Modern Romance Nail Art

Modern Romance Nail Art

31DC2015 book favorite freehand matte nail art pop culture

Today's challenge prompt is "inspired by a book." Unfortunately I'm not reading as much as I'd like, so my options were pretty limited, but I ended up finding inspiration in a book that I just started reading: comedian Aziz Ansari's Modern Romance. The book is all about dating in the modern age, and while I don't have much personal experience with that (longterm relationship and all, ya know?), I've certainly seen how it has affected my friends and peers!

With their experiences in mind, I decided to paint an ode to modern romance and, more specifically, the booty call.

In my manicure, I included an Instagram "like" heart, the Tinder app icon, and (my favorite part), an iMessage booty call -- with someone in the middle of responding, of course. They are all handpainted and finished with matte topcoat.

I'm not very far into the book yet, but I've especially been enjoying all of the actual data they collected to back up the anecdotes. It's a super interesting read and funny, to boot.

Previous literary manicures include:

• Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk
• The Missing Piece by Shel Silverstein
• 1984 by George Orwell
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Rose Gold Ikat Patterned Nails

Rose Gold Ikat Patterned Nails

31DC2015 essie freehand gradient indie polish kbshimmer matte metallic nail art polish my life rose gold sponging

Today's 31 Day Challenge prompt really stumped me. It's "gradient," which seemed to trip me up with its simplicity! I did a few half manicures for this, but didn't love any of them and kept removing them to try something else. I ended up with this girly gradient and added a glamorous rose gold ikat print.

I used the following polishes in this look:
KBShimmer Lei It Again
KBShimmer Sarong Place, Sarong Time
Polish My Life Birthday Suit
Essie Penny Talk
Nicole by OPI Matte Topcoat

The Essie metallics are from an older collection, but I always reach for them when I need a metallic. I really love their finish and the way they dry down to such an even shine.

Check out my gradient manicures from past challenge years:

• Pink ombre manicure
• French manicure gradient
• Textured leather gradient
• Fireflies in the field at sunset

Encircled Black and White Nail Art

Encircled Black and White Nail Art

31DC2015 black favorite formula x for sephora freehand linework matte nail art nicole by opi orly white

Black and White day of the 31 Day Challenge is always my favorite, because everyone’s nail art always looks so striking. There’s something just so magnetic about black and white as a pair, isn’t there?

I didn’t have any particular inspiration for this nail art, but I did know that I wanted to do white patterning on a black base. I started out with two coats of Orly Liquid Vinyl, and then used my trimmed town super skinny striper brush to add on some arcs and circles with Formula X White Matter. Thin lines were a priority for me this time, so if my white lines got too fat in any areas, I went back in with black and thinned them down. 

I added a coat of quick dry glossy topcoat, let it set, and then finished the manicure with a layer of Nicole by OPI Matte Topcoat. If you’re ever doing a matte topcoat, I recommend going glossy first to seal in your nail art, flatten the profile, and provide durability.

More black and white nail art:

• Tuxedo nail art
• Black and white wiggles
• Midnight smoke nail art
• Black and white mesh framed half moons

Floral Bouquet Accent Nail with OCC Cosplay Nail Lacquers

Floral Bouquet Accent Nail with OCC Cosplay Nail Lacquers

floral flowers freehand grey matte nail art obsessive compulsive cosmetics orange pink purple shimmer

Way back in the day, when I was first getting into nails, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics held a sale. I think they were changing their bottle shape and wanted to clear out their old inventory. I figured it'd be a good opportunity to try a new-to-me brand, and picked out "Grandma," a pretty coral, and "Ghostly," a lavender-grey. When I gave them a go, I remember being really impressed with the formula.

Now, here we are, some three or four years later, and I'm still just as pleased with the quality of OCC products. You may already know them for their Lip Tars, but if you haven't tried out their nail products yet, I definitely suggest picking a few of them up.

All of the shades I used for this manicure are from their latest collection, "Cosplay." I thought it'd be nice to do a floral accent nail to show off the range of colors, and drew inspiration from Paulina's Passions' distinct floral aesthetic.

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics - Silence (greyed beige, base)
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics - Femme (pink)
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics - Cosplay (green)
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics - Cha Cha (orange)
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics - Belladonna (purple)

I created the shade variations by mixing the colors with a white nail polish, and finished the manicure off with a matte topcoat.

The standout here, for me, is definitely Silence. It has this gorgeous silver shimmer to it and covered well in two coats. Super chic, very "me," I'm in love!

These lacquers are available now for $10/ea from occmakeup.com.

TUTORIAL: Easy Sideswipe Nail Art with Negative Space

TUTORIAL: Easy Sideswipe Nail Art with Negative Space

blue color club distressed essie half moon julie g matte negative space pink tutorial video video tutorial yellow

Who's up for a super quick and easy nail art tutorial? This look is a variation on the distressed nail art tutorial that you may have seen around these parts before. I changed the direction, added a bit of negative space, and made it matte. Easy, easy, easy. Perfect for the gal on the go. Hit the jump to check out the tutorial and see this technique in action.




For this look, I used:
Color Club - Je Ne Sais Quoi
Essie - Too Taboo
Julie G - Cabana Boy
Glisten and Glow - HK Girl Topcoat
Essie - Matte About You Topcoat
Kolinsky 777 French/round brush
Pure acetone

If you don't have a round brush, give it a go with whatever clean up brush you have handy! Of course, if you'd rather, you can always go for the classic hole-punch-reinforcement-as-half-moon-stencil method, too.

Mix things up by grabbing different color combinations, skipping the matte topcoat, or using a nail vinyl as your negative space stencil. The possibilities! Share your versions with me on Instagram by tagging @chalkboardnails and hashtagging #hellochalkboardnails.

TUTORIAL: Easy Splattered Floral Nail Art, Inspired by Nail'd It!

TUTORIAL: Easy Splattered Floral Nail Art, Inspired by Nail'd It!

floral jesse's girl julie g lvx matte negative space orange pink tape tutorial video video tutorial

Tonight is the season finale of Oxygen's Nail'd It!, and I, for one, couldn't be more excited to see who takes home the $100,000 prize. THE SUSPENSE!

As a part of their final challenge, the competitors are asked to create nail art inspired by their signature look and artistic point of view. Today, I've got a tutorial for you that includes a taste of my artistic point of view! It includes lots of my favorite design elements, so let's take a look and go on a learning journey together.

P.S. In case you missed my television debut on the show three weeks ago, I'm making my triumphant return on tonight's episode to share a quick, 30 second glitter gradient tutorial!

For this tutorial, I incorporated a long list of my favorite things. First of all, I knew I wanted it to be matte. I am obsessed with matte nail art so it was a must for my design. Second, I wanted it to include bright colors and negative space. Third, I wanted it to be easy.

Wait, what? "Easy" is part of my artistic point of view? Well, kind of! While I love tackling intricate nail art and difficult patterns, I also love showing people that nail art isn't as scary as it can seem sometimes. It doesn't take mountains of time or an arsenal of expensive tools to pull off a really interesting, chic effect.


Supplies used:
Small nail art brush
Washi tape
LVX Cashmere
Julie G Old San Juan
Julie G Rio de Janeiro
Julie G Tahiti
Julie G Black Sheep
Glisten and Glow HK Girl
Essie Matte About You

Though I've used a nail art brush in my demo, this look could definitely be accomplished with a toothpick instead. Hop to it!

Tune in to the Nail'd It finale TONIGHT at 9/8c, only on Oxygen. Follow the show on their Facebook page, and join the conversation by following Oxygen on Instagram and using the hashtags #NailedIt and #ShowMetheMani. Don't forget, I'm briefly on tonight's episode!

Disclosure: This post has is sponsored by reps from Oxygen and Nail'd It!. Press samples provided by their respective representatives. All opinions are my own.

Autumnal Matte Pyramid Dots

Autumnal Matte Pyramid Dots

color club dots essie indie polish matte orange polish my life red white yellow zoya

Is anyone else as obsessed with a matte white nail as I am? I put together this look quickly for an afternoon outing and really loved wearing it. It's super simple, super fast, and super chic. You could easily change up the colors to suit your mood, as well.

Nail polishes used:
LVX Porcelaine
Color Club Je Ne Sais Quoi
Zoya Arizona
Polish My Life Don't Snap My Dragon
Essie Matte About You

The process is simple: after painting on your base color, add three rows of dots in a pyramid shape. I used a dotting tool but you could also grab a bobby pin, toothpick, or other alternative! Finish with a layer of quick dry topcoat and then a layer of matte topcoat.

The key here is choosing the colors for your dots; you want them to combine to create a gradient but also be distinct enough that they don't completely blend together.

So here's my question: what are some other great fall color combos for this look? I'm thinking a caramel base with shades of dusty blue for the dots would look gorgeous. How would you wear it?