Dyed Easter Egg Nails

Arden: Hi friends!  So, I've been workshopping some Easter designs in anticipation of Easter on Sunday (still not sure what I'm definitely going to go with though!).  This manicure was inspired by this picture of cracked dyed Easter eggs (have you ever done this?  They look so cool!):

More specifically, my manicure was inspired by that pink egg there in the middle. 

I made these my painting my nails white (Julep Bunny), and then sponged on all the additional colors (Julep Paige, Helen, Veronica, and Greta) using Saran wrap!  I then stamped on the eggshell pattern using an incredibly old white polish I thinned a lot and the BM-313 stamping plate.  (Fun tip for anyone who hasn't been successful stamping yet: using a thin polish will help!)

What do you think?  I kinda think these would scream "Easter eggs!" more if I'd done each nail in a different color.  Oh well, I guess that's something to do next time. 

Has anyone else found a favorite Easter nail design?  If so, please share, cause I'm still on the lookout!

As Seen on Pinterest: Koi Goldfish Nails

Arden: Hey everyone!  Today's prompt in the 33 Day Challenge is to create something inspired from Pinterest, which means it's time for a new installment of my series "As Seen on Pinterest."  The manicure I have for today is one I did several months ago (seriously, I think it was back in September) and for some reason never posted on the blog.  It was inspired by this manicure by Elizabeth of Did My Nails, which I found on Pinterest and instantly had to try!

*Full disclosure: I did these nails so long ago, I don't remember all of the polishes I used.  I'll try to guess as well as I can!*

I started with a base coat of Sally Hansen Barracuda.  Then I used Saran Wrap to dab on several other blue/blueish green polishes to make the water for the koi pond.  I added a layer of Revlon Snowflurries and ended up with this:

I liked it, but felt like it might be a little too busy for the background of my fish, so I added two layers of one of Lisl's new birthday polishes-- Girly Bits Cosmic Ocean.

Then it was time to paint on my fish!  Using our set of acrylic paints, I painted a little koi fish on each nail.  Sadly, my fish were not nearly as beautiful as the originals (mine look a little like goldfish with turtle bodies), but they still looked pretty cool.

I was pretty proud of myself for my ability to draw koi using my non-dominant hand, so here's a picture!

What do you think?  Like the koi? Think they don't look anything like fish?  Weigh in in the comments!  And be sure to check out everyone else's entries today below.

Abstract Nails

Arden: Hey everyone!  Sorry for my absence last week-- I was hanging out at the beach with my family!  Today's prompt in the 33 Day Challenge is "abstract nails."  Wow, there were a lot of different ways to go with that one!  For inspiration, I googled "abstract art" and found this neat painting:

I started by painting my nails with two coats of Revlon Timeless.  I then dabbed on a bunch of other gray polishes using Saran wrap, before moving on to adding the blue splotches.  I then added a top coat of Essie Good to Go and voila! 

Colors used:
Julep Stevie
Maybelline Color Show Impeccable Greys
Julep Annette
Julep Faye
Butter London Blagger

What do you think?  The blue in the nails doesn't really match the teal in the painting, but I still think these nails can count as abstract.  Up close they do look a little more like swirls than actual paintbrush strokes, but I worried that if I used a brush they would come out all funky.  At least I knew Saran wrap nails would look cool!

Please excuse the chip on my pointer finger-- Saran wrap nails always chip so easily!

Let me know what you think of these nails in the comments, and as always, check out the other entries in today's challenge below!

Saran Wrap Nails: New Method

Arden: Hi friends!  Today I'm bringing you a new twist on the Saran wrap nails we've done before.  In our earlier attempts (here and here) we used the method where you paint on color A, wait for it to completely dry, paint on color B, and then immediately dab at it with Saran wrap to remove some of it and create a marble pattern of the two colors.

Well, when I started out doing this manicure, I was going to use that method again.  I started with a base coat and then two coats of Zoya Dove.

I applied a coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat (remember, Essie top coats don't play nice with Zoya polishes!) and waited for it to dry completely.  Then I painted on a coat of Zoya Monica and went to dab at it with my Saran wrap.

I didn't take pictures, but take my word for it: it did NOT look good.  I think it basically took off too much of the Monica and spread it out all over the nail, so the whole thing just looked like a purplish gray blob.  I had recently read about another method for Saran wrap nail art, and decided I'd give that a try to see if it could salvage the situation.

I took a small ball of Saran wrap, dipped it in a bit of the purple nail polish, and dabbed it on gently.  It looked ok, so I did it on the rest of my nails.  I decided to add a bit of dimensionality, so I repeated the same process using Zoya Mira.  Then I felt like too much of the grey had been covered up, so I dabbed on a little more Dove.  (Obviously, you can tell this process could continue indefinitely.)  I ultimately decided I got a good mix of colors and finished with another coat of Sally Hansen top coat.

The result:

These look pretty cool, right?  I love how this method allows you to use more than two colors, so you can get a very different kind of marbled look.  I love it!

Now that I've discovered this Saran wrap marbling technique, I can't stop doing it!  Look for it to appear in future nail art endeavors.

What do you think?  Prefer this kind of marbling to the original Saran wrap method?  (I can attest that it is more forgiving-- if you mess up you can just keep dabbing on more colors!)  Let me know in the comments!

 

NOTD: Skittle Saran Wrap Manicure

Arden here: For today's nail of the day, we're going to learn some new nail art vocabulary!  Here are three nail art techniques that are often confused:

1. Gradient: when one color gradually gives way to the next on an individual nail.  Check out our gradient tutorial here.

from http://blog.julep.com/fan-nail-of-the-day-ombre/

2. Ombre: when each nail is a different shade of the same color (often going from darkest to lightest).  We haven't posted one of these yet on Casa de Polish, but maybe we should!

Eagle-eyed readers will notice this is both a Skittle AND a gradient.

3. Skittle: when each nail is a different color--- like a bag of Skittles!  We've shown a couple of these, most notably right after Easter.

Nail Art Nail-Off: Saran Wrap Nails Tutorial

Nail Art Nail-Off: Two Takes on One Nail Art Technique!

Arden here: Today, both Lisl and I are going to show you our own unique versions of the same nail technique: the Saran wrap marbling effect.

We're starting with me, because I went through A LOT of trial and error to perfect my technique.  First, we have my very flawed attempt at using NOT Saran wrap.  When I first sat down to do my nails, I couldn't find any Saran wrap in our apartment, and decided (erroneously) that we didn't have Saran wrap.  I put on my MacGuyver cap, and decided that surely I could just use a Ziploc perfect portions bag (basically the consistency of a produce bag from the grocery store).  Fun fact: this does not work as well as Saran wrap.

Here's my first attempt using this less effective form of kitchen plastic:

Index finger: This was with one coat of the base color (gold), then the top color (turquoise) immediately on top of it.  As you can see, a LOT of the polish was pulled off.  There's a lot of natural nail shining through!

Middle finger: Two coats of base color, then top color.  This worked better, but there were still a couple of holes.

Ring finger and pinky: Two coats of base color, one layer of fast-drying top coat, then the top color.  This was definitely the best way to do it, but it still didn't look quite as good (and marble-y, if that's a word) as Saran Wrap nails are supposed to look.  MacGuyver might've been able to make a bomb out of Windex and a coat hanger, but Ziploc bags really aren't a good replacement for Saran wrap when it comes to nail art.