Bonfire

These kinds of manicures are so much fun, because there’s not much to them beyond grabbing a detail brush and some polish and going wherever your inspiration takes you.

Here I started off with two coats of black, undoubtedly China Glaze’s Liquid Leather. Once dry, I loaded up a detail brush with a deep, glittery red and applied it to my nails in uneven vertical lines starting just a smidge down from my cuticles. Then just a smidge down from that, I applied another shade of red, this time a bright, cherry red. I repeated that, moving down a tiny bit each time, with a vibrant orange and ending with a bright yellow. Then I dotted on a couple of yellow “embers” and topped the whole thing off with the super reflector of top coats, Seche Vite.

Hey, would you look at that? My first written “tutorial.” One of these days when photography stops being such a black hole of learning for me, I might even post a photo tutorial. Will wonders never cease? 😉

Opals

Ooh, I just love opals! Any stone, actually, that runs through the purple/blue/pink end of the colour spectrum. Moonstones also apply, as does anything mother of pearl.

Speaking of mothers and opals, my mom’s engagement ring was an opal. I loved it so much when I was a kid, sometimes I’d just stare at it, entranced. My mom has impossibly tiny fingers, so I don’t believe I’ll ever get to wear it. Unless of course I go all gangster and wear it on my pinkie finger, above the knuckle, which…no.

These nails were really easy and super fun to complete – like sponge painting for your nails. The key is not to overlap the colours too much. If you do, things just go…brown. And brown’s not a colour that should ever be associated with a beautiful opal! But other than that small piece of advice, the sky’s the limit! Just grab your favourite pastels and get spongin’.

Frankenlove

Frank and his lady making eyes (because that’s all they have…) at each other.

Little Monsters

Some nail art for those more into the friendly, less fiendish side of Halloween.

I Want My Mummy

These are some very worried looking (glow in the dark) mummies, or possibly rabid zebras in extreme close-up. I’m not sure which is more frightening…

I’m Not Your Stepping Stone

But I might be willing to be one if I looked this good. 😉

This is a free-handed glass tile-ish design. With glitter “grout,” because of course!

All of my work is actually free-hand – it seems difficult enough to wrangle a detail brush and tiny pots of noxious chemicals without getting striping tape and nail glue involved.

Wakey Wakey Eggs and Bakey!

When I was a kid, my parents were hard pressed to get me to eat an egg au naturel. I’d eat eggs in things, of course, and eggy things like quiches and custards were no problem, but to get me to actually ingest a fried egg, scrambled eggs, a poached egg? NO FRIGGIN’ WAY.

So imagine my parents’ surprise when, on a family vacation to Martha’s Vineyard when I was about five, I suddenly flung myself into the street and declared that I wasn’t moving another foot until I GOT BACON AND EGGS!!!

It’s a family legend that we all have a good laugh about now, but reflecting on this incident as a supposed adult, I’m horrified. Like, can you imagine seeing this play out nowadays? Two options:

1. Everyone looks at you with stern pity and then calls child protective services the second your back is turned.

2. They call child protective services while you’re standing there.

Oh, my poor parents! So in honour of the bacon and eggs that I apparently needed so very, very badly – badly enough to lay down in the street over! – here is a bit of nail art inspired by that classic breakfast duo.

And I’m really so very sorry, Mom and Dad. On the plus side, I now find breakfast really quite delightful. Maybe not lie-down-in-the-street delightful, but pretty darned good. 🙂

Monarch

After completing these nails I realized why you so rarely see monarch butterfly manicures on short(er) nails – because the stubby-winged little buggers would be so horribly un-aerodynamic, they’d never even get off the ground! Look at this sad guy’s wee little wings! I’d almost feel sorry for him if he didn’t already seem so pathetic.

Mermaid’s Tail

This design represents my first attempt at the braiding technique. Not bad, not bad…although I think I’d like it a lot better if it didn’t look so lumpy (although it was smooth to the touch), which I chalk up to – how to put this delicately? – cheap ass polish. I shall not name names, but it was, like, $1.00 a bottle. And looks every penny!

Cherry on Top

Too many moons ago now to contemplate, my best friend gave me a china platter bearing the most adorable cherry print. At the time I was fresh out of university and just starting to build my homemaking nest, and this was one of the first “grown up” gifts I ever received.

Amazingly enough, despite my clutziest efforts, the platter still exists, and I use it every chance I get. And while I’d rather see it heaped with jam and cream-stuffed scones, using it as inspiration for some nail art seems like a pretty sweet idea, too.