Category Archives: Nail Art

Nail Art Tutorial: Owl Nails

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Nail Art Tutorial Owl NailsIt has been a long time since I did freehand nail art with eyes (hehe), and you know what? I missed it so much! (There’s something really fun about looking at your nails and having them look back at you. Or maybe that’s just me.)

As you know, I’m on Pinterest (it’s so addictive!), and the minute I saw these cute little owls, I knew I had to recreate them on my nails. It was exactly the inspiration I needed to get cracking! Release the Kraken! (Felt like saying that.)

Whether it’s nail art, lunch bags, necklaces, or artwork, I have a thing for owls!

So, for today’s post, I have an Owl Nail Art Tutorial for you with step-by-step written instructions and photos.

Although I used similar colours like in the original design I was inspired by, mine turned out slightly different because of my nail-painting style. Also, I have narrower nail beds. But, this just shows you that you can recreate any look, even if your nails are small. Where there’s a will, there’s a way! 😉

I think it’s important to remember that when recreating a look, it doesn’t have to be an exact replica of the original. It’s fun to keep the general vibe of the design, but to still be comfortable with putting your own spin on it.

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Nail Art: OPI Liquid Sand Nails with Tiffany Case & Honey Ryder

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OPI Liquid Sand Nail Art Tiffany Case & Honey RyderHand me a shovel already because I’m seriously digging the OPI Liquid Sand nail polishes so far!

I just couldn’t resist playing around with two Liquid Sands from the OPI Bond Girls Collection (which comes out in May) – Tiffany Case (blue) and Honey Ryder (gold).

Since I was already wearing OPI Honey Ryder, I decided to do a quick-and-dirty Scotch Tape manicure that I’ve tried before with other colours. So…here’s OPI Liquid Sand Nail Art!

This time, though, instead of having all the triangles pointing the same way, I flipped alternating nails to keep it interesting.

For some reason, they remind me of icicles or raindrops, even though the look wasn’t intentional.

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Nail Art Tutorial: Glitter Manicure…on a MAN!

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Glitter Manicure on a ManPretty recently, I asked on Twitter if any of you had suggestions for nail-art designs to do on my friend.

I got a lot of great suggestions, but I settled on a simple gradient as well as dots.

Here’s the Glitter Manicure…on a MAN that I created!

Haha, originally, I was thinking about making this manicure more masculine, but as I started painting, it ended up being girly. 😉

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Nail Art: Neon Pink, Silver & Black Leopard Nails

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Silver, Black & Neon Pink Leopard Nails Nail ArtAlthough pink nail polish isn’t my favourite, I absolutely am cray-cray about neon pinks!

Confession time from a greeeen fieeend: This may be shocking, but I actually like neon pink nail polish better than neon green nail polish.

My birthday’s in February, and when I was thinking about what I should sport on my nails to be festive, at first I thought of using glitter.

But then I remembered how much I loved doing freehand pink and blue leopard nail art before. (I could’ve worn that manicure for a month because I never got sick of it.)

Since it’s been a long time since I last wore leopard nail art, I decided to try it out with a different combination. So here’s the birthday manicure I came up with: Freehand Neon Pink, Silver & Black Leopard Nails!

With the silver base, I think it gave this manicure the bling I desired for it to be festive. But because there’s no glitter, it’s super easy to remove.

All the nail polishes I used are by China Glaze: Shocking Pink (one of my favourite neons), Liquid Leather (my go-to black that I’ve almost finished an entire full-size bottle of), and Millennium (a metallic silver that can also be used for nail stamping).

I will most likely do more leopard manicures because this nail art is soooo easy and fast to do. Plus I like how you don’t need a ton of different colours or nail tools. Although intricate nail designs wow me, I really enjoy sharing designs on here that everyone can replicate, no matter what your skill level. Nail art should be enjoyed by everyone, not just those who can afford to buy all the supplies or who are professionals.

And what I love about the leopard pattern is that it’s not meant to be perfect. The imperfections are what make it cool to look at. (It totally is in harmony with my philosophy that happiness is more important than perfection.)

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Nail Art: Scotch Tape Manicure…on a MAN!

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China Glaze I Herd That Swatch & Nicole by OPI Please Red-Cycle SwatchHappy Friday!

You’ve seen me paint sheep nail art, apply flocking powder, and use caviar beads on my male friend.

Today, I would like to share a Scotch Tape Manicure…on a MAN! 

Yup, I once again convinced my friend to let me do some nail art on him. No, he didn’t wear it in public, but he was still a great sport. 😉

This was the first Scotch Tape manicure I’ve ever done, and I was surprised by how easy it was to do!

In case you don’t know what a Scotch Tape manicure is, it’s when you use the tape as a guide to cover certain parts of your nails, so that when you remove those pieces after painting, you’re left with a nifty little design.

I started painting all his nails with gold glitter. Then I applied a coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat so we wouldn’t have to wait long for the polish to dry. I applied two pieces of Scotch tape in a pyramid position on each of his nails, and then painted the open-triangle section. I carefully removed the tape, and voila, we got the design you see!

Since it was my first time, I opted to create a simple triangular design on his nails. And I let him choose the colour combination. (Red is his favourite colour, and he liked the way the gold glitter looked underneath.)

Later in this post, my own nails make a brief appearance. 😉 I couldn’t help but try a Scotch Tape manicure on myself using different colours!

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Nail Art: What I Wore on My Nails for Valentine’s Day

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Valentine's Day Nails Nail Art SwatchValentine’s Day may be over, but I still wanted to show you what was on my fingertips.

My Valentine’s Day Nails included the traditional pink, red, and white, but I threw some black into the mix because I wanted it to have a bit of an anti-Valentine’s Day edge, too.

Initially, I was going to put hearts all over, but then opted for stripes for a different effect that was more sporty and unconventional for February 14. (Hehe, you know how I’m a little obsessed with vertical stripes on nails, right?)

This manicure is also symbolic because I believe everyone should ‘show their stripes’.

Although this striped skittle design is extremely simple, I ended up falling in love with it more than I thought I would. (I wore this manicure for 5 days!)

So, I’m single, and even though I didn’t get any flowers, chocolates, or stuffed toys, I still very much enjoy Valentine’s Day.

Last year, I went through an emotional split from a boyfriend a little before Valentine’s Day. From that horrible experience, a profound revelation arose. I realized that I had been in love with the man I thought he was, not the man he actually was. Huge difference!

This year, on February 14th, a guy who I just met recently professed his feelings for me! It was very sweet and genuine, so it made me feel like a million bucks! It also took me off-guard, which is a hard thing to do, because I’m pretty good at sensing these kind of things.

In a way, I considered this my Valentine’s Day gift because it put a huge smile on my face. (I know a lot of players who’ve just fed me lines that I can see through, but I think this guy is the real deal, so I took his words to heart.)

I’m still single, however. After having my heart stomped on in the past, I’m trying to be more discerning before going steady with anyone. For this reason, I’m casually dating some guys, and I’m honest about it.

Then, if I feel a spark with someone who I think is more long-lasting, I will go steady with one. If not, at least I’ve made new friends. In this way, I feel like I can keep my options open and avoid unnecessary heartbreaks from jumping in too soon and too fast. I believe that guys have to earn exclusivity by proving they’re in it for the long haul. Also, time is a great test because it lets you see how they’ll deal with problems that will eventually arise.

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Reader Requested Nail Art Tutorial: Violet Beauregarde Nails

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Violet Beauregard Nails Nail Art Tutorial & PhotosOne of my readers, Annika, e-mailed me her ideas for a Violet Beauregarde nail design and asked if I could do a nail tutorial based on the character from the original 1971 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory character.

Since I haven’t done freehand nail art in some time, I thought I’d give it a go.

You’ll remember that Violet was the one who chewed the same piece of gum for a long time. And when at the factory, she can’t resist trying the new chewing gum that Willy Wonka has come up with that includes flavours such as appetizers, main courses, and even desserts!

Haha, she grows bigger and bigger, turning blue/violet as the seconds pass! Finally, the Oompa Loompas have to take her to the Juicing Room to squeeze it all out.

Here is my version of Violet Beauregarde Nails.

Instead of making the buckle sideways on the red belt, I wanted to give it a twist, so I painted them very similar to the buckles in the Santa Nails I did before on here.

If you want to take a completely literal and accurate approach, paint the red belt and buckles horizontally.

In this post, I’ll show you more photos of this quick design as well as step-by-step instructions with photos for how to recreate it.

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