31 Day Nail Art Challenge Approaches

Inspired by the magnificent Margriet Sijperda at 356 Days Of Nail Art, I toyed with the idea of trying an ongoing nail art challenge. There was no way I could jump in and make the commitment Margriet did, but I was keen to try something.

The first hit on Google was Nail Art 101, and I shared the challenge on G+, so I could stew over it for a while. Then I got an offer that meant there was no turning back, a challenge buddy..... Then another, and another, and it snowballed to 11 in total. So that's it - I'm locked in, and we start on April 1st.

The programme is pretty straightforward. 10 days of colour mani's, 10 of patterns, 10 mani's by inspiration and the final day is a chance to recreate your favourite challenge, which is something I've never done. What am I talking about? I've never done a challenge like this!

To say thank you for keeping me company through the next 31 days, here's some quick links to the lovely ladies who are joining me.

Magali-Neuville Bisceglia blog

Sophie Tate blog

Fabiana N blog

Keely Gallagher blog

Mara Page G+

Cynthia Lee Perez G+

Katolin O blog

Kathleen Coultes blog

Victoria Eaves blog

Danielle Turner G+

Donnell M G+

Ruth Phelps blog

Please check out their 31 Day Challenges too, and maybe even follow their blogs ;-)

I am hoping to post my challenges here everyday, and if I can find the time, maybe a couple of how to's and group challenge collages. Unfortunately, I haven't the time to post everyone's mani everyday :-( But I'll do my best to share the love.

#31DC_APRIL2014

 

 

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Metallic Bronze & Stamping

I have been meaning to try out some of my metalic bronze polishes for a while, but I've never got round to it.

With so many pastel nails at the moment, I thought I would go for a dark change. I'm pleased with the outcome, but I am dying to get my hands on some steampunk image plates just for these polishes.

On a side note, I'd just like to say how fantastic the HK Girl top coat is. The more I use it, the more I love it. It really made the black stamping polish pop out on these darker base colours. Thumbs up!

Here's the polishes I used.

W7 - Metallic Saturn

Barry M - Copper

GOSH - Galaxy

Revlon - Rich

Collection - Gothic Glam Deadly

Konad - Black Pearl for stamping.

 

 

 

The W7 - Metallic Saturn was a great find in the bargain bin, also a great choice to put on as a base, as the other metallics have glitters, and need multiple coats for full opacity.

I was surprised at how nice this one was, as W7 formula tends to be quite thick and streaks very easy when applying. But this one was smooth.

 

 

GOSH - Galaxy was used for the middle and ring finger, but after remembering about my Revlon polish, I removed the ring finger and repainted it. Unfortunately I forgot to photograph before stamping. The Revlon had more silvery hues, compared to the gold, bronze and blue in this one.

This is one coat over W7.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deadly, from Collection, was the darkest of the polishes. This is probably the first time I have used it, and I'm impressed. Application was smooth, it's an attractive colour and it was very cheap. I might even get the others in the Gothic Glam collection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barry M - Copper. It is exactly what it says on the bottle. It was perfect for layering over my base coat, I just wish it was more opaque and suitable to stamp with. I'll just have to settle for stamping over it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It might have helped to get my thumb in focus, but it isn't bad. The finished set with Konad - Black Pearl, and MoYou Pro collections, 03,06 & 10.

I'm having a hard time trying to decide which one is my favourite......

 

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Practicing With Stripes

I've gone a little crazy recently with extra mani's in preparation for the 31 Day Challenge, which I'm due to start next week. It's nice to know I'm not going it alone, with a few of the G+ girls offering to get on board, I'm feeling confident about completing it, even though I'll be away for 4 days.

This mani was the best of three attempts for a challenge set in G+ Nail Polish Queens.

I'm not a fan of using striping tape, so I was determined to do it freehand, especially with the upcoming challenge. I even purchased some new brushes, after accidentally chopping of all the bristles trying to thin my striper. That's what happens when you get too excited and don't stop to take a breath.

This design was based on a tweed jacket I own. I use Revlon - Smokey Canvas, Barry M - Lychee, Rimmel - Camouflage Chic, Beige Babe and Celebrity Bash. The stamping plate was MoYou - Suki 07.

 

This was my second attempt, before receiving my new brushes, but after I ruined my old one. It was a much better attempt than my first, but the nail pen stripers I used were producing a too many bumps to cleanly overlap my lines.

This was based on highland dancing, something many of the girls in my family have learned.

The base colour was L'Oreal - Blue Reef and the black is BlackJack from Collection. The other colours were from 2 way nail art pens.

 

 

 

Two slightly different designs, but I count both as attempt 1. When the first one didn't work out with my old brush and polish, I removed those three nails and tried again using a polish base and acrylic paint for striping. The change from polish to acrylic really did help with line thickness, but I really needed a new brush!

 

 

It's hard to believe I went from that to this!

It isn't perfect, but it's definitely a huge improvement in a couple of tries. I'm just wondering now, how much better it could be if I had used acrylic paint again.

 

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Cancer Research MANi

 

I have asked my husband so many times, if I could paint his nails for practice, and the answer was always a flat NO. So I gave up asking a while ago. It really changed my Sunday morning, when he asked me how difficult it would be to paint the cancer research UK logo. Um....... what? I thought maybe I was still asleep.

With the latest "bare face selfie" craze, my husband wanted to show his support in his own way after donating to this worthy cause. Bare faced selfie's don't really work for most men, and the current trend seems to be "the sock photo", or plastering make up on. Well, the sock photo isn't in the best taste,to be showing the world, and he's already done the make up thing a few years ago, with dress, hair and heels. So I guess this was a fun and easy choice for him.

I can't wait to hear the feedback from the office tomorrow.

 

 

It was funny, when I was painting his nails, he was watching YouTube videos, but I hadn't realised initially, that he was watching wood working demonstrations! Gotta hold onto that masculinity!

 

 

So the ingredients are:

Barry M - White for the base

Barry M - Shocking Pink, Cyan Blue & Indigo

Rimmel - Grey Matters

A dotting tool and a striper brush.

Top Coat : H K Girl - Glisten & Glow

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'd like to thank my husband for asking me to do this for him. And please do support Cancer Research.

 

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Picture Polish - Ultra Violence & Friends

 

 

 

Today I decided to try out my first Picture Polish goodies from Rainbow Connection. They are the most pricey on offer, so I'm trying to be careful with them.

This was the finished result after the base polish, some chevron nail vinyls (which you can barely notice in the pic), and some stamping.

 

 

 

 

So here is the glorious Ultra Violence. It is a stunning glittery purple could have worn on it's own, but that's not me, not today anyway.

 

I was expecting a bit more from this, considering the very high price, as it needed 3 coats. But it sure does look pretty.

 

 

After that dried I added my chevron nail vinyls to my ring finger and thumb, and dazzled them with Picture Polish, Altered State, along with a top coat of the same for my index finger. I think this topper would be better suited to a black base but you do see there is a subtle difference here.

 

My middle finger and pinkie got a top coat of Polish Me Silly, Mind Blowing. And really I could have stopped there. Obviously I didn't.

 

 

 

Out came the MoYou stamping plates. Happy times!

The ring and index fingers were stamped with the Sailor Collection 03 plate, using a mix of both silver and gold Barry M foil effect paint. I stretched the images on the stamper as these are really too small for my nails. I'm pleased with how they came out.

The rest of the fingers were stamped with Pro Collection 06 using Konad special polish, Black Pearl.

From this angle you can see the underlying chevrons reflect in the light.

 

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Liquid Sky Lacquer : Eternal Promise & Glam Polish : Lucky

My first proper post with my new look blog. I also decided to change the background on my photos, but I'm undecided on the result. The lighter background does seem to help the light in my pics a bit more.

My previous post still has me thinking on what kind of blogger I'd like to be. One thing for sure it, not one that needs to be glued to the laptop. So I'm trying to focus on taking better photos with my iPhone, that require no lightening or editing, other than my watermark and a crop.... These 2 things are what I usually do anyway. But if my photo is better to begin with, that's half the battle. Now onto the polish. 

Firstly the accent nails. This is Glam Polish's Lucky. I just love that colour, but that's no secret. It has a scattering of turquoise and green glitters. A subtle amount of bling for this colour. This is 3 coats. I may have been a bit heavy handed applying it, but in future I will probably layer it over a similar base colour.

And this is Liquid Sky Lacquer, Eternal Promise. It is a milky white base with gold scattered glitter. The larger glitters sometimes seem quite green, so it matches quit well with the Glam Polish. How "Lucky" is that? This too was 3 coats, so again, layered over a decent white base will help the expensive stuff go a bit further.

I had no idea where I wanted to go with this mani, so I turned to the stamps, and my fave Barry M Gelly - Guava. Mmmmm. I stamped the guava with MoYou Fairytale Collection 05, and Konad white with MoYou Pro Collection 10, stretching the image to fit my thumb. 

I rarely wear white, but I am pleased with the result. 

Making Changes - A New URL For A Start

In the quest to make my blog a bit better, I've been doing a bit of reading courtesy of Will Paint Nails For Food. There were many valid points made, and in all honesty, it made my head spin.

My intentions with the blog were not to pursue the swatching, but to just share what I've been doing with my hobby. Most of what i do never makes it to the blog, for many reasons, and I started to think why?

Taking on the advice from the blogger's bootcamp, I wrote myself a list of things I could improve on, that would make me want to share what I've done. First on the list was cleaning up the look of the blog. I admit, my personal preference is to have some colour on the page, but top bloggers know what they are talking about when they say to keep it clean. Anyway, I'm sure my blog header has enough colour!

So I've neutralised the look. Do you think it's any better?

I've also changed the URL. The previous "fortheloveofpolishedtips.blogspot.com" was a bit of a chore to type in, so in keeping with other online accounts, mdnailart.blogspot.com
Much easier I think. Unfortunately it means that previous shares will no longer be valid. But I want to get comfortable with it. I hope you understand.

This was just a quickie to let you know of the changes. I know I don't have many subscribers, but for those that do, I hope nothing changes for you and you enjoy the new look.

H K Girl - Glisten & Glow Top Coat

I've read so many blog posts reviewing the H K Girl - Glisten & Glow top coat, I just had to have it myself. Was it really all they were saying? Could I really replace my Seche Vite? There was only one way to find out.

I went in search of it, and the only place here in the UK I could find it was Rainbow Connection. For weeks, each time I checked, the standard size bottle was always out of stock. It appeared it was being bought up in bulk by converts and lovers alike and I thought I'd never get a chance to try it. I decided to take a gamble and bought the large 2.5oz bottle, (£23.50) which comes with bling and curled ribbon. Cute touch. A 2oz refill bottle is available (£22.50) but in my opinion, the half ounce and fresh bottle would be worth the difference in price. 

What the blurb says:

Top 10 Reason why Glisten & Glow HK Girl is so loved!

• Intense shine - crystal clear formula that applies smoothly, leaving a glass like appearance
• Fast drying – approx 1-2 minutes often less and your nails will be dry, as time passes it will dry more within 5 minutes or so it's rock hard!
• Durable, long lasting nature – customers boast that manicures last 5-7 days with little to no tip wear or chips.
• Holographic polishes love it! – Holos will not dull, in fact they are even intensified
• Smoothes and seals glitter polishes – 1-2 coats and glitters are tamed/smooth and without jagged edges sticking up.
• Adds extra shine to all Nail Lacquers – it can make a matte polish or a textured polish shiny. Cremes, jellies, crellies, shimmers, metallics etc are all left with that glossy glass like shine
• No Shrinkage! – G & G HK Girl top coat doesn't cause any shrinkage
• Can be used with Nail Lacquers that is tacky or dry
• Even consistency throughout the whole bottle – no extra thickness or gloppyness
• Nail Art/Nail Stamping friendly – once nail art/stamping is nearly dry it won't smear or smudge

This Top Coat is 2 Free! (no formaldehyde or formaldehyde resin and no toluene)

So I'm going to try my best at seeing what's true and what's not. 

This was my first try with the top coat. Just a simple mani with a couple of foil effect stamps. It was a dream to apply. There was no need to rush application, as you sometimes have to with Seche Vite, there was no streaking or premature drying. The formula was a nice consistency too. 

 Day 1 it was super shiny, and practically rock hard in 10 minutes. The initial touch dry was a little longer than Seche Vite, but ultimately, H K Girl dried harder, faster. There was no dings, or scrapes which sometimes occur with Seche Vite, (when you think it's dry and it's not). And on day 4, it was just as shiny, no surface scrapes or chips at all, but there was a little tip wear on the free edge, (I think we could expect this after 4 days), and there was shrinkage! I don't think there was as much as I would have got with Seche Vite, but it's there all right. I probably could have gotten away with wearing this mani a little longer, but 4 days was a push for me, getting stuck with the same nails. 

So these nails were done 2 days before this photo, and have survived housework, lifting 14kg bags of dog food, ten pin bowling and playing underneathe the hood of the car, without a single scrape, dent or chip. Pretty impressive really. 

And because the formula isn't too thick, I could layer the H K Girl over different designs as I added to it and my nail thickness barely increased at all.

The above mani began as a 3 colour gradient using Barry M Gelly's, Rose Hip, Dragon Fruit and Pomegranate. The ring finger is Polish Me Silly - Grape Intentions. It was then topped with Glisten & Glow. The next day Barry M Rose Quartz glitter topper was added to the gradient. and topped with Glisten & Glow. After survivng a lot of punishment, I stamped over with Konad Black Pearl & Barry M Silver Foil Effect and again topped with the H K Girl top coat. Including my base coat that's quite a few layers, but there's no thick build up I would often get with one layer of polish of a base coat and Seche Vite. 

I accidentally found that the top coat can hide some mistakes.

I was in a hurry and began stamping before the base polish was completely dry. The inevitable happened, and it wrinkled the polish underneath like it was cellophane. With the intention of redoing those nails later, I went ahead and applied Glisten & Glow to those nails, and miraculously as it dried, it smoothed out the wrinkles. The finished result still showed flaws in the stamping, but not enough to make me want to start again. 

On another occasion, I managed to dent my thumb before it was completely dry, but it too "fixed itself" as it hardened. Is this a miracle top coat? 

I've been trying out this top coat for over a week now, and I must admit, at first, I was dying to hate it. I've been such a Seche Vite fan for months now, and I didn't think anything could beat it. But all my mani's have resisted everything that's been thrown at them and has avoided that awful scuffs on the surface I would sometimes get after a day or two with Seche Vite. With Glisten & Glow, it remains as good as the day it was painted. I might not buy any other top coat again.