Quick NOTD: Red Floral Doodles

Hello friends, it's been a while since I've updated my blog! My schedule has been kind of wonky lately since I started work at a restaurant. The job has certainly taken a toll on my nails. I have them filed down to nubs right now because they keep breaking and peeling... sigh. 

Due to my busy schedule, I have not had much time to come up with many creative designs, so I've been sticking to florals. This design in particular was supposed to be a watercolor inspired design but it ended up looking more like a cute notebook doodle. 

Quick NOTW: Simple White Flowers

Hello friends! How are you all enjoying ping thus far? It was beautiful and sunny here for a couple of  days, but I awoke to a blanket of snow covering everything this morning! Hopefully we won't see any more snow this month, but Canadian weather is just so unpredictable. I'm itching for all the petty flowers to start sprouting and blooming already. I'm really hoping to add some more cuties to my little succulent collection. I'm really looking forward to possibly acquiring some adorable sedums, they are just so adorable! Anyway, in anticipation for spring, I did these really simple and cute white flowers on my cinderella hand this week. My non-dominant hand has been getting a bit rusty lately and these cute flowers were great practice.

This adorable pastel purple colour is "Sittin' Pretty" by Essie, and it's such a perfectly cute spring colour. The rest of the design was done using acrylic paint. 

Spring Florals (with Pictorial)

Hello friends! For a while, it finally felt like spring had come because the temperatures were so high! I really enjoyed taking walks outside without a thick jacket. Sadly, it snowed again yesterday and the temperatures are low once more, boo. I'm actually really anticipating seeing flowers bloom again. All the stores are already beginning to set up their garden centers and I could not more more excited for it! I hope they have lots of pretty succulents and flowers in stock this year. On the bright side, the two little succulent I got weeks again are growing quite nicely and are bringing a nice splash of color to my room.

A couple of weeks ago, my mother and I were flipping through our flyers and I came upon a booklet of  spring fashion from The Hudson's Bay Company; I saw an amazingly cute dress with this quaint little floral pattern on it, and I knew that I needed to put it onto my nails! I tore the page from the booklet and kept it for inspiration. They're amazingly cute. I love how the subtle the tiny bunches of flowers are. Added to the nude background, I think this pattern is just so perfect for spring. I left a bit of  negative space on a couple of my fingers because I had originally anticipated to add some pearl studs or gold accents. However, in the end, I decided against doing it because I didn't want anything ti draw attention away from the simple subtlety of it. 

Anyway, continue reading to see a pictorial in how I created these nails (and more pictures)...

Beauty and the Beast Stained Glass Nails (with Pictorial)

Hello friends! Have any of you seen the live-action Beauty and the Beast movie yet? They trailers look so amazing and Emma Watson is as gorgeous as always. Maybe I'll take some time to go see it this week. Despite not having seen the movie yet, my nails this week are inspired by it (but maybe moreso the original Disney animation). I've only ever seen the animation two or three times, but I absolutely loved the sound track! "Tale as Old as Time" is such a wonderful song and it makes me feel all warm and tingly inside when I listen to it.

 

This week's nail art did involve a bit of experimentation since it was my first time attempting to create a stained-glass look. I used a glittery base polish with translucent colors on top. The results were not quite what I expected but I think they turned out quite nice, since the sheer layers of paint allowed some glitter flakes to shine through. It took me a while to nail down what design I wanted though, as there were so many cute characters in the movie. In the end, I kept my nails relatively simple using different parts of the stained glass from the movie. On my thumb is the beautiful rose, while on the rest of my fingers I incorperated the wall-climbing roses from the bottom left of the stained glass with the pattern of Belle's dress. 

Anyway, here are my tips, tricks, more pictures and a pictorial of how I did these nails....

Poinsettias (with Pictorial)

Hello friends! We are less than two weeks away from Christmas, can you believe it? Although I'm still smack in the middle of  exams, I decided to take a  much needed break from studying and relax with some holiday themed nails (luckily, I have a few days gap before my next exam). I cannot wait for the break to start! I've been so tired as of late and my sleeping schedule is non-existent. I really wish I could just snuggle up in my blankets and watch netflix with a cup of hot chocolate all day.

I guess I'm continuing the nature themed nails from last week as well, with even more red and green plants. Poinsettias are so pretty! I used to be fascinated with them as a child, because the entire plant just looks like one huge flower. I also used to really enjoy playing with the little buds in the idle, I would always take one out and play with it for some odd reason (I was a strange child). Maybe I should bring a poinsettia home for Christmas this year, just to bring a little extra green into the home for these dreary winter months.

For this design, I decided to do something different. I used a black base color! I don't think it's something I've ever done before, so this was a complete first for me. Straying away from my usual white base was an interesting experience! The design definitely looked a lot more dull than I intended for it to be;and not being unable to fix mistakes was a little nerve wracking (due to the base color no being pure black). Overall, I quite enjoyed this experience and look forward to doing similar things in the future, which means that I need to start stocking up on black polishes!

Without further ado, here are more tips and tricks (and a pictorial) on how I created this look....

Red Poppies (With Pictorial)

Hello friends! I'm back with another pictorial! It's been so long since I've posted a more detailed blog post. Though I've been meaning to post a pictorial for quite some time, I get so excited and into the process that I forget to take any pictures in between. Now, with most of my midterm and assignments done, I finally had a chance to sit down and just take things slooooooowly. Since it is the beginning of the month, I scoured instagram to search for a nail challenge to participate in. However, I finally settled on a poppy design since remembrance day is next week. 

I just love poppie, they're one of my favourite flowers; they're just so wonderfully delicate and dainty. In fact, I have a pink poppy growing out in my garden at home, I look forward to it blooming every year. Sadly, my poppies only stay in bloom for a week or so before the flowers wilt off. Thus, with remembrance day around the corner, and my love for the flowers, I thought that poppies would be a suitable design to wear. These days, I feel like I see less and less people wearing poppies, which is quite saddening. I guess it's because most of us living today, do not appreciate the significance of remembrance day.  Those who sacrificed and continue to do so deserve to be recognized for what they've done, and wearing a poppy is just a very simple way to show our appreciation.

Read on to see a pictorial on how these nails were created...

"Bee Happy!" (with Pictorial)

Hello friends! I have this extremely cute and punny design to share with you all today. In grade two, I remember receiving a tiny notebook that said "BEE HAPPY" on it and the saying has stuck with me ever since. I no longer remember what the notebook looked like, but the phrase popped back into my mind the other day and I was inspired by it. 

This design has been bringing me smiles whenever I see it throughout the day. Read on to see step by step instructions (with pictures) on how to create these adorable nails!

Quick NOTW update: Simple Magenta Florals

Bonjour mes amis! This is just quick update on my nails of the week, I have not been able to find much time to do my nails recently due to an abundance of school work and because I've not been feeling very well (it could be due to the stress from school...sigh). I did this quick floral design a week ago and it's stayed on my nails quite well; it has chipped a little and the edges have been worn down but they'll last me until I do my nails later this week. I actually have a great idea for my next nail design, so stay tuned!

Lavender Floral Nails (with Pictorial)

Bonjour mes amis, this week sure flew by fast! Before I knew it, it was Thursday night again and my nails were bare. My boyfriend was kind enough to help me bring my storage bin of  nail polish over to his place and let me do my nails there. As usual I had absolutely no idea of what I wanted to do for the design this week, so I let my hands take over and let my mind wander elsewhere. Well, this is what the end result looks like, and quite frankly, I am very satisfied with the result.

This design actually combines a lot of the different techniques that I've been really enjoying lately; negative space, striping and detailed florals. I think all of these elements combined beautifully in this manicure despite the large contrasts between the accent nails and the other nails. I actually think that both the nail designs displayed in this week's manicure would make great accent nails on their own.

Out of all my nails this week, I'd have to say that my thumb nail (on my left hand) was the most well done. Of course, I am still practicing all of these techniques and I am still trying to get used to using just nail polish as a medium. But they say that practice makes perfect and I shall keep practicing with using polish as my medium. 

Now, without further ado... Here are my tips and tricks on how to create your own version of this manicure:

Navy and Magenta Floral Nails (with Pictorial)

Hello to you all! Here is official debut for my new nail shape! I have not have almond shaped nails in a really long time; mostly due to the fact that I have injured myself several times while my nails were sharp. I once jabbed myself near the nostril whilst washing my face once and it would not stop bleeding. But I've had these nails for a couple of days and nothing bad has happened thus far, so I've got my fingers crossed (carefully of course). 

I actually had a whole load of other nail art prepped and ready to share, but I wanted to get in on the Weekly Nail Art Challenge 2015 hosted under the hashtag #WNAC2015 on instagram. The theme for this week was magenta and purple so here is my entry. These florals were actually inspired by a print pattern I saw on the internet, but unfortunately I didn't save the picture. It was actually a lot of fun to stray away from my usual rose-floral nails (not that I have any ideas of what flowers these are). This is a relatively easy design to create, but the finished product looks way more intricate than it is.

Keep reading to find some tips and tricks on how to create you very own version of this nail design:

Daisy Patch

Hello everyone!

I was walking to Walmart last week in search of some icecream and I walked by a very lovely patch of daisies (pictured below).

Aren't they just the cutest? So I got back home, sat down on my desk and started working on my nails right away. It just goes to show that inspiration can come at anytime. It was also a lot of fun to stray away from the usual roses that I always do. Daisies are just so cute and fun and they're so fun and summer-y.

I've also noticed that I've been in a purple phase with my polishes lately... Every time that I come up with an idea, I reach for my purple polishes first. I wonder how long this phase will last?

But without further ado....here are my tips and tricks on how to create your very own daisy patch inspired manicure:

Cute Spring Nails

Happy Easter to all those who who celebrate it! These are my nails of the week, they're super cute and perfect for spring! Although I did not do any Easter inspired designs, these nails are a little bit Easter-esque with their bright pastel colours. 

Here are some tips and tricks on how to create you very own version of these cute spring nails:

Magenta Roses

Hello, hello!! It looks like spring has finally arrived here in Canada! I'm so excited for summer to come once again!

This time, I did something that I hardly ever do...I used a black polish as a base colour!I guess that in light of the recent happenings in my life, my choice in polish colour is beginning to reflect my mood..BUT anyway, to celebrate the first breaths of spring (and to the new season that is sure to bring new memories), I used my most favourite flowers as accents! (If you couldn't tell already, roses are my absolute favourite flowers).

Here are some tips on how to create you own version if this manicure:

Simple Gradient with Subtle Rose Accents

Hello to all! I apologize for not posting sooner, but I have no good excuses; I've just been really lazy and I have not been photographing any of my new manicures. This is actually a manicure I had on a couple of weeks ago; and  unfortunately, as you may have noticed, I had to cut my nails short again because they just kept on cracking and chipping! No matter how careful I am, my brittle nails are just too weak to face the world. Winter weather is so hard on the nails, I can't wait for summer to come so that I can wear my nails long again. 

Recently, I've started to really enjoy doing and seeing gradient nail designs- they're so simple yet they can look so elegant and cute. In my pre-blogging days, I did not like gradients at all... probably due to the fact that I failed to make them look how I wanted them to. But, it's like they say, practice (and patience) make perfect! Actually, I've also recently started to really enjoy nude nails as well...combine the two along with my love for roses and you get this manicure (I'm sure more designs like this one are sure to come in the near future). 

Here are my tips and tricks to create your own version of this manicure:

Simple Purple Manicure with Flowers

Just last week, I got my UV gel curing lamp and I wanted to try using it for the first time, so this is what I experimented with; just a quick and simple manicure. The only thing I needed to put under my lamp to was my top coat, everything else was normal nail polish. 

Anyway...Here are some tips for creating your own version of this: