Back to Basics: Leopard Print

L.A. Colors Circuits, Sinful Colors Snow Me White, and Maybelline Color Show Clearly Spotted

I absolutely adore simple black and white. It is so chic, and it can make the wildest of patterns (see leopard print above) appear elegant.

I should do black and white manicures more often! I could not stop staring at my nails when I wore these, and I was quite pleased with my 20 minute mani!

I painted the leopard print with a mid-size dotting tool, after two semi-dry medium coats of Circuits. I love that about dotting tools: I can begin working almost immediately after painting all 10 nails twice. As long as I'm dragging the polish lightly with the tool, I don't dig into the base coats. Then I slap on a coat of Seche Vite, binding all the layers of polish together quickly and without smearing. Done!

Been There, Done That

Base: Icing Champagne Bubbles

Colors used: L.A. Colors Circuits, Revlon Empower, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Purple Potion, Green with Envy and Blue Me Away!

I have done this simple nail art many times before, on my own nails, and on those of friends. It never gets old, in my opinion. I wish I had "before" pictures, so I could properly show how much I've grown since first getting into nail art.

But to review: I painted two coats of my base color. Next, I made C-shapes and almost-closed circles with a bobby pin and a dark color (This time it was a black, LA Colors' Circuits). After cleaning my bobby pin acetone, I used it to fill in the Cs and circles with bright colors. Afterward, to fill in gaps, I used the black color to make small dots and lines all over the nail.

I only had a few minutes before I had to dart off for choir rehearsal today, and this was something I knew how to do. The "inspiration" for me recreating the design came from my phone! (The case, to be specific). It looks like this:

It's kinda cool having my nails match my phone. I've gotten some positive feedback, so for future projects, I'm going to draw inspiration from other sources close to me. (Maybe outfit inspirations? Hmmm...)

Quick Leopard Mani

China Glaze Desert Sun, NYC Skin Tight Denim Creme, Destined Pale Yellow

This is a color combination that is a bit different from what I usually go for. I love the way these three shades complement one another, though. Also, I hope I'm not losing my touch for leopard print. These nails are struggling a bit in that area, but I just need to practice (as if I needed another excuse to paint my nails)!

Leopards at Sunset

China Glaze Sun Worshipper, China Glaze Snap My Dragon, and Wet 'N Wild En Voyage with Love & Beauty Lavender

Just wanted to do a quick post showcasing these new nails! I wanted to do something special for myself because I've been so busy lately, I needed to de-stress. Also, I'm so in love with these nails! They're definitely bright and full of fun! I wish I'd gotten a swatch of Sun Worshipper (the orange)! I almost threw up it was so bright and fabulous and perfect.

I hope these nails last forever (come on, Seche Vite, work your magic)!

ASB Nails!

Nicole by OPI's A Phil's Paradise with Revlon Empower and Essie Devil's Advocate
For the first week of my spring break this year, I took a trip with 11 other Bowdoin students to New York City to participate in an Alternative Spring Break (ASB) trip. We volunteered as teaching assistants in an elementary school in the Bronx, and did a week long service project in Harlem. I had such an amazing time, and I made so many new friends. It's hard to put into words just how blessed I feel to have gone to NYC.
I did the nails above on the first night, thinking I'd do something fun and simple (and quick) to reflect my optimism and excitement for the week. I had just bought Empower and Devil's Advocate the day before in a Rite Aid sale, and I really wanted to use them. So I just went for it with my dotting tool, and it ended up as leopard print. Not even mad, though. I got many compliments from my second graders and other kids at the school, so it worked out. :)  

China Glaze I Herd That with Sinful Colors Snow Me White

 I did these gold nails for my friend Tori on our last night in NYC, after a long day of volunteering and sightseeing. Since St. Patrick's Day was right around the corner, she wanted something eye-catching and sparkly. I forgot my green polish, but I Herd That seemed to do the trick. Add in a mix and match (my fave), and we were good to go!

Sassy & Sparkly Leopard

China Glaze I Herd That with Sally Hansen Purple Potion and Blue Me Away!

This week is definitely going to be a busy one, so I decided to take a breather and paint my nails before things really picked up. I really wish I could capture how sparkly and jewel-like these are! I really like this combo; it's very similar to these, only with gold glitter instead of silver.

Soon, I'm going to need to buy another bottle of I Herd That. I'm almost finished with it, and it's only been about 5 months... Good thing I stumbled upon this website that sells CG nail polishes for only $3.25! What up.

Red Leopard Print Half Moons

Essie A-List with Nicole by OPI A Phil's Paradise

I've been dying to try out A Phil's Paradise from the Nicole by OPI Modern Family Collection since I bought it last Saturday! It's a gorgeous pewter glitter, and it blows my mind. It can lean from copper to blindingly silver, depending on the light. Even though the formula was a bit tricky (read: goopy), it is easily one of my favorite polishes.

I also decided that it was finally time to try out a half moon mani with reinforcement stickers, just to compare it to the freehanded ones I did a while ago. They definitely didn't take as long this time, but I had a bit of trouble placing them (either too far left or too far right). The curve of the stickers is too narrow for my thumbs, but that's not a huge issue. I love how they came out!

Here's how they looked originally: 

I've been toying with the idea of a leopard gradient, and I really like this! I'm thinking about bringing them back for next week, when Bowdoin's production of The Vagina Monologues goes on. We have to wear red and black clothes, so why not carry the theme all the way down to my fingertips?

Designs of Nails Past

I decided to showcase a few of my earlier designs (from last summer/semester) because I still like them a lot, even if the photo quality isn't that great. They also provide a good reference point to which I can compare all my future designs, especially since the fanciest tool used here was a dotting tool. You can find them here for about two dollars, which is an amazing deal!

Green Mix and Match

Sinful Colors Exotic Green, Sally Hansen Disco Ball with white striper polish

I let my brother choose the color, glitter, and everything for this design! I never paint my nails totally green, but I really liked this mani!

Leopard-Mania!

Sally Hansen Blue Me Away! and Sally Hansen Mint Sorbet

When I first ventured into the world of nail art, leopard print was all I did. I strayed a bit, but returned to my Old Faithful with these. They're just the right kind of busy.