52wkCrumpet10: camouflage and dark green

This is week ten of Crumpet's 52 week challenge! The "rules" are very flexible and you have all week to accomplish the mani. As always, must be done on your own nails, using the colours suggested (or parts thereof).
This week's prompt: camouflage design and dark green (either each alone or combined). I combined. I decided to do camouflage French tip nails with a strong dark green skew.

I started with a two coat base of OPI Don't Pretzel my Buttons. Halfway through this decision I remember that I really do not like this colour. Always seems streaky. I think it is a good nude for my skin tone, but prefer it as a base for full coverage nail art. Oh well, I had already started.

right hand

Then I drew the French tips by hand with Zoya Flynn, the caramel brown. Underneath that I painted a thin line of Zoya Hunter, my dark green. The camouflage design was created by painting on a mixture of Hunter, Zoya Evvie (grey green) and Zoya Louise (choc brown).

Am a bit hum-ho on this mani. The nude is too nude and would probably look better with a softer very light coffee tone. The nude is just too stark and in your face. The camou is more apparent in real life than in the pics, as well. Live and learn, I say. Cheers girls!! x

An InLinkz Link-up

Coral-red-caramel color block ruffian design with striped tips and flowers

Wow! Had no idea what to call or how to concisely describe this mani. I guess I have been going to SEO school too much as that is what it reads like. I wanted to personally use my new Zoya Cashmeres (that I won - thx Zoya NZ). I have used four of the six colours on clients already, but I wanted a turn at it. My next mani will probably be blue based (to celebrate my son coming to visit!!), so I wanted something very non-blue.

The base is a two-tone. I started with one coat OPI Live.Love.Carnaval over the whole nail. This is an absolutely fab summer coral - bright and carefree. My fav from the Brazil collection. I applied a second coat only on the cuticle end and up the one side. Then I applied two coats of Zoya Livingston on the one side, steady Freddy in a line up the middle. Livingston is a good dense red. A tad orange-toned vs blue-toned but still red. Doing your own nails is goofy as you approach your hands at an angle (well, I do) so some of my middle lines are slanted. Funny enough, my right hand looks leveler than my left.

Using Zoya Flynn I created a ruffian on each nail. Two coats here. Flynn is a beautiful shade and very cashmere-y. A camel caramel latte light brown. Definitely opaque in two coats with the red and coral underneath. I can imagine this being a really good year-round base for glitter and nail art. I top coated with Out the Door and started mixing acrylic paints.

The tips were painted using four shades of red, orange, coral and rose pink. I used a long thin striper brush, alternating colours between the nails. I think I started with coral and worked from there. When done I placed some white dots randomly around the tips. I think this would be a good idea for the entire ruffian as well – but I was too lazy to do that and left it with the tips. The tips almost look like sugar spun, kind of. From a distance.

I thought I was finished but the nails needed more, of something. So I painted petals with Livingston and using black acrylics added wisps and lines. In the middle of the flower I applied a dot of China Glaze Blonde Bombshell, a really thick micro gold glitter. Another idea was to apply rhinestones but that would be a waste as I am sure I will redo my mani Sunday night. Another coat of top coat and done. Also, I only did my left hand  and my accent right as time - and patience – was running out.

right hand without accent done but with harvey

This is a very warm soft feeling mani. The caramel shade looks like tanned summer skin and the coral and red together just give a Caribbean vibe.

French blue gradient tips with sparkle

This is what I would call my go-to mani for those days when you want some sparkle, just a little nail art (usually due to scheduling problems) and some elegance. I always think this is a very classy nail art solution. You can use almost any tip colour - from French white through darks. Maybe not black. Would look like dirty nails – or that you're trying too hard to be Lorde!

The base is the simple beautiful OPI Bubble Bath. One coat. That is enough to give a sheen to your nails as well as a nice base to work off of. I used OPI Unfor-greta-bly Blue for the tips. I sponge gradiented them in different areas. Trying this time to get more of a marble effect. Then the gradient "line" was covered with Zoya Electra. Top coat brings it all together.

And that was that. Easy peasy. Touch up on tip wear is fairly easy, if need be, with just sponging on some more blue and top coating. I will probably keep these on for this Saturday's market. They look a bit winter-y with the icicle type glitter and blue shimmer tips.
Today has been a bit of a non-event. The internet keeps shutting itself on and off. I heard from Internal Affairs and they need my actual birth certificate (vs an authorized copy). I spent three hours looking all over for it! Finally found it. Therefore, the day flew by with nothing much accomplished!!! To calm myself after my nice long walk to the post office, I made a red wine and thyme stew that is simmering on the stove.

Essie Resort Fling with sponged yellow tips

There has been a massive amount of nail mail coming through the door lately. I finally received my past Xmas, birthday and M-day gifts as Europe wouldn't allow anyone to send them to me with the post. Had to wait until someone actually flew to my country! So heaps of polish there. Then I invested in two new Essies from CandyGirl as they looked just too good to pass up. Up till now I have not been a fan of Essie. In the meantime, I have read up on them and, well, maybe I got a bad bottle.

This is Resort Fling from their 2014 Resort Fling collection. 'Tis a coral, but has an orange tinge to it. Not pinky coral like Selena from NOPI. A warm coral. Or soft orange. Now I read that Essie goes on streaky but the formula is supposedly so a-m-a-z-i-n-g that it all evens out as it dries. The only bottle I have is their Raise Awareness that gets a lot of use with my little old ladies. And I was never impressed with that.

True to form, the polish applied streaky and looked like it didn't cover. But I waited a tad before applying the second coat and yes! Coverage was absolutely there. A really pretty colour - great for spring and summer.... and holidays! This is two coats of Resort Fling.

I had another idea for this mani as I thought the colour was a jelly = sheerer. I wanted to do a sandwich with flowers, etc. But that did not work out as the second coat totally covered all the flowers! So, I jazzed up the tips a bit by sponging in gradient piCture pOlish Mellow Yellow and CG Foie Gras. From a distance the mani looks great, up close my nails look dirty!!! Ha! Note to self: brown on your tips is not always a safe choice.

This is late in posting as well. Seems I have a massive to-do list. Am trying to stay really positive but things are just crumbling around me it seems. We thought we had an offer in on the business, but that has yet to materialize, all so up-in-the-air. I owe so many notes and eMails, have been applying for jobs, and almost forgot my doctor's appt yesterday! Plan on doing my nails tonight, though. Oh, and packing up a pendant for Hollywood!

Slice of Summer: freehand drawn watermelon tips

Well, I saw this idea somewhere a couple of weeks ago. Now I just spent minutes going through my pinterest boards to see if I pinned it - want to give credit. And, of course, I didn't. Somewhere out there is a similar nail design. Oh well.

Had the idea but was totally totally jazzed that my newest destash polish (from Lisa) came yesterday. I was going to use another coral colour but this is absolutely perfect! Love it! Enchanted Polish Shrimp Cocktail. There is a luscious shimmer to the colour, like velvet almost. I think application would be good but that is hard to judge as I was only painting my tips and you kind of dab and stroke a bit then and there.

I started with two coats of OPI Bubble Bath. This is the perfect nude for me. Then I free hand applied Shrimp Cocktail on my tips. Probably went over twice and tried to get the sides. Sometimes I think I am such a wuss as I am so cautious with the sides as I do not want to touch my skin. But, you can always do clean up! Keep forgetting that. I top coated because the Mr was making dinner and I wanted to help.

Then, using a small dotting tool I applied the rind of the watermelon using piCture pOlish Jealousy. I love this green and between manis and jewelry will be needing another bottle soon! Jealousy is a mesh polish, meaning over-loaded with glitter. I knew I could not do fine lines so am happy that the tip lines are uneven. Rinds are uneven, too. Just used the dotting tool as a brush and connected them across the tips.

Then I used a simple black striper polish and dotted-slashed some seeds around. A generous coat of top coat was on the agenda after this. I showed the Mr and he even guessed "watermelons". Yeah, two points for him!

right hand with broken index :(

Today is "race day" across the road. So loud V8 cars going around in a circle. When it gets too loud across the road people venture over here for a relaxing cuppa. I'm on a cloud anyway today: reached 100 likes on my FB page, sold two pendants at the café, and one on etsy this morning! World domination of hand painted glass necklaces has begun!