Nail art: Glitter gradients

Well, hello there.  ☺
So, this would have been my first youtube tutorial, but my camera takes cruddy video and I'm too broke to buy a video camera now.  After filming this process, I realized the footage was worthless and deleted it.  This has been done before anyway, so I'll just post a GOOD video, and show you some pictures of what I've done.
This is basically an excuse for not writing a real post for my non-existent audience.

So, there you go!  I usually don't do a gradient over naked nails, but that is an option if you like it!
Some of my glitter gradients....

Looking through my old photos, my glitter gradient suck.
But HERE'S a relic!  This was my first glitter gradient that I wore for Easter 2015!

My nails were so SHORT!   And what's with the thing on my middle finger????
Anyway, that's all for now!
Bye bye!  😉🙍💟💢💥💦💧💨

Nail Art: Harley Quinn Inspired

Part 2: Dry Brush
Here's another quick, easy, and eye-catching Harley Quinn inspired nail tutorial!
You'll need:
Hot pink polish
Bright Blue polish
White polish
Topcoat
Basecoat
Clean up brush, acetone, and quick-dry spray
A paper towel or napkin
I'm sorry about the awful photos- I'm not sure what went wrong, but this is all I have to work with.  😐
This is a simple dry brush technique.  Start off with one coat of white polish, and let it dry to the touch. You HAVE to do this, otherwise it'll smear everywhere.  Now pick your first color (I started with blue) and wipe the brush off on the edge of the bottle.

  Then, wipe the remaining polish on the brush off on the paper towel, so you don't have much left.

Now, brush the stiff, slightly dry brush (get it?) across your nail, so you have streaks of color.  Like this:

Repeat with your next color.

If needed layer the blue and pink one more time to get enough color laydown.  Then dry brush over it with white, add clear coat, and bam!  That's all!

Dry brushing is one of my favorite techniques, and people always seem to notice it!
Later!  😗🙌😼§💅👻

Black "mosaic" nail art

Just a quick post for today.  If you've already seen my Harley Quinn nail art post, you've already heard my basic warning about striping tape, which is a large part of this manicure.
You'll need:
Black nail polish
Basecoat (optional)
Clear nail polish (not quick drying)
Topcoat
Striping tape
Chunky glitter
A dotting tool
Clean up brush, acetone, and quick-dry spray
Now, about the "chunky glitter".  I got mine from a jar that was a decoration at a baby shower.  The jar came to me from a relative, so I have no idea what the glitter used in it is.  It's small shards and pieces of gold glitter, that could also be little bits of metal.  If I can ever find this product somewhere on the internet I'll post a link but for now, this is the closest that I can find.
EDIT: Soooooooo....  I was at Walmart the other day, and I saw my "chunky glitter."  They're freaking rock granules, and you use them in vases for either fake or real flowers.  I can't find a link, but I feel like an idiot.  I STUCK ROCKS TO MY NAILS AND WONDERED WHY IT WAS HARD TO REMOVE.
....  I'm an idiot....
Now, you can start with basecoat, but I skipped that step and went straight to taping.

I decided to use straight lines and tape my nails off into four different quadrilateral shapes.  After that, I just went in and painted over the whole  thing with black polish.

Paint two coats of black polish, then use your tweezers to take of the striping tape.

All right, now dump some glitter onto your work surface (I used a piece of parchment paper) and a drop of your clear nail polish.  This was impossible to get a picture of, but using your dotting tool (or end of a bobby pin) pick up a drop of the clear polish and sort of drag it along the lines between the black.  Now, using the slightly sticky bobby pin, pick up ONE piece of glitter, and place it on the line.  From there on, it's basically a game of mosaics.  Try not to go off the edges of your nail, and it's really cool if you fit the pieces together nicely.  However, this will take a very long time.  And by long, I mean two hours from start to finish.  

So, once you're done, apply topcoat, spray, and then start crying when you realize that getting the damned glitter off with acetone/remover will be next to impossible.  (trust me- it is)

Sorry about the cruddy pictures.  These were the only ones that were even remotely decent.  

Until next time!  🀚⛉♙😷😾

Nail Art: Harley Quinn Inspired

Part 1: Messy Striping Tape Mani

Hello, everyone!
Yes, I know no one is reading this blog.  The greeting is there for future viewers.
In any case, I was watching some snippets from Suicide Squad, and I really liked Harley's blue, pink, and platinum blonde hair.  (Who doesn't?)  So, I decided to start a Harley Quinn inspired nail art series, beginning with a colorful, messy look.  Kind of something Harley would do if she tried nail art.  Of course, before she's finished, the Joker would waltz in, and be like "Yo!  Let's go terrorize the locals!" and Harley just slathers on the polish 'cause she wants to get going.
(Don't judge; it's half past eleven)
So, moving on, I decided to go with a striping tape mani.  I used...
Striping tape (from Amazon)
Sally Hansen "Watercolor" (from Target)
OPI "Feelin' Hot, Hot, Hot!" (I think from Meijer-?)
China Glaze "White on White" (from Sally Beauty Supply)
ELF unnamed sheer pink polish (part of a gift set from Target)
L.A. Colors top coat (from the Dollar Tree)
An angled clean up brush, Acetone, and nail polish drying spray (more on this later)

I haven't had very good luck with basecoat lately, so I decided to skip it and go straight to striping tape.  I applied two pieces of tape diagonally to each nail, so I had three sections.

Do both hands at once; striping tape is a monster to apply with wet polish!
The blue and pink polishes stain horribly, so a put on a coat of the sheer pink polish to function as a barrier. Now, paint a slash of white polish down the middle.  Don't keep it on the middle section, but don't cover the whole nail either!

Now slather on the pink and blue on either side.  Overlap with the white, let the colors smear together- this is supposed to be messy!

Now, peel off the striping tape (a pair of tweezers helps!)

Continue with all of your fingers.

Now, striping tape is evil, and it will lift off the nail.  Or the polish floods the line when the tape is removed.  Whichever.  You might end up with polish on your stripes like this.  

You can leave it, or use your clean up brush and acetone to clear it up a bit.  

Clean up around the cuticles, add topcoat, spray, and done!

Now, about that nail polish spray.  This is a product that you spray on tacky nail polish to "instantly" dry it.  It works like instant dry topcoat, though faster.  There are two available that I know of.  One made by Leighton Denny which is ALWAYS sold out online, and one by Beauty Secrets, available exclusively at Sally Beauty Supply.  The Leighton Denny is the best, but the Beauty Secrets is cheaper, and easier to obtain.  I HIGHLY recommend this product, in any case.  😉

Bye all!  😃😀😋🐈🐈