31DC2013 Day 30: Tutorial

Hey ya'll it's day 30 of the nail art challenge! How great is that!  Tomorrow is basically a bonus day in case the month you're doing the challenge has 31 days, so I'll probably just pick a few of my favorites from the month and feature them- which in effect makes today the last day of the challenge.  Today's prompt is a tutorial and last week I posted this pic on facebook and enough people liked it that I wanted to show you a tutorial for it:

                                        

And thanks to my mom for being a fabulous model :)  Basically this is a lacy half moon mani and I'll take you through step-by-step on how to achieve this look.

1)As always, start out with a nourishing base coat of some kind.  Then use 1-2 coats of your base color depending on it's opacity.  This is Sinful Colors Get It On which is matte without top coat.

2) Next draw a curved line where your little half moon would be on your natural nail.  The thinner you make this line the more delicate your lace will appear

3) This picture has two steps because my cat decided to jump on the power cord right when I was editing the one in between and I lost it lol, but as you can see, you add a small half circle within the rainbow line you just drew.
4)Then you draw some scallops along the top rainbow- I did one larger in the middle, then two smaller on each side, and then repeated that pattern. I did all this detailing with white acrylic paint.  You'll find that if you want to do intricate nail art- using acrylic paints comes in handy because you can much more easily correct mistakes compared to using all polish.

5) Take the tip of your detailing brush that you've used thus far and make small dots on the tips of each scallop on your curved line. Sorry about the blurry pics for these last two- I had a hungry monkey pulling on me as I tried to photograph :)  I know all you moms out there feel me on that one.

6) Lastly, make small lines between the half circle and your curved line.  That will finish you up- and now you give your acrylic some dry time cuz there's nothing worse than working hard and carefully on some delicate lines just to have them smeared by top coat.

Here is your finished look with top coat:

This mani is quite dainty and oh so cute on your nails.  You'll feel pampered and precious once you get this look on your tips :)  Hope you give this a try and share it with me on my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/GlimpsesOfTheMoon. Btw, the top coat I've been using a loving a lot lately was a happy surprise.  In the Color Club box sets you can sometimes find at Ross or Marshalls, they include a clear top or base coat- and I have had NO smearing problems for the whole week I've been using it so far which is majorly awesome.  I like the topper Out the Door for the way it has no shrinkage like Seche Vite does, but it drags my designs and smears them easier than Seche Vite.  This one is like the best of both worlds.  It's a little on the thick side, but if you're intentional with your brush, I've found it to be great!

Hopefully I'll see you back tomorrow for highlights of the challenge.  Hope you've enjoyed coming on this journey with me- it's been a blast!--again!

Song of the Day: Snowden- The Beat Comes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZC-OwnkL38

*this link is provided for its audio and not video content*

Over and out.

31DC2013 Day 29: Supernatural

Wow- we're at day 29 of this challenge already! Can't believe it people- it just zoomed by!  Today's challenge prompt is to create nail art inspired by the supernatural.  I had SUCH a hard time being inspired for this day's challenge- probably the hardest time for the whole month.  Then my timmy came along and suggested I do Thor nails and it was pretty much a no-brainer!  I just had to create some tribute nails to my supernatural boyfriend.  :)  These are for you Thor:

The base polish for this nail art is Nicole by OPI Listen to Your Momager which is a shimmer navy blue. Then I sponged some Pure Ice Heartbreaker, Color Club Chelsea Girl, and some silver and blue acrylic mixed together on each nail.  Then using white acrylic I painted some lightning bolts on each nail.  Then along came Thor and there you have it :)  This was so fun even though it required a lot of delicate detailing.  Also- apparently Thor was displeased when he sat for this portrait- he must be missing Natalie Portman, grrrr.....

Well that's it for today.  Hope you enjoyed this look :) I know it's super silly, but sometimes often we need to just get a little silly don't you think? See you back tomorrow for day 30- tutorial.  Do you have anything specific from this month's challenges that you'd like to see?  Let me know in the comments.

Song of the Day: Jamie N Commons- Rumble and Sway(Imagine Dragons remix)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv2xMc3lOUA
*this link is provided for its audio and not video content*

Over and out

31DC2013 Day 28: Flag

Hello and welcome to your weekend.  Wanting to start it off with some bangin' nail art right? I get it :) Well let's get goin' with today's challenge which is nail art based on a flag.  This one always feels a little kookie to me, and this year I went a different direction with it.  I usually think to look for a really interesting flag from another country, but instead I went with...

Checkered Flag!
Oh day 28, how you challenge me :) Well that's the purpose anyway. I wanted to do black and white checkers without stamping and without using tape, so this is all freehanded.  Then I wanted to spice up the look with some glitter, cuz you know we need a little flash. The glitter of choice for a black and white mani is of course China Glaze Whirled Away.  I really enjoy how this one turned out and while it was a somewhat tedious design to paint this morning with my kids clamoring around me,(I decided not to stay up late to paint last night- my bad) it was still fun and I accomplished the design I set out to.

That's gonna be it for today.  Glad you stopped by and I wish you a lovely weekend.  See you back tomorrow for nail art inspired by the supernatural and xoxo til then.

Song of the Day: Regina Spektor- You've Got Time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9_isl1jjHc
*this link is provided for its audio and not video content*

Over and out.

31DC2013 Day 27: Artwork

Hey everyone! It's Friday and it's time to kick-off the weekend with some nail art love :)  Today's challenge is to create nail art inspired by artwork.  When I googled famous artwork to see what popped up, the artist's work who immediately caught my attention was Van Gogh.  I thought his Starry Night over the Rhone would look divine when translated onto the nail.  Here is the reference picture:

Don't you just love this piece!  The blue and gold combination is just exquisite!

Here is my starry night nail art:

The base polish for this manicure is Color Club Bright Night, and I used a bit of Sally Hansen Sea for the gradient and white, yellow, and black acrylics for the detailing.  I'm really happy for how this turned out.  There could not be anything more delicious on the nails than a reminder of a great work of art.  This is probably my favorite day of the 31 Day Challenge.  What do you think? Did I get anywhere close?  What is one of your favorite works of art?

Here is Bright Night with two coats.  Look how smooth and creamy it is.  Wow this color is fabulous!

That's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by and I hope you stop back tomorrow for another challenge day- the prompt is a flag.  Have a good one :)

Song of the Day: Jessie J- Laserlight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syxd2n8S4AE
*this link is provided for it's audio and not video content*

Over and out.

31DC2013 Day 26: Pattern

Hi ya'll.  Hope you're having a fabulous day so far.  Welcome to another nail art challenge day!  If you know my blog then you know that I love tangling on my nails- or using Zentangle patterns, or inspiration from those patterns to cover my nails.  Therefore, when today's prompt was to design nail art inspired by a pattern- it was a no-brainer :)  I like to choose a different pattern every time I tangle because there are so so many and the website tanglepatterns.com is the resource I use to look up their library of patterns.  The pattern I chose for today is called Twile and my take on it looks like this:

Both the designs on the accent finger and on the rest of the nails are variations on the main Twile pattern, and I had a great time nail tangling.  I used two coats of Color Club Evolution as the base of the mani, and gold and blue acrylic paints for the detailing.  I always find that tangled patterns look really nice and intricate on the nail and this one was no exception.  The gold acrylic even made the nail look like it was reminiscent of an antique vase or something. Have you tried nail tangling yet?  I really think you should- just have a very fine brush to do your detailing.
Here is Evolution on it's own:

That's all for today peeps; I'll meet you back tomorrow for nail art inspired by artwork.  Sending love your way til then! Have a great day :)

Song of the Day: The Staves- Mexico
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYV0Wp0MdZ4
*this link is provided for it's audio and not video content*

Over and out.

31DC2013 Day 25: Fashion

Hello my darlings- today it is all about fashion!  I need to preface this post by saying I'm one of the least fashionable people you will ever meet...my favorite attire is work out gear and I'd wear that 24/7 if I could...wait- I can- and I do! :)  Anyway, just wanted to state that for the record, because today's prompt is nail art inspired by fashion- and while I personally have no decent fashion sense- I chose a fashion house to be inspired by and it's pieces are very fashionable.  Here is the nail art I came up with for today:

The polishes I used for this manicure are Ulta Chic Peek as the rose gold base polish.  The black is Cult Nails Fetish and is naturally matte.  Cult Nails is my favorite brand ever- if you haven't checked them out yet, you definitely should- every polish she creates is perfection. Then I used some Sephora by OPI Rumba Romance for the gold detailing and Ulta High Roller and black acrylic for the detailing on the middle finger.
The photo I designed this look after is here:


I picked the look in the middle as my main inspiration- but also the deep plunging necklines in a few of the pieces.  Out of these 5 looks, I think either the second, or the middle design would be the most wearable and look the best on the models.  Which look would you love to rock?  Do you love the dark shades like I do?

So glad you stopped by today.  Hope to see you back tomorrow for day 26: pattern.  Have a fabulous day!!

Song of the Day: k.s.Rhoads- Harvest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzbLopjGfcc
*this link is provided for its audio and not video content*

Over and out.

31DC2013 Day 24: Book

Howdy campers!  If you've been following along, you'll know that my post title implies that this is the 24th day of the 31 day nail art challenge and that today's prompt is nail art inspired by a book.  And if this is your first time stopping by- well then now you know!  Ok, just like yesterday's film prompt- there are sooo many choices for today's inspiration.  I decided to go with a classic that my 9 year old could even figure out right away.  Let's see if you can.  Here is the manicure:

Well, if you guessed Charlotte's Web, you are correct!  Such a classic, hopefully we've all read it, and most likely seen a film version of it.  Here's the photo I used for inspiration

The base color I used for the background is NYC Water Street Blue which you see here at two coats:

After base coat I used white, silver, and black acrylic paints to create the web and little Charlotte.  This wasn't your regular old spider web.  If you look at the art from the film Charlotte's web is very irregular and somewhat messy.  That's just what makes her more of an individual and like a real living character :)  That's what I tried to recreate on each nail.  I hope you enjoyed this look today and if you meet me back here tomorrow you'll see more nail art for day 25- nails inspired by fashion.  Hope you have a great day!

Song of the Day: Jenny O.- Good Love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zumSkmnogo

*this link is provided for it's audio and not video content*

Over and out

31DC2013 Day 23: Movie

First things first- yes I majorly changed the look of my blog- but you are in the right place.  My little nail art world that you've grown used to finding daily nail art, reviews and general fabulosity is all still the same, with different cosmetics- that's the only thing that's changed.  You know, it's been over a year since I started this blog, and I was simply ready for a change, cleaning house :)  At the top right bar you'll find a slideshow of my nail art and if you see something you like and live locally- send me a line and we can get some fabulous on your nails!

Now that's taken care of, let me saw wow- here we are people- last full week of September!  Whoever said time flies when you're having fun was so astute.  My life feels like it's whirlwinding right  by me and my kids just growing up way too fast!  I mean there are definitely points in the day where I feel like I'm going to pull my hair out, don't get me wrong, but in general I know each moment is whizzing by and we're already getting into Holiday season- Ack!

We should move on to today's topic.  The 31 Day Nail Art Challenge day 23 is all about the movies.  Pick a movie and design a manicure inspired by that film.  If you frequent my blog you'll know that I have a feature called Movie and a Mani crop on my blog from time to time where I do just that- pick a recently-released film, create some nail art to go with it and give a review of the film.  This blog does combine a number of my loves besides nail art(such as music and film) and so today is really fun and feels like a regular old day on my blog.  I won't be giving you a full review for my movie of choice today- The Pink Panther- but just know that we love it and it's a great family night movie.  In fact we were just watching it the other night and that's how I decided to feature it for today's challenge.  I'm talking about the Steve Martin version of the film by the way, even though the original is fabulous as well; my kids really like watching the 2006 edition.  Here is a still from the film:


If you aren't familiar with the movie I fully recommend it for it's family-friendly mystery and outrageous Steve Martin antics.  The nail art I painted inspired by the film is here:

So, as you can see I painted the panther and his paw print.  Even though, in the film- the pink panther isn't an actual panther at all but rather a large pink diamond, I wanted to draw the cute little guy that I remember so well from my childhood.  I started out with a base of Julep Neicy on all fingers but the ring finger- which has two coats of OPI Cuckoo for this Color.  Then I drew the paw in Neicy and shaded the paw and panther in Color Club Flamingo and finished it all up with a detailing brush and black acrylic.
Again- super fun challenge day, but I am partial to movie manis :)  Thanks for stopping by- I hope you enjoyed this look and that you get out your paints!  Show me your creations on my facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/GlimpsesOfTheMoon

Song of the Day: Bag Raiders- Shooting Star
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feA64wXhbjo&list=RD02MMyf9Z5wKmM
*this link is provided for it's audio and not video content*
It should be obvious cuz I post them on my blog- but I love this music- everyone listen!! ;)

Over and out.

31DC2013 Day 22: Song

Hello there :) Happy to see you again today.  If you're here that means you're lookin for some great nail art love.  We're deep into the 31 day nail art challenge and today's order of the day is a nail art look inspired by a song.  For my inspiration I chose a song by the great Kate Boy titled In Your Eyes.  If you frequent my blog you'll know that I am as much a music fiend as I am that of nail art and polish.  I feature a song of the day every day at the bottom of each post.  As you can probably guess, I had a million songs boppin' around my brain for this day of the challenge, but I went with a song that literally reverberates through my veins every time I play it.  There's something about it- listen and hopefully you'll see what I mean.  Here's the link to the official video for it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngBwzR1ZQHE

As you can see the video's definitely quirky and here's the quirky nail art I came up with inspired by the song:

Creeped out yet by the eye wide open staring at you? :)  This one was sooo fun :) and I wore it for a few days and people were like there's an eyeball on your nails?!?  Then of course I got to explain why and give Kate Boy a shout out lol.  What would you paint for a nail art inspired by a song? There are way too many great songs to choose from I know.  There could be a whole blog inspired by that topic and probably is :)
In case you're wondering- the base color for all the non-eye nails is Jordana Sapphire which I have swatched for you here:

This is three coats, and still I see a little vnl in this picture.  Watch out for it's sheer quality- but it is a gorgeous color all the same.  That's all for me today folks.  Hope to see you back tomorrow for nail art inspired by a movie.  Have a great Sunday everyone!

Song of the Day: Darius Maliblue
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntoMKM0ToP0&list=RD02jna2r56EXTg
*this link is provided for it's audio and not video content*

Over and out.

31DC2013 Day 21: Color

So it's Saturday again.  If you thought you were getting random swatching Saturday, I'm sorry it's on hiatus for the month of September while I'm working through the 31 Day Nail Art Challenge version 2013.  If you've missed any, all my posts from the challenge are on the right bar.  As for today, the challenge returns us back to inspiration through color.  As I mentioned yesterday, I used the color blue as inspiration.  Here's how my look turned out:

 What's cuter than blueberries, right?  And so yummy and nutritious! The base polish is also blue, it's like a platinum blurple almost frost.  It's kind of a sheer shade from Wet n Wild that you can't really see the beauty of until you apply three full coats.  Here is the swatch of it on it's own:

It's a short one today- lots to get done on a Saturday.  Hope you enjoy your day and you're safe in wherever you're travelling today.  No texting while driving, peeps! :)  See you tomorrow for nails inspired by a song. Your hint is Kate Boy.  Hugs and Kisses

Song of the Day: Flight Facilities- Crave You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0bS-YnLf4s&list=RD02MMyf9Z5wKmM
*this link is provided for its audio and not video content*

Over and out.

31DC2013 Day 20: Water Marble

Hello guys and gals- it's time for another adventures in water marbling.  If you haven't seen this technique before on my blog- you're in for a treat.  Water marbling your nails can pump out some really fun designs and for me because I'm not a major pro at it there's always the element of surprise at what's going to turn out.  So basically watermarbling is when you take a cup of room temp water and place drops of polishes on top of each other one after another in the water and then use a tool to make a design in the layered polish.  Cool right? Fo sho (but warning- also messy).  The colors I wanted to test out today are bright magenta pink, darkest dark navy blue, and white.  Here's what resulted:

 What do you think?  While this technique isn't one I want to do every day, because of the cleanup and time it takes, I definitely keep in the repertoire because the designs that can turn out are just so rockin.  Let me say- that the dots on each nail were placed there afterward, just to be clear that I didn't get that to happen just by watermarbling.  :)  Look on the index finger there's even a pink heart!  So fun- definitely give it a try, and not all polishes work for this effect so you just have to play with it.  Have fun creating!!

Here is the base polish Sally Hansen X-treme Wear Razz-berry on her own.  She is one of a group of Summer brights this brand put out this year, and honestly, Razz-berry is the ONLY cream polish that did not give me formula issues which is a bummer cuz they are some gorgeous creams.  Just a little heads-up if you've got your eyes on them.  This is two coats here:

That's it for today.  Another challenge day in my belt- tomorrow we move on to the last ten days of the challenge.  Tomorrow's challenge is a manicure inspired by a color- which is pretty much like the first few days of the challenge if you ask me...but that's all right.  I'll give you a hint- I gave blue some more of the spotlight.  Hope your day is triumphant! See you tomorrow.

Song of the Day: Non Tiq- Quiet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVWaClz0ODo&list=RD02MMyf9Z5wKmM
*this link is provided for it's audio and not video content*

Over and out.

31DC2013 Day 19: Galaxy Nails

Hello and welcome to my nail world :)  Today we're going to get expansive and travel in time and space to get our galaxy nails on.  Some of the prompts for this challenge are so specific, like galaxy nails- that doesn't leave you too much room for interpretation right?  This year when i was looking for inspiration I found a picture of some celestial beauty that had some different coloration that I really enjoyed.  I based my nails off of that color scheme.  Here are my 2013 galaxy nails:

As you can see the base I used for the great beyond was a reflects gold over a deep maroon/purple and the collections of stars and planets swirling about were mostly golden mists with a little bit of baby blue in there. I really enjoyed this vision of a warm, welcoming space.

This manicure was made using a multitude of polishes to bring out the subtleties of the golds, purples, and blues, but the base of the manicure is Barielle Exquisite Dance over Confetti Dressed to the 9s:

This was such an amazing combination and exactly what I was looking for to create my galaxy.  So did you have fun taking a trip to space with me today? So glad you came along.  What does your galaxy look like? Is it warm and inviting? :)  We'll see you back tomorrow for water marble nails!  Have a lovely day!

Song of the Day: Bag Raiders- Sunlight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TLCkIGV2mw&list=RD02MMyf9Z5wKmM
*this link is provided for it's audio and not video content*

Over and out.