at the bottom of my post.
Ladybug Nail Art Swatches
All swatches have:
- 1 coat of Nubar Foundation Base Coat
- 2 coats of Nubar Sensual Red
- Eyes: OPI Alpine Snow (White)
- Head & Spots: China Glaze Liquid Leather (Black)
- Stripe: NYX Ink Nail Art (Black)
- 1 coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
Direct Sunlight
Direct Sunlight
Direct Sunlight
Direct Sunlight
Direct Sunlight
Direct Sunlight
Direct Sunlight
Natural Light
Natural Light
Flash
Direct Sunlight
Flash
Flash
Direct Sunlight
Natural Light
*~* Ladybug Nail Art Tutorial *~*
What I Used:
- Nubar Foundation Base Coat
- Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
- Nubar Sensual Red
- OPI Alpine Snow
- China Glaze Liquid Leather
- NYX Ink Nail Art (Black)
- Piece of foil
- Daniel Stone dotting tool #1
Step 1: Apply a Base Coat
Step 2: Paint Your Nails Red
I applied 2 coats of Nubar Sensual Red. Wait 10-15 minutes to allow for this to dry a bit before proceeding to the next step.
Quickie Nubar Sensual Red Review
The formula was thin and extremely smooth. The first coat was very sheer and almost jellyish. The second coat built up the opacity. This polish was a dream to work with.
Step 3: Paint the Tips Black
I free-handed with China Glaze Liquid Leather. If you’re really concerned with getting a perfectly straight line, you could use tape. But I think it’s okay to just eyeball it. Plus it’s a lot faster.
Step 4: Add a Black Stripe Down the Middle
You could use a paintbrush dipped in black polish or a black nail-art pen. I used the NYX Ink Nail Art in Black. I find that long stripers are easier to use to create roughly straight lines. With a traditional paintbrush or pen, it’s harder.
Step 5: Add Black Dots
Add a few drops of black polish onto your piece of foil. Dip your dotting tool, end of a handle brush, or other tool and add the black dots. Try to do mirror images on both halves.
Step 6: Add the White Eyes
Put some white polish onto your piece of foil. Dip your dotting tool into it and add two white dots on the black tip. Wait about 10-15 minutes to allow for this to dry a little before continuing to the next step.
Step 7: Finish with Your Favourite Top Coat
I like to use a fast-dry top coat, but you can use any you’d like. Also feel free to try a matte top coat for a cool effect.
Step 8: Go ‘Bug’ Somebody
Have a Makeover Night with some of your friends and try this design on each others’ nails. 🙂
These Ladybug Nails are one of my all-time favourite designs because it’s so simple and quick to do, yet the results are pretty unique. It’s not often that you see someone with ladybugs on their nails. 🙂
And here’s the link I promised to the cutepolish Ladybug Nails YouTube tutorial.
Would you try this? What’s your favourite bug? Do you like ladybugs? Did you watch the 1992 movie, Ladybugs staring the late Jonathan Brandis?
That is so cute! I think you great job, Mary, kudos! 🙂 I’d probably add some pupils tho, bec just the whites seem different. 🙂
How’s the Nubar base coat working for you? I’m looking at more Nubar polishes and I might pick up the base coat too. Is Sensual Red pretty unique or is it a fairly common red? It looks like a redder tomato red on my lappy.
Hey Carmela!
Thanks! 🙂 I was surprised by how easy it was to do with my non-dominant hand.
The Nubar base coat works really well, but I haven’t tried it yet with a yellow. For me, that’s the one colour that my nails seem more susceptible to getting stained from. Under all other colours, Nubar protects very well, I’ve found. Also, it doesn’t dry my nails out, and my manicures still last the same as when I use any other base coat. So it’s good…plus Nubar’s formula is big-3-free, which is a plus.
Nubar Sensual Red is a pretty common red and nothing to write home about. The only thing exceptional about it is the formula – super smooth and easy to work with.
That’s the thing about why I stay away from freehand nail art: doing it with my non dominant hand would definitely be catastrophic. 😉
That sounds awesome. I think I’ll give it a shot. 🙂 Personally, I’ve found my nails get more stained from violets or bright blues.
I find that if the designs are mainly blobs or dots, that makes it easier to replicate on both hands. But I really don’t know how some people are able to put what look like miniature detailed paintings onto both hands of their nails. That requires real talent! 🙂 I need to keep it simple, or it won’t turn out well.
Now that you mention it, yes, vibrant blues tend to stain my nails, too. But oddly, I haven’t been wearing many blues. Been too obsessed with greens most of the time.
Adorable! I’ve always wanted to try ladybug nail art! Ladybugs are probably my favorite bugs. Sometimes they annoy me when there are so many around. In the spring, there always seems to be a two week period or so when they are everywhere where I live. Some sort of ladybug infestation maybe? At least they’re cute.
I have never seen that movie. Is it any good?
Katie recently posted: Nyan Cat Nail Art
Hey Katie!
I’ve always wondered how male ladybugs feel about being LADYbugs. 😛
A few summer’s ago, there was an infestation here. There were crazy ladybugs everywhere – that creeped me out. I like them, but in normal amounts.
When I was a kid, I used to go to the park and collect ladybugs and put them in a jar. I probably had 50 or more of them. But I could never go to sleep knowing that they were trapped in a jar. The guilt kept me awake. I’d always toss and turn…and eventually would have to take the jar to the backyard and release them. And I had to make sure that every ladybug made it to the grass before I would go back home and finally sleep.
I’ve never seen the movie Ladybugs, either. But back when I was a kid, I had a huge crush on Jonathan Brandis – liked him in The Neverending Story II and Sidekicks (haha, that movie was so cheesy)!
This is sooo cute and soooo summery! Love the lady bug theme!
imfeelingnailventurous recently posted: Sephora Nail Bling Black Rainbow
Hey imfeelingnailventurous!
Thank you – glad you loved it. I’m trying to think of some other insect nail art I could do…
Aahhh so pretty and cute!!! I love how this is simple yet absolutely adorable! You should do more bug nail art! 😀
Ruthe recently posted: Santa Barbara + Summer Haul
Hey Ruthe!
Awww….thank you!
Other than nail stamping, this is one of the easiest nail-art designs to do. I was surprised how little time and skill it took. As long as you have the right tools, anybody can do this, and it’ll look exactly like this. I loved it so much that I felt really bad about removing it. I’ll have to wear this again.
I have another insect nail-art tutorial in the works. Just need to finish writing the post. Already wore the manicure and took the photos. 🙂 But…sadly, it looks way worse than these ladybug nails. On the bright side, however, it’s also really simple, so I think a lot of people will be able to replicate it without needing a lot of nail supplies.