Mrs. Pacman!

One of my favorite things to do is play classic video games. I love Pacman because of the simplicity of the game and also the pressure of avoiding those pesky ghosts. I wanted to go with a more girly look for all of those girl gamers out there so I chose Mrs. Pacman instead. With the pink tip and the red lipstick, who wouldn't want to wear this fun look. Let's get started!

After laying down a thick layer of base coat use your favorite black nail polish to as your base color. I used Razzle Dazzler by O.P.I.'s Nicole line because it lays an even coat and drys fairly quickly. I then used a new color I've gotten which is also in the Nicole line by O.P.I. for the pink tip called City-Pretty Rose. I didn't tape the line off and it is very apparent. I'm actually not at my home right now so all of my supplies are not available to me but I'm doing the best I can with what I have. I then used the top of a pin to create the white 'food' dots with O.P.I.'s Alpine Snow. after letting that dry I went in with my Mellow Yellow by Sally Hansen's Xtreem wear line and created the Mrs. Pacman shape on my thumb. I used Hot Topic's Blue and an eyeliner brush to create the ghosts and then went back with Pure Ice's Siren to create the lips and bow on Mrs. Pacman. I went in with an orange stick to create the slit for her eyes and her beauty mark in black. The pin top was used again to create the white eyes of the ghosts and I used a toothpick to create the pupils of the eyes. Finish off with your favorite top coat and let air dry! I hope you enjoy this whimsical look and have fun creating it! Good luck everyone!

A Childhood Classic!

Ever since the original 151 Pokemon were introduced in America I've loved the franchise. I loved them all but the start off pokemon (Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasar), along with Pikachu and Mew have always been some of my favorites. This look was so much fun to create and I'm excited to share it with you. Let's get to work.

Pikachu is actually very easy to create. I used Mellow Yellow from Sally Hansen's Xtreem Wear line as my base. Put down two coats to create a clean look. The next step is to add the eyes with your favorite black. Create the nose using a toothpick or an orange stick, making sure to keep it nice and small so Pikachu can look cute on your fingers. Take a red polish, I used CND's Fireberry, and dot two little cheeks for him. My index finger is Squirtle and for this one I started out with Hot Topic's Blue as my base. The eyes are the hardest part for both Squirtle and Charmander but I used the same process for both. Lay down your black base in the shape of the eye. Next add your red for Squirtle and your green for Charmander, leave space at the bottom so the black will still be shown through but keep it thin. Next go back to your black and create the pupil with your black and add the light reflection in white. Charmander's base was Sun Kissed by Sally Hansen's Xtreem Wear line. Bulbasar's base color was Sinful Color's Savage and Mew's was Sinful Color's Easy Going. Bulbasar has red eyes with a slit down the middle. To create this add the red in triangles on the face. Then take a toothpick and white polish to make the slit. He doesn't have lines for his nose, instead he has little dots that sit just below his eyes. He also has some spots and for those I just used Revlon's Posh and a toothpick. Mew is such a happy little character so I made him smiling on my pinkie with an orange stick and some black polish. This look seems complex but when you break it down it becomes quite simple and you'll wow your friends with this cool look! Good Luck everyone and happy painting!

Sweet Cherries!

Cherries have always been one of my favorite flavors. When I was in elementary school I would always ask for cherry cupcakes with cherry frosting and and a cherry on top for my birthday!  Now that I'm older the sweet look of cherries as always tickled my sweet tooth. This look is sweet and simple so let's get to work! 

After applying your base coat take Sinful Color's Easy Going and put down a really thin layer. The trick with light colored polish is to start off with a thing base so you can build it up without clumping it up or making streaks in the polish. Build up three coats with the soft pink polish and let it dry completely. Next take your CND Fireberry and build up some of the polish on the end of your brush. Let it drip onto your nail creating the cherry's shape. If the dot isn't big enough then use circular motions with the brush to make the dot bigger. When you drop the polish on your nails you'll have some excess polish so once you have the desired shape clean off your brush and dip it into the polish on your nails to get rid of some of the excess. Next take your Sinful Colors in Innocent and create the stems with your orange stick. Use a really light hand with this step so you don't drag your base coat. Your last step is to add your white dot to add shine. You can use Easy Going or a nice white like O.P.I.'s Alpine Snow. Finish off with your top coat to add that last little bit of shine. Good luck everyone!!

Green Arrow

Ever since I've starting creating nail art I've wanted to do a Justice League inspired design. The reason it has taken me so long to start working on that design is because I had the most difficult time finding the right green for Green Lantern and Green Arrow. I spent almost a month trying to find the right polish color when one day my mother handed me a bag. When I looked inside I found the perfect superhero green! I was so excited that I started on this manicure. I do love Green Lantern and I'll be doing a design for him a little bit later on but I wanted to start out with the amazing Green Arrow. So let's get down to it!

 Lay your favorite base coat down before putting your black color down. I used Nicole by O.P.I.'s Razzle Dazzler. I then took a straight eyeliner brush and created the line on my middle finger and my ring finger. Hold your fingers to your palm to make sure they line up and create a small line on the inside of your pinkie finger and your index finger. The green color I used was Revlon's Posh. On your index finger use light brush strokes to create the feathering on the back end of the arrow. For your pinkie you need to create an arrowhead out of the green polish. Add accents of white with Stripe Right's white pen. For the arrow on my thumb I used the same brushstrokes to create the updated look. Green Arrow doesn't have a really recognizable symbol so creating another arrowhead will get the point across. I love this look and I'm really excited for my JLA nails that should be coming up soon! Good luck!

Red Wings FTW!

I was really excited about doing this next design because I'm a huge Red Wings fan! I'm actually going to a game tonight so I wanted to don my team spirit the best way I know how. This look is actually quite simple as long as you have the right tools. I do use a thin eyeliner brush to create the lines and the numbers but this could also be done with any small paintbrush or a careful hand and an orange stick. I'm very proud of this look and I don't want anyone to worry about the symbol on the thumb. I'll let you know a few tricks on how to get it to look right.

 Coat your clean nails with your favorite base coat. I used O.P.I.'s Natural Nail Strengthener as my base coat to protect my brittle nails. Next place your red base color down on your thumb, middle, and pinkie fingers. I used CND's Fireberry as my red because it's a bold red that matches the Red Wings colors perfectly! Next put your white base coat down on your index finger and your ring finger. I've been having trouble finding a white that lays down correctly as a base color on my nails. O.P.I.'s Alpine Snow is good for pooling but it stays wet too long when you use it to coat the whole nail. For this look I tried Sinful Color's Snow Me White. It went on my nail really well and its held its shape and texture, so I have high hopes. I then laid down the edge stripes, alternating red and white according to the base coat. The way I made the lines was by brushing on the color with an eyeliner brush by Bare Escentuals. Make sure you use nail polish remover between colors so the brush doesn't get stiff. Use the thin brush again to create the thinner lines under the tips. I had a picture avaliable for the numbers and I made sure to go slowly to create the right shape. #93 is my man Fransen! You could use anyone's number that you want, like #35 for Howard, #13 for Datsyuk, or even a throwback to #19 for Yizerman. Make sure you know what the numbers are supposed to look like and that you're painting them the right way because there's nothing worse than finishing your nails and noticing that your 3 has become an E. >_<.

The thumb is the part that's going to take the most concentration and patience . Your first step is to get a picture of the Red Wings Symbol and draw it out with a pencil and paper. This will give you a good foundation and it will help you to realize where to start and how to go about drawing it without going over lines. Don't worry about getting every detail down because it's going to be very hard to get every feather and every spoke on such a small canvas. I used Strip Rite's white brush for the detailed work. I found that the wings were easy to do because the brush was designed for the sweeping motion but the circle of the wheel was hard to do in one motion. Practice with the brush on a sandwich bag to get the symbol correct. When you feel that you're ready, paint your masterpiece on your little canvas. Finish off with your top coat and let dry! I hope you all have fun with this look and GO WINGS!!

Eye of the Tiger

This look was inspired by a nature show I was watching this weekend. The tiger has always been one of my favorite animals and with this look, I can carry one with me wherever I go. So keep you eye on the prize and let's get to work on these fun but powerful nails.

Start off with your favorite base coat, I've been using Maybelline's Salon Expert Stengthening Top & Base Coat. I have been using this polish for few weeks now and I've had minimal breakage and almost no chipping. Put down two coats of your orange. I used Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Sun Kissed for my orange because it has a slight deep tone to it, like the tiger's coat. I then went in with my new favorite tool Milani's  Black Sketch to create the tiger stripes. It's helpful to have a reference picture around because tiger stripes aren't just straight across. Finish off with a white french tip, I used Color Club's Pearl White for the color. I found a nifty trick to create the perfect tip. Wait until your nails have fully dried before taking a hole protector sticker, or some sticker of a similar size and shape, and placing it just below the tip of your nail. Tuck in the sides so they cover your whole nail. This is where you can do one of two things. 1. Put some nail polish remover on a pad and remove the polish at the tip of your nail, or 2. Paint the white tip over the orange. I would recommend removing the polish because putting the white over the base color can cause a build up at the end of the nail making it look odd. When you're finished add a top coat and let dry. This look is an easy way to express your inner wild cat! Good luck guys!

Sexy in Red

I wanted to continue with the theme of Valentine's Day so for this look I went for a more sexy design. Along with chocolates and candies when many people think of Valentine's Day they think of sexy outfits and fulfilling fantasies. This look was inspired by sexy thigh-high  red tights. It's an easy look with the right tools!

Always start off with your favorite base coat then move on to the red color, I used Creative Nail Design's Fireberry. Bring the color 3/4 way up the nail and cover the bottom. This will leave you room for the sexy top. I've gotten a new black polish tool by Milani called Black Sketch that has a very thin brush for the polish.This is useful for creating thick and thin lines. To create the thin lines wipe off most of the polish on the brush before applying it to the nail. Do some practice strokes to get the hang of the brush and then create a mesh. Bring the liens all the way up to the top of the red and don't worry if they don't all end in the same place, we're going to cover that part up right now. Make a pool of your favorite black polish, I used Nicole by O.P.I.'s Razzle Dazzler, dip the tip of a bobby pin into it. I've also found that the round head of a sewing pin works really well as a doter. To make it more comfortable and to avoid pricking yourself stick it in a piece of cork. Line the edge of the red with black dots to create the sexy edge to the tights. Finish off with your favorite top coat and you are ready for a sexy evening out!