Patriotic Week - Day 7

Hi there!

This is my Independence Day manicure...

My nails painted with OPI - Alpine Snow.
Patriotic 4th of July nail foil design.

I painted 2 coats of Alpine Snow. Once dry, I applied the foil glue and waited for it to become tacky. Then I pressed the foils over the glue, and... voila! I used Seche Vite as my topcoat.

I was inspired by a combination of this picture...

Photo source - avenue.com

...and the fact that I've not tried nail foils before. They've been sitting among my nail art supplies for over a year! I think the technique is pretty simple- but more importantly, it was fun to achieve.

To see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Welp... I'm off to go down to the waterfront to watch the neighborhood's firework display. I'd love to know how you wore your nails and how you celebrated today/tonight! Stay safe.

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 6

Hi there!

I enjoyed the sponging of yesterday's manicure, but I wanted something more...

My nails painted with China Glaze - First Mate and Hey Sailor.
Stamped with Winstonia plate W107.
Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 1 coat of Julep's Brigitte before sponging with First Mate and Hey Sailor. Once dry, I stamped with Konad's special white polish and then topped everything with a coat of Seche Vite.

To see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 5

Hi there!

This is my manicure today...

My nails painted with Julep - Brigitte, Gunta, and Salma.
Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 1 coat of Brigitte before sponging with all 3 colors, and then I topped it with a coat of Seche Vite.

I'm thinking that, maybe, this manicure needs something else. I'm not sure what, though. Would you wear it as is, or add something to it?

To see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 4

Hi there!

It's the return of Ugly Manicure Monday- Patriotic edition...

My nails painted with Sally Hansen - Whirlwind White.
Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 2 coats of Whirlwind White before stamping with Konad's special red and special blue polishes. The plate I used was a generic plate with no identification numbers/letters.

I consider this manicure ugly because the image didn't stamp very well. Part of that was my fault, and part of that was due to the plate being of lower quality. On top of that, I used a top coat that I had never tried before with nail art. I used Color Club's topcoat, and I was completely unaware of how badly it would smear my design. After using it on my index fingernail, I decided to leave the rest of my nails without topcoat.

To see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 3

Hi there!

I think this is something that anybody can do...

My nails painted with China Glaze - Red Pearl and Frostbite.
Art Club - Hologram Glitter.
Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 2 coats of Red Pearl and then painted one diagonal coat of Frostbite. I then used a white striper and Hologram Glitter before topping everything with a coat of Seche Vite.

This manicure doesn't take as much time as one might think since it doesn't require much precision. When applying the blue polish, the line doesn't need to be straight because the white line can easily cover imperfections :-)

To see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 2

Hi there!

This is my next idea for a red, white, and blue manicure...

My nails painted with China Glaze - Hey Sailor and First Mate.
Stamped with Winstonia plate W107.
Patriotic 4th of July Manicure.

I painted 2 coats of each polish to use as a base. I then used plate W107 and Konad's special white polish to stamp the designs. I topped everything with a coat of Seche Vite.

This was my first time using a Winstonia plate. I flubbed a few places, but I'm quite satisfied with how well this design transferred. The star design looks so crisp!

To see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 1

Hi there!

Like the years past, I'll be toying with new manicure ideas for Independence Day. Here's my first idea...

My nails painted with China Glaze - Red Pearl and Frostbite.
OPI - Alpine Snow and Crown Me Already!
Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 2 coats of each polish to achieve what's pictured. I used Seche Vite for my topcoat.

I think this manicure is proof that Patriotic nails can be worn without much effort. It took some serious will power for me to stay away from my stamping plates, but I really do like the simplicity of this look.

To see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 7

Hi there!

Wonder Woman, anyone?

My nails painted with China Glaze - Frostbite and Red Pearl.
Stamped with Konad image plate M3.
Patriotic 4th of July Wonder Woman nails.

I painted 2 coats of Frostbite, then added a thick coat of Red Pearl to my tips. I stamped the stars with Nicole by OPI's Positive Energy and then topped everything off with a coat of Seche Vite.

My nails painted with China Glaze - Frostbite and Red Pearl.
Stamped with Konad image plate M3.
Patriotic 4th of July Wonder Woman nails.

What are you wearing on your nails today? Did you try any of the ideas I posted over the past week? If so, I'd love to see (I'd love to see a picture no matter what). If not, I hope you at least enjoyed seeing my ideas :-)

To see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Happy Independence Day! Be safe.

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 6

Hi there!

I should have done this manicure yesterday for Ugly Manicure Monday...

Patriotic 4th of July nail foil manicure. 

Blech! These are a generic brand of foils that I found on eBay for about $0.25, so at least I'm not out much money :-) I followed the directions of the package, but these foils just weren't meant for my nails. I think they'd work great for someone with large nail beds... and I mean large- not just larger than my own. I read before that it's best to start with the smallest finger first, so I started with my pinky. I've got to admit... I gave up on this manicure after my ring finger, so I didn't trim the middle or index finger's foils. And I didn't bother with more than 4 fingers. I knew that once I photographed it, it would all be removed. On the plus side, they were easy to remove!

If you'd like to see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here. 

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 5

Hi there!

Now this is something that anyone can do...

My nails painted with Julep - Marisa, Salma, and America.
Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 2 coats of Marisa, 1 coat of Salma, and a thick coat of America to achieve what's pictured. They all applied as expected :-)

Based on the promotional pictures of America, I expected to see silver stars among the glitter. My bottle had none, but I still think it's a pretty polish. If you received America, does your bottle have silver stars?

To see more views of Marisa, click here.

If you'd like to see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 4

Hi there!

I simply couldn't go through a week of ideas without a water marble...

My nails painted with China Glaze - Hey Sailor, Sky High-Top,
and NYC - French White Tip. Water marble.
Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 1 coat of French White Tip and then water marbled with all 3 colors. This manicure was tough to achieve- the weather isn't the best, and it was rather cold in my house... so the polish didn't want to spread in the water. The design pictured is really the best I could do!

If you end up trying a red, white, and blue water marble, I'd love to know which polish you chose and if they worked well together. Better yet, I'd love to see a picture :-)

To see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 3

Hi there!

Striper tape and confetti were calling my name today...

My nails painted with Spoiled - First Class Only
and OPI - Alpine Snow. Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 2 coats of each polish to achieve what's pictured. Once the blue polish was tacky, I placed the confetti stars onto my nails. Once the white polish was dry, I diagonally applied the red striper tape. To top it off, I added a coat of Seche Vite over each nail.

Is this something you'll be trying?

If you'd like to see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 2

Hi there!

This is today's manicure...

My nails painted with Color Club - Boys Wear Blue, P Is For Pride,
and OPI - Alpine Snow. Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 2 coats of each polish to achieve what's pictured. Once dry, I used Konad's special white polish to stamp the star images onto my thumb. I used a star-themed image plate that I purchased off of eBay- all that's said on the plate is, "LO03." I topped everything off with a coat of Seche Vite.

How cool are these caps!? I'd like them a whole lot more if they weren't just plastic covers...

Color Club - Boys Wear Blue, P Is For Pride, and OPI - Alpine Snow.

I hope this gives you inspiration if you're looking to do a red, white, and blue manicure!

If you'd like to see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 1

Hi there!

I did a Patriotic Week last year and it's already time for another one! Over the next week, I will be experimenting with new ideas for the 4th of July. Here's my first idea...

Splatter manicure. My nails painted with China Glaze - Frostbite
and Red Pearl. Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted a base of OPI's Alpine Snow and then splattered with Frostbite and Red Pearl. The blue and red both have a shimmer that compliment one another nicely. I topped it off with a coat of Seche Vite.

I like it :-) Will you be trying this?

If you'd like to see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Until next time...

Happy Memorial Day

Hi there!

I hope all of you who recognize it are having a great Memorial Day weekend! These are the nails I painted for the occasion...

My nails painted with China Glaze - Hey Sailor and First Mate.
Patriotic Memorial Day or 4th of July manicure.

I painted 1 coat of Hey Sailor, let it dry, then added 3 stripes of white striper polish. Once that was dry, I added top coat to smooth it out. Then I diagonally applied striper tape and painted 1 coat of First Mate. I let it sit for about 30 seconds before peeling the tape off. I topped it all off with a coat of Seche Vite.

This manicure really was easier to accomplish than it might seem!

To see my other Patriotic manicures, click here.

Is this something you'll try... perhaps with different colors?

Until next time...

Splattered Fireworks

Hi there!

I forgot to post a picture of the manicure I did for the 4th of July. I had every intention of choosing one of the 7 ideas I had posted over the past week- but at the last minute, my neighbor's daughter ever-so-sweetly asked me to give her "firework nails." When I was finished, she asked me to make mine match. How could I say no?

Splatter manicure painted with Sinful Colors - What's Your Name.
Splattered with Color Club - Warhol, China Glaze - Kiwi Cool-Ada,
Sinful Colors - Summer Peach, and Sally Hansen - Blue Me Away!
Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 2 coats of What's Your Name for my base. It's a black polish with blue glassy flecks throughout. I wanted it to mimic the night's sky... and in the right lighting, I can really see it shimmer. I splattered my nails with halved regular drinking straws.

I used neons, so my manicure is much brighter in person than it appears in the picture. This is one of my horrible cell phone pictures, but I think it captures the colors more accurately...

This was my first time trying a splattered manicure. It was a lot of fun, and less time consuming than I thought it would be! It seems everywhere I go, someone either asks me to explain how I did it or they ask where they can buy nails like mine :-) I'll definitely be trying this again with different colors!

What do you think of this type of manicure? Have you tried it before?

Until next time...

Independence Day

Hi there!

I hope you all had a wonderful Monday, whether you celebrate Independence Day or not :-)

We went over to my in-law's house on the water to have dinner and watch fireworks. The view was beautiful, as always. A little to the left...

Space Needle.

A little to the right...


Mount Rainier.


I got some amazing video of the fireworks, but just one decent picture...

The show went on for at least 4 hours. Everywhere I looked along the shoreline was a different firework display to watch. Pretty!

By the time I thought to photograph my manicure, the lighting had dimmed- so I'll post a picture of it tomorrow.

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 7

Hi there!

Today brings the conclusion of my patriotic manicure ideas...

My nails painted with China Glaze - Red Pearl and Frostbite.
Topped with Pure Ice - Oh Baby! Stamped with Bundle
Monster image plate BM20.
Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 2 coats of Red Pearl and Frostbite. Let me just say, Frostbite smells reeeally gross! But, it's pretty. I then stamped my ring fingernail with Konad's special white polish, using BM20. I used Oh Baby! as my top coat. It smeared the stamping- so if you try this idea, I suggest applying an actual top coat before using Oh Baby!

Check out my other patriotic manicure ideas:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6

I hope you've enjoyed my ideas over the past week- and if you choose to try one of them, I'd love to see a picture of it!

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 6

Hi there!

I couldn't resist the urge to use these colors this week...

Red, white, and blue patriotic water marble. Sally Hansen - Whirlwind
White, China Glaze - Ruby Pumps, and China Glaze Dorothy Who?
Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I don't think it turned out that great. The design is pretty, but the glitter just doesn't work. I tried a water marble design with Ruby Pumps as a base, as well as a design with Dorothy Who? as a base to see how that might change the look. They both turned out terribly.

If you're looking to try a water marble design and really want to use one of the colors I tried, I suggest choosing just one and using it as a base- then use solid creme colors to marble with... unless, of course, you want it to turn out like mine did :-)

Check out my other patriotic manicure ideas:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 7

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 5

Hi there!

This manicure might be a little more time consuming than the other ones I've done...

My nails painted with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri - Whirlwind White and
China Glaze - Bermuda Breakaway. Stamped with Konad image plate M3.
Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 2 coats of Whirlwind White and then painted 1 thick coat of Bermuda Breakaway on my tips. Once dry, I stamped the stars with Konad's special white polish and applied the nail art tape. I topped it all off with a coat of Seche Vite.

I think this would look fantastic as a full manicure or as an accent nail!

Check out my other patriotic manicure ideas:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 6
Day 7

Until next time...