I absolutely love the colors of Mardi Gras! All the beautiful beads, masks, and crowns are so awesome, so I thought it would be fun to paint some Double Ombre Mardi Gras nails. Let’s get started.

Supplies:

Nail Polish Remover
Cosmetic Wedges
Polish Remover Pads
Wax Paper
Clear Base Coat
Dotting Tool or Toothpick
Metallic Purple Polish
Clear Top Coat
Metallic Green Polish
Rhinestones (optional)
Metallic Gold Polish

Remove your old polish, file and buff your nails. Apply a clear basecoat and let dry.

Step 1: Paint 2 coats of metallic gold polish on all your nails and let dry for at least 15 minutes.

Step 2: Now, imagine that your nail is divided into 3 parts, from the tip to the top of the nail.  Drip a couple of drops of Metallic Green on the wax paper. Dab one edge of the cosmetic wedge in the paint and blot it on the wax paper. (This will keep you from painting a hard line, instead of a blend). You will be blending the polish, making the ombre effect.

Beginning about one third up the nail, dab the wedge on the nail, covering the middle third of the nail. I didn’t paint all the way to the end so that the purple would be more vivid. Continue adding green polish until you get the desired effect. Let dry for about 15 minutes.

Step 3:

Repeat step 2, using the Metallic Purple polish. Paint the third of the nail, beginning at the tip. Continue adding purple polish until you get the desired double hombre effect. Let dry.

Note: The nails are beautiful just as they are now, so if you don’t want to add anything, apply 2 coats of clear topcoat and you are finished.

Step 4: Now we are going to paint gold crowns on the nail tips…after all we are all kings and queens of Mardi Gras, right? Paint gold polish in a slightly “curved” line across each nail tip (reverse French tip). Then paint three triangles at the edge of each curved line.

For a little dimension, make the triangle in the center slightly larger than the other two.  Drip a drop of the gold metallic paint on the wax paper and using the dotting tool or toothpick, make a dot of gold on the tip of each triangle. Add three rhinestones to the dots while they are wet if you want the bling.

Now you have the base of the crown.

Step 5:

Drip a drop of green and purple polish on the wax paper and using the dotting tool, decorate your crown as you like. For a bejeweled look, apply colored rhinestones to the dots while they are wet. Since you have applied several coats of polish and polish dots, let the polish dry for at least 20 minutes to keep the polish from smearing when you apply the topcoat. When dry, apply two coats of topcoat and let completely dry.

I think this is a cute look for Mardi Gras, so I hope you will give it a try. And like they say in New Orleans…Let the Good Times Roll!

Until next time…..keep those nails covered.

Last year, I painted Santa heads on my nails and all my friends thought it was so cool. So, I thought this year I would change it up a bit and paint Santa with four of his little helpers. This takes a steady hand (don’t look too close) and a little bit of time, but they can really turn out cute.

Let’s get started.

Supplies:

Nail Polish Remover                       
Yellow Nail Polish                            
Polish Remover Pads                     
Black Striping Polish       
Clear Base Coat                                
White Striping Polish     
White Nail Polish                             
Red Striping Polish          
Green Nail Polish                            
Wax Paper         
Blue Nail Polish                                
Dotting Tool or Toothpick
Clear Top Coat                                                                  

Remove your old polish, file and buff your nails. Apply a clear basecoat and let dry.

Paint a French tip of white on your thumb and while it is drying, paint a red swatch across your nail at the nail bed. You have just painted Santa’s beard and the top of his cap. Next, take the white striping paint and add the white “fur” to his cap and add two small curved lines for his mustache. Drip a red drop of polish onto the wax paper and with a toothpick or dotting tool, and add his mouth. Repeat the same with blue paint for his eyes. Add two eyebrows with white striping paint and you are finished.

Again, paint a white French tip for the elf’s shirt and paint a green swatch across the nail at the nail bed for his cap. With red striping polish, paint two crescent shapes at the top of the white shirt for a collar. Drop yellow paint on the wax paper and add a tassel to his cap. Again, add a drop of red for his mouth, and two black drops for eyes and a button on his shirt. With white striping polish, add two eyebrows. For a little of dimension, add some white polka-dots and black lines on his cap and make a pointy ear… and there is elf #1.

Continue painting elves with any colors that you choose, or if you like, use the colors that I used below.  When you have finished, let all nails dry for at least 30 minutes, then apply two clear topcoats.

And now you have all these cute little guys at your fingertips. I hope you give them a try, because they do seem to cause quite a stir. Have a fun and happy holiday season. See you next year.

Until next time…..keep those nails covered.

I love the fall season, with the turning of the leaves and all the beautiful brown and orange colors. So, why not design a look for my nails using the warm, wonderful colors of fall?

Let’s get started!

Supplies:

Nail Polish Remover                       
Adhesive Labels (optional)                         
Polish Remover Pads                     
Leaf Hole Punch (optional)         
Clear Base Coat                                
Wax Paper         
Dark Brown Nail Polish                  
Dotting Tool or Toothpick            
Light Brown Nail Polish                 
Thin Nail Brush 
Orange Nail Polish
Clear Top Coat                                                                  

Remove your old polish, file and buff your nails. Apply a clear basecoat and let dry.

Step 1:

Using the dark brown polish, paint two coats and let dry for about 30 minutes. It is very important that the polish is dry in order for step 2.

Step 2:

If you want, you can free -hand two leaves. However, I thought it might be fun to stencil them. Take one blank adhesive label (the kind you use for the return address on a letter) and punch two leaf designs out of the label using a leaf hole punch. You will use the label with the leaf holes, not the actual leaves.

Keep the leaves close together so you can add a stem later. Peel the backing paper off and carefully stick the label on your nail closer to the back of the nail, leaving room toward the tip for a bloom. Press firmly on the label to seal the leaf design to your nail. Fill in the stencil with the Light Brown polish.

You can totally fill it in or leave a stripe down the center of each to give dimension.  Carefully remove the label, and touch up any imperfections with the dark brown polish. Using a thin nail brush, paint a stem or two using the light brown polish.

Note: If you don’t have adhesive labels, I have been told that Scotch Tape works also.

Step 3: Drip a couple of drops of Orange nail polish on the wax paper. Using the dotting tool or a toothpick, dip the end in the orange polish and make dots around the tip of the stem to create a bloom. Let all nails dry for about 15 minutes and apply two coats of clear top coat.

I hope you will try this very easy and versatile design.  Have fun creating your own fall designs, and have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Until next time…..keep those nails covered.

Halloween is my favorite time of year and I love decorating my house inside and out for the holiday. In fact, I begin on October first by wearing Halloween colors (yes, some think this is a bit strange). I also paint my nails in Halloween fashion every week during October. So, instead of showing you just one design, I thought…why not paint 5 different “ghouls” so we can mix and match? They may take a bit longer to paint, but just take your time because they are worth it. So, let’s get started!

Supplies:

Nail Polish Remover                                       
Green Nail Polish
Polish Remover Pads                                     
Yellow Striping Nail Polish
Clear Base Coat                                                
Black Striping Nail Polish
White Nail Polish                                             
White Striping Polish
Orange Nail Polish                                          
Clear Top Coat
Black Nail Polish                                              
Pre-Painted Black Artificial Nails (optional)
Red Striping Polish                          

 Remove your old polish, file and buff your nails. Apply a clear basecoat and let dry.

For all the “ghouls”, I began with two coats of black polish and let dry for at least 15 minutes. If you are using artificial nail tips, you can buy them in black and save this step. We will be painting “Eyes of the Cat”, “I Luv Mummy”, “Grinning  Jack”, “Frankie Baby”, and “Skully Dear.

Step 1:

Eyes of the Cat-Paint white “lemon” shapes for the eyes and let dry. Then fill in the white with green and paint a black crescent shape for the center of the eyes. You’re done…that was easy!

Step 2:

I Luv Mummy-Paint white diagonal swatches across your nail, leaving about an eighth inch black diagonal stripe. Paint black diagonal lines across your nail in different directions to indicate “wrapping” and let dry. Paint two red “eyes” in the center of the black stripe and let dry.

Step 3:

Grinning Jack-Paint two rounded shapes in white at the top third of your nail and fill in toward the tip. Paint orange over the white “pumpkin” shape and let dry. Using the yellow striping polish, paint 3 or 4 curved lines down the pumpkin to give some dimension. Paint a green “stem” and using black striping polish, paint a triangle for the nose and two for the eyes. Then paint a crooked smile and this nail is finished.

Step 4:

Frankie Baby-Paint a white zigzag line across the top third of your nail and fill in toward the tip, then overpaint the white with green polish. Using black striping polish, paint Frankie’s “scar” across his forehead, paint lines for his brows, eyes and crinkled mouth.

Step 5:

Skully Dear-Paint a white, roundish circle, off-center about half way down your nail. Paint a large black circle and a smaller black circle for eyes. Paint two small black “dots” for a nose and a “zipper” mouth to give this little guy some character.

Let all nails dry for about 15 minutes and apply two coats of clear top coat.

And there you have it…a handful of “ghouls” who just want to have fun! I hope you will try one or all of these fun designs, and have a Happy Halloween.

Until next time…..keep those nails covered.

Animal prints are very hot this summer and I wanted to put them on my nails, but I wanted to give them more of a 3D look. So, I decided to use the ombré (shaded) effect underneath the leopard spots, to help them “pop”. I really liked the look and so did my friends, so I just had to share it with my readers!

 Supplies:
Nail Polish Remover                                       
White Nail Polish
Polish Remover Pads                                     
Dark Brown Nail Polish
Clear Base Coat                                                
Black Striping Nail Polish
Light Brown or Tan Nail Polish
Clear Top Coat
Cosmetic Wedges                                           
Wax Paper

Remove your old polish, file and buff your nails. Apply a clear basecoat and let dry.

Step 1:

Apply two coats of Light Brown or Tan nail polish to your nails and let dry for at least 15 minutes. You need this much time for drying when applying the next step.

Step 2:

Next we will begin the ombré or “fade” effect.

Drop a couple of drops of white nail polish on a small piece of wax paper. Dab the tip of the cosmetic sponge into the white polish and beginning at the tip of your nail, work your way half way up the nail bed, lightly “dabbing” your nail as you go. The polish will naturally fade as you run out of polish on the sponge, giving that “faded” look. The first coat will not make the tip of the nail opaque, and that is what you want…you can always add more, but you can’t remove it without starting over.

After completing all your nails, they will be dry enough to add another blend coat. Take your time and continue doing this until you are happy with the opacity, but be careful to make only the tip of the nail opaque, not the top (see photo below). If you get white polish on your fingers, just use a little polish remover to remove it.

Tip: Change out the sponges often. The polish will cause the sponge to disintegrate and leave residue if used too much.

Step 3:

Paint leopard spots using the dark brown polish. The good thing about painting the spots is that the more random they are, the better they look. So, don’t be too symmetrical with your painting. When the spots look like you want them to, highlight the edges using the black striping polish. Let the polish dry for about 10 minutes, then apply a top coat. Actually, I like to apply two coats. It protects your designs longer and these are so cute, you will want them to last as long as possible.

I really had a lot of fun with this design and it took no time at all. I hope you give this technique a try and really go “wild” with it.

Until next time…..keep those nails covered.

Summer is my favorite time of year, mainly because of all the bright colors that appear everywhere…the bright blue sky, the green grass and the many colorful flowers in bloom. I wanted to incorporate all these bright colors into a nail design, but I really didn’t know what I wanted to paint until one day when I saw a colorful mosaic tile. I thought that this would be a great nail design for summer, so this is what I created.

Supplies:

Nail Polish Remover                                       
Orange Nail Polish
Polish Remover Pads
Green Nail Polish
Clear Base Coat
Purple Nail Polish
Pink Nail Polish
White Nail Polish
Blue Nail Polish
White Striping Polish
Clear Top Coat

Remove your old polish, file and buff your nails. Apply a clear basecoat and let dry.

Step 1:

Paint the tips of your nails using white polish, following the curve of your nail. If your nails are short, move the “tip” up toward the middle of your nail bed. This will give you more room for the nail art and also it will make your nails appear longer.

Step 2:

Paint a purple “tile” in any shape that you desire, leaving a small white line around it. The small white lines will represent the white grout found in mosaic tiles. Also, paint an orange “tile” in an abstract shape, leaving white “grout” lines.

Step 3:

Continue painting the “tiles” with the remaining colors of polish. If you are like me, some of my “tiles” got a little sloppy. No problem, just take the white striping polish and clean up the “grout” lines.  When the polish has dried, apply two clear top coats and you’re finished.

Now, you can wear all those beautiful, bright summer colors every day, or change them to match your outfits.  I hope you will try these little mosaic art designs. I had a great time painting them and I think you will, too.

See you next time and remember…keep those nails covered.

I was asked to blog again on a design for July 4^th nails which I was glad to do, since I love patriotic art.

I also like to use ordinary products in unordinary ways and I thought….maybe I can put the two together. So, this blog is about using regular half moon French tip adhesive guides as patriotic stripe guides. I am always looking for easier ways to paint stripes and this one is neat, easy and fun all at the same time.

Let’s get started!

Supplies:
Nail Polish Remover
Polish Remover Pads
Clear Base Coat
Orly Half Moon French Tip Adhesive Guides
Red Nail Polish
Blue Nail Polish
White Nail Polish
Clear Top Coat
Tooth Pick
Wax Paper

Remove all old nail polish, file and buff your nails. Apply a clear basecoat and let dry.

Step 1: Apply two coats of White Nail Polish and let dry for at least 30 minutes. You want very dry nails before applying the adhesive guides.

Step 2: After 30 minutes, remove a “half moon” off the paper backing and apply to your nail diagonally, making sure to go from one side of your nail to the other. This should create a small triangle on the top of the nail. Gently press the guide down, but be careful not to damage the white polish.

Step 3: Carefully paint the “triangle” with blue polish. You may need 2 coats. Important: Do not remove the adhesive guide.

Step 4: Remove a second guide off the backing paper and apply to your nail, parallel to the first guide, about 1/8” apart or closer for smaller red stripes. Repeat the process with the guides until you are happy with the design.

 Step 5: Apply Red polish between the lines until you have completed all the stripes. Apply a second coat of red if necessary.

Step 6: Carefully remove the adhesive guides and marvel at how accurate the red and white stripes are. Cool, huh?

Step 7: Drop a drop of white nail polish on the wax paper and paint white dots (stars) with the tooth pick on the blue area. You can paint several small stars, or you can apply a large drop and pull out the tips of the stars with the toothpicks; it’s your choice. 

Step 8: Apply a topcoat and you’re finished. Tip: if you like “bling”, apply small clear rhinestones for “stars”, instead of white paint while the topcoat is still wet.

I hope you will try this design for July 4^th. It really is a cool look for a summer holiday.

Have a great 4^th and be safe.

See you next time and remember…keep those nails covered.

To all of you nail artists, I wanted to get this blog out in time for the Memorial Day holiday. I don’t know about you, but painting my nails in Red, White and Blue gives me such a patriotic feeling and my friends look forward to seeing what kind of artwork I am going to paint at each holiday. The only problem is… painting those STRAIGHT red and white stripes and those TINY white stars, so I have found a way around the dilemma, at least for me.

Sally Beauty has the most wonderful tool called the Cina Nail Art Pen. This paint pen comes in several colors, so I decided to try it. After reading the directions…yes, I am a directions reader, I discovered that it is water soluble, which is great, because if you don’t like what you just painted, just wipe it away with a damp paper towel. I thought to myself, this may be just the thing I need to paint those stripes that seem to give me such trouble. The ArtClub Nail Art White Rainbow Stars also helped save me a lot of time. So, the following is a design that was quick and easy using these great new discoveries.

Below is the list of supplies you need to complete the look:

Nail Polish Remover
Polish Remover Pads
Clear Base Coat
Bright Red Nail Polish (mine has a metallic sheen to it)
Deep Blue (I used a blue metallic over a navy blue polish)
Cina Nail Art Pen-White
ArtClub Nail Art-White Rainbow Stars
Clear Top Coat

Remove all old nail polish, wash the polish remover off and moisturize your hands. File and buff your nails. Remember to wipe only your nail beds again with remover to cleanse them of the moisturizer, or the polish will not stick. Apply a clear basecoat and let dry.

Step 1: Apply two coats of Red Nail Polish and let dry.

Step 2: Remove the Cina Nail Art Pen (White) from the package, remove the lid and push down on the tip until the paint flows freely, just like a normal paint pen. I used a piece of paper to press the pen against, because the paint will run out at the tip. Blot off the excess paint and begin drawing. The paint flows very well, so you don’t need to press down on your nails. When the pen needs more paint, press down on the paper and blot away the excess and you are ready to go again.

I painted three curved lines on each nail. I thought this was a good way to avoid those straight stripes. As I said before, if you don’t like them, just wipe them off and repaint.  (Now that I look at the photos, I think I should have redone a couple, lol.)

After I was finished with the lines, I filled in one side of the nail tip with the navy blue polish with an overlay of the metallic blue polish. I like a deep blue, so this is how I get it. Let all the polish dry well before going to the next step.

Step 3: Since the paint pen is a water-based paint on top of an enamel-based paint, it takes a few extra minutes to dry, and it is very delicate until you seal it with a topcoat.  Gently apply a clear topcoat and while it is still wet, add some white Rainbow Stars around one of the white curved lines. I used a toothpick to help pick up the small stars and apply them to my nails. After all your nails are finished, apply at least one more clear top coat. Two coats will help the stars stay on better, but it is your choice.

And, there you have it! You’re finished! This is really fast and very patriotic!

This was such a fun design to do and it really takes no time to create it. The Cina Paint Pen is a life saver to me and I plan to use it in more of my nail art designs, and those little stars are just too cute. I hope you give this a try and have a fun and safe holiday.  Until next time….keep those nails covered.

For the past several months, I have been asked to demo the Ombré technique. Honestly, I didn’t know what this technique was until a friend showed me a photo. This is what I would call a fade effect. Apparently, the fashion world uses the word Ombré instead, but I haven’t seen it until recently in nail art. I LOVE IT! The first time I saw it, I thought “This is so cool!” Then I had to figure out how it was done. I tried several techniques, but none of them were successful. Then it occurred to me – use a stenciling technique. So, that is exactly what I did and it was so easy. You are going to love it, too!

Let’s get started.

Supplies:
Nail Polish Remover
Polish Remover Pads
Clear Base Coat
2 Contrasting Nail Polish shades of your choice
Clear Top Coat
Wax Paper
Cosmetic Wedges

Step 1-Remove any old polish with remover and cleanse your nails with soap and water. Apply a moisturizer, and file and buff your nails. Take a clean polish remover pad and clean the nail bed only with polish remover to make sure there is no oil on the nail bed. If there is any oil from the hand moisturizer, the polish will not stick.

Step 2-Prep your work area by laying down a small piece (at least 6” square) of wax paper. Yes, I know this is a strange thing to do, but you will understand in a minute. Also, get out 3 or 4 cosmetic wedges. Now, you are ready to paint.

Step 3-Apply a clear basecoat to all nails and let dry for at least 5 minutes. This coat needs to be relatively dry because you are going to be “stenciling” or “blotting” it with nail polish and you don’t want it to smear or come off.

Step 4-Apply a nail polish shade of your choice. I used a lighter color for my base, but you could reverse the colors for a different effect. Let dry.

Step 5-Drip a couple of drops of the second nail polish choice onto the wax paper. (The wax paper does not absorb the polish and is easily thrown away after you are finished). Immediately pick up the cosmetic wedge and dab one edge into the polish. Now, with a “blotting” motion, apply the polish gently to the tips of the nails, blending the polish from the tip toward the center of the nail. I began on my little finger because it was smaller and not as noticeable if I made a mistake. Don’t rush, but work quickly to keep the polish on the wedge and the wax paper from drying.  Reapply paint to the wedge and wax paper as needed, but be careful not to get too much paint on the wedge, or you will create a hard edge instead of a blend.  Also, change wedges after painting  4 or 5 nails, because the polish begins to break down the synthetic wedge leaving residue in your polish (yep, that happened to me). I lightly applied the polish to all my nails. Don’t worry if it isn’t an even coat.

Then I came back and applied another coat to darken the color. By doing this, I avoided over painting them. Also, don’t worry about getting polish on the edges of your fingers. Just remove it with a pad and remover when you are finished. I think you will be amazed at how fast this technique is to apply.

Step 6-When you have achieved the blend that you want, apply a top coat and you are finished.

This is such a fun and really quick to make your nails really pop. Your friends will think that you spent hours, but we know the truth…shhhhh, it’s our little secret. Here is another version of the Ombré effect… I used it like a French Manicure (but without the hard line of course) and I really like it.

This technique lends itself to so many color choices…well, it is limitless. I hope you had fun and enjoyed a new way of polishing your nails. I’ll be blogging again soon.

Keep those nails covered,

I am always looking for new nail art techniques and designs to share with my fellow nail artisans, so I am very excited about the one I am going to show you today. A friend sent me a photo of a nail art design called “V-Gap”. Some of you may have heard about this, but it was new to me. This is a nail art design that is very popular in Europe. The look is sleek and modern and I think it is really cool. The design can be used in many, many different ways and you only need one color of nail polish to accomplish it, so pick your favorite shade and let’s go.

Supplies:
Nail Polish Remover
Polish Remover Pads
Clear Base Coat
Nail Polish of your choice
Clear Top Coat

Step 1: Remove all old nail polish, wash the polish remover off and moisturize your hands. File and buff your nails.

Step 2: Apply a clear base coat and let it dry.

Step 3: The reason that the technique is called “V-Gap” is exactly that – you are going to make a “V” shape at the top of the nail, while leaving a very small “gap” all the way down the nail to the end of the nail tip. Begin at the top and side of the nail and free-hand a half “v” shape. Dip your brush into the bottle and beginning where you left off with the half “v”, paint a straight stroke down the nail to the tip. Dip the brush again and fill in the half “v”. The key to painting this design is not to paint too far toward the middle of the nail with the first stroke. It took me a couple of tries before I got the feel for it. If you paint too far with the first stroke, your “gap” will be off-center.

Step 4: Repeat step 3, but of course, in the opposite direction. You need a steady hand and some patience, but don’t get frustrated if it doesn’t turn out perfect (mine didn’t). However, your friends will still be impressed that you painted such a neat pattern. Just remember to go slow and if you make a mistake, just remove it and start over (I love that part of painting).

Step 5: Apply a top coat and let dry

The “V-Gap” is a very unique design and as I said earlier, it lends itself to a lot of different looks such as: adding rhinestones down the “gap” for a more elegant look, or adding tiny “x’s” down the “gap” to look like lacing. The possibilities are endless!

So, have fun with this new look from our friends across the water and I will be blogging again soon.

Keep those nails covered,