Grey, Orange, and Green Smooshy Nail Sunday

Hello Lovelies!  It's Sunday, and you know what that means...Smooshy Nail Sunday!  I love this collaboration, because I love smooshy nails.  No two smooshy nails are alike, so its great to see what others come up with based on a simple set of three (sometimes more) colors.

This week's color scheme was Grey, Orange, and Green.  I decided to use Cinema Swatch Lacquers 'Smoke and Fire,' this was a limited edition Walking Dead polish they created a couple of years ago that represents Carol, and its just so pretty.  I also used China Glaze 'Stop That Train' from last years fall collection.  For the green I used the gorgeous dark green holo polish from Sweetpea Polish called 'Enchanted Pine.'  

I created my smoosh directly on my nail.  I did not take still pictures because it was just to difficult too.  However, I will be posting a video nail tutorial of this entire nail design either later tonight (Sunday) or early tomorrow.  When I was happy with my smoosh I topped it off with my favorite quick drying topcoat from Together WE Impact.

Once dry, I used these really neat Arrow Dynamic nail vinyls from Polished Vino.  They kind of remind me of trees, and since I used 'Enchanted Pine' it seemed kind of fitting.  I applied a bit of liquid latex on the exposed area of skin for quicker clean.  Than using a makeup sponge I dabbed some black polish within the vinyl.  Dabbing the polish instead of applying it with the applicator brush, allows for a smoother finished nail design with less ridging.  This helps the nail design last longer and is less likely to chip.  I also found that the polish is less likely to flood under the vinyl when using the sponge method. 

As always, I finished of the design with a little bit of clean up using gentle acetone and a brush, and applied my Together We Impact scented topcoat.  I was uncertain about this color combo but I really love the way these turned out.

The lovely Morgan of Sweetpea Polish is having a grand opening sale that ends tonight, Sunday October 16th at 10pm CST.  If you want to get your hands on 'Enchanted Pine' or any of her other holographic beauties, now is the perfect time.  Use code: grandopening10 for 10% off a $10 purchase or code: grandopening20 for 25% off of $20 or more.  Don't wait these babies are so worth it!

If you are interested in joining in on #smooshynailsunday follow any one of the lovely hosts, @dorisnailsdiary, @renai_madisonails, @nail_it_rong, and  @nailsbychablis on Instagram.  Don't forget to follow me, @polish_plebe while you're there.  New color combos are posted every Tuesday, final no nail art included smooshes are due by Saturday evening.  I hope you enjoyed this edition of Smooshy Nail Sunday, thanks for stopping by, see you next time.

Your Fellow Plebe,

Orange and Black Mani Swap Circle

Hello Lovelies!  Its time once again for a Mani Swap Circle nail art design.  This time the color scheme is orange and black just in time for Halloween.

This time I had the opportunity to recreate one of the lovely @aaaratednails beautiful nail art designs.  I had a really hard time choosing just one.  At one point I had about 15 that I wanted to recreate but I narrowed it down to just this one.  I choose it primarily because it involved gradients which we all know I love.   

Materials I used:

Base coat - IAMCCC  "Cement" 

Cuticula liquid latex

Orange polish - IAMCCC "Yahoo Y2K"

Black polish - Chaotic Glitz "Little Black Book"

Makeup Sponge

Straight vinyls or striping tape

Topcoat - Together We Image "Bubbles the Clown" Scented

I started off with my favorite sticky base coat, to protect my nails and create a longer lasting mani.  I also protected my skin with my favorite liquid latex which smells like lavender, by the way!

To recreate @aaaratednails reverse gradient design, I started with a vertical gradient.  Instead of sponging layer upon layer, I first painted one half of my nail orange and the other black.  Than using a makeup sponge, I dabbed the gradient to blend the colors.  This pre-painting method is ideal when working with darker colors. I did apply a quick drying topcoat at this point. 

For part two of this nail art design, you have to reverse the gradient.  Once dry, I applied straight vinyls horizontally across my nail.  I than dabbed the same colors but in a reverse order.  I apologize but I forgot to take still pictures of these steps. (I will be posting a quick video on Instagram later.)

When I was happy with the blend, I removed the vinyls and the latex, performed a tiny bit of clean up with gentle acetone and a brush.  I, of course, topped it all off with one of my favorite scented topcoats from Together WE Impact.

I loved this design so much that I sacrificed sleep and did it on both hands for a change.  Its so sad when you have to choose between a good nights rest and a complete mani :(  I did, however, wear this mani for about 4 days which is a record for me as of late.

I highly recommend you go checkout @aaaratednails on Instagram for more beautiful nail art designs. Also if you are interested in joining in on all future Mani Swap Circles follow @natasha_dauncey or @glacewing.  There is a link in their bios to sign up for the next swap, please be sure to read all the rules, and only apply if you can truly commit.  

While you're over on Instagram, be sure to follow me @polish_plebe, and like my most recent nail art designs and swatches.  I post more frequently there in general, plus I will be posting a video tutorial of this mani later today.  Oh, and what do you think of my new nail shape, mini coffins!  I'm not sure if I like them, but maybe they'll grow on me.  I hope you enjoyed this mani swap and found this tutorial useful.  Up next Smooshy Nail Sunday!  Thanks for stopping by, see you next time.

Your Fellow Plebe,

Candy Corn Fan Gradient

Hello Lovelies!  Life is been so hectic lately that the only nail art I've been doing has consisted of Instagram birthday collaborations and various prompts (not that I don't love participating in them).  It has been so long since I've created any nail art just because I really wanted to.  I finally had a break, and I was sent these adorable water slide decals as an extra goody in an order I placed for my trick or treat swap girl from Ribbit Stickits, that I have been itching to use.  Surprisingly they also work for this week's Nail Art Nation prompt, Autumn nails.  So here they are...

Materials I used:

Base Coat - IAMCCC 'Cement' Sticky Base

White polish - Salon Perfect 'Sugar Cube'

Yellow Polish - Butter London 'East End'

Orange Polish - Butter London 'Brick Lane'

Black Polish - Sweet & Sour Lacquer 'Scotty Doesn't Know'

Cuticula liquid latex

Fan Brush

Uber Chic Mat

Topcoat - Together We Impact 'House of Horrors' scented

For this nail look I did the candy corn colored fan brush gradient on my thumb, pointer, and mid fingers.  For my fellow plebes that have not done a fan brush gradient, it is not difficult, however, it does not create a smooth seamless gradient like a sponge gradient.

Like most gradients, start with a base coat of white polish or the lightest shade in your color combination, mine just so happens to be white.  Apply liquid latex to the surrounding skin, for easy clean up.  Using a fan brush, line your three colors on a surface, and swipe the brush to pick up the polishes.  Then swipe the fan brush across your nail, repeat until you are satisfied.  Pretty simple.

For my ring and pinky I used these totally adorable decals sent to me with the order I placed.  To make a long story short, I ordered some custom decals for my swap girl, and Kristy added these in for me.  Kristy blew me away with her excellent customer service, she realized a mistake with the customs I ordered after she had shipped them and contacted me to point it out before hand. If she hadn't I may not have ever noticed a problem, and my swap girl would have ended up with decals that weren't usable.  I highly recommend you check out Ribbit Stickits awesome selection of vinyls and decals, and if you need something special just shoot her an email.

Now being the plebe that I am, I was thinking to myself, I love water decals but they are never as opaque as I would like.  Low and behold Kristy included instructions on how to do just that...and that is when I had my uh, duh momemt, forehead slap included.  It all seems so obvious now...

So here is how I interpreted the directions.  I started by trimming out the desired decals.  I placed the decals face down on a nail art stamper.  Using a q-tip saturated with water I moistened the backing by rolling the q-tip back and forth over the decal for about 20-30 seconds.  Using the q-tip I then applied slight pressure and slid the backing off the decal.  Using a small dotting tool and white polish, I filled in the picture, doing my best to stay within the shape.  Finally, I added a layer of quick drying topcoat and allowed to dry, before pealing it from the stamper and applying it to my nail.

I failed to take pictures of the decal application, but I've done this many times before in other posts.  You simply apply a layer of polish or topcoat to your nail.  I recommend allowing the polish to dry to a tacky state, then gently press the decal onto the nail and apply a final layer of topcoat and clean the excess decal with gentle acetone and a brush.  I will be posting quick video tutorials on my Instagram account later today, so check them out if you need a full motion visual.

As per usual I finished the entire nail art design by cleaning up with gentle acetone and a brush and topped it all off with a quick drying glossy topcoat.  My favorite topcoats at the moment are the scented topcoats from Together We Impact.  Not only do they smell awesome, but the profit goes straight to the Free the Children community in Kenya.  

It was so nice to sit down and do nails just for me for a change.  I hope you enjoyed them, and found the tutorial and tips useful.  Thanks for stopping by, see you next time.

Your Fellow Plebe,