Geometric Designs (tutorial)

So today in this sort of tutorial I have some geometric designs that I did on top of Zoya Tiana. Everything I did I used striping tape as my guidelines, so no artistic talent necessary.

Let’s start off with the designs: (please excuse the cat hair 🙂 )

They’re easier shown than described, but basically I cut a bunch of striping tape pieces, then stuck them all on my nails. The complexity ranges from a simple V french to the triangle pattern on the last two nails.

Next I used a cosmetic sponge to apply a gradient over the striping tape. From left to right: Revlon High Stakes, Sephora Formula X Orbit, Zoya Mirajane, and Zoya Willa. (Note: Zoya Mirajane did not really show up, mostly because it is a neon polish not designed for this)

I applied this gradient vertically using Zoya Willa near the base of my nail and Revlon High Stakes near the tip. For the french nail, I used the gradient horizontally, with the colors growing darker towards the edges of the nail. After several coats, I peeled off the striping tape, let it dry, then added a topcoat.

So that’s about it! I hope you all enjoyed and see you next time!

Zoya Tiana

This is a lovely spring pastel polish, Tiana, from the Zoya 2015 Delight collection. It’s one of my all time favorite polishes, the light creamy green is unique and refreshing.

Shown below is two coats of Tiana and a topcoat (Orly Sec n Dry). This formula is fantastic – it levels nicely in two coats and is super easy to control. You can see below that I have the mini version from a promotion a while ago – and my bottle is almost out! I definitely need to buy another bottle once I run out.

This polish is perfect for wearing alone, due to its unique and creamy tone, or as a base for nail art, as it is a neutral shade perfect if you don’t want to use white.

I plan to return and finish the 31 day challenge, so stay tuned!

Cartoon Drips

🎉 This is my 100th post!!!  🎉

These are some cute dripping nails using Sephora Formula X High Frequency and black and white acrylic paint. After painting the black drips, I decided to add some white highlights to create a cartoon effect.

I used the same technique to create The Jungle inspired nails, you can check them out over here.

This is one of my favorite designs to do when my nails have grown out a bit and I don’t feel like changing them. They hide the gap created by my growing nail with some super cute nail art. I received quite a few compliments, this is a great way to have interesting and detailed nail art without spending hours.

I also enjoy working with acrylic paint, just because you can erase any mistakes with a toothpick – as long as you add a topcoat first!

Let me know if you want to see how I create this design!

Sephora Formula X High Frequency

Please excuse my cuticles. This is one glorious coat of High Frequency by Sephora Formula X. The color is slightly off, my camera wouldn’t capture it fully – it’s actually a slightly deeper teal. But this polish is very opaque and vivid and a little hard to control. The brush is fairly wide, which I like, but the polish threatened to fill my cuticles. I had to be careful about the application, but the payoff is amazing! The color is really pretty and bright.

Butterflies

These are some butterfly nails I did a while ago. Instead of the usual monarch colors, I used a more blue/purple gradient underneath the black outlines. Using Sally Hansen Lacey Lilac and Wet n Wild Putting on Airs, I created a gradient, added a topcoat, then used black and white acrylic paint to create the wings.

I’ve seen countless nails using this design, so I’m not sure where it originated, but credit to whoever did – It’s a really cute design!