Monday, September 30, 2013

#31DC2013 Inspired By The Supernatural - Castiel From Supernatural


Hello hello!  I hope everyone had a relaxing and fun weekend!  I ran a couple errands but for the most part got to laze the day away with the family.  Can't beat that!

Today's challenge is to create a nail art inspired by the supernatural.  I imagine there's a ton of different ways to express this, but I went the most obvious route, which is using the show Supernatural.  I didn't start watching this series when it originally started, but I caught up around the 6th or so season and have been hooked since.  I love the creepy storylines and the off beat humor.  One of the most interesting characters is Castiel, the angel that watches over Dean and Sam.  I used his original introductory scene for my inspiration today, which is this photo:






For the grey base, I used Gosh Cosmetics Miss Grey and then did the saran wrap technique with OPI Skul & Glossbones.  I used nail art brushes and WnW black creme for the shadow wings, and then acrylics for Cas himself.

#31DC2013 Inspired By The Supernatural - Castiel From Supernatural
#31DC2013 Inspired By The Supernatural - Castiel From Supernatural

#31DC2013 Inspired By The Supernatural - Castiel From Supernatural
#31DC2013 Inspired By The Supernatural - Castiel From Supernatural

#31DC2013 Inspired By The Supernatural - Castiel From Supernatural
#31DC2013 Inspired By The Supernatural - Castiel From Supernatural

#31DC2013 Inspired By The Supernatural - Castiel From Supernatural
#31DC2013 Inspired By The Supernatural - Castiel From Supernatural
This turned out alright I suppose.  I like the saran wrap background the most.  Maybe I'll recreate it one day on its own.

Let's see what spooky nail art the other ladies came up with!



Sunday, September 29, 2013

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Flag - Vietnam

Purchased Press Sample

I was hoping to catch up with the challenges this weekend but my MIL of all nights decided she wanted to stay up late and hang out in my workspace.  Meh... Once she went to bed, I finally was able to start but then got interrupted by LO.  It doesn't seem like catching up is in the cards this weekend!

I looked high and low for inspiration for today's theme and I settled on using the flag from my parent's country, Vietnam.  I like the simplicity of this flag which is a red background and yellow star in the middle.  There's also a southern version of the Vietnamese flag which is a yellow background with three horizontal red stripes in the middle.  I used both in this simple mani.  The red is LA Splash Red Sea and the yellow is American Apparel Manila.  I'm really surprised how much yellow I've been using in these challenges!  I did the star with yellow acrylic paint, but perhaps I should have used nail polish instead.

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Flag - Vietnam
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Flag - Vietnam

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Flag - Vietnam
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Flag - Vietnam

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Flag - Vietnam
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Flag - Vietnam

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Flag - Vietnam
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Flag - Vietnam
Only a few more challenges left to go!  I'm not sure if I'll ever catch up, but I'm determined to finish.

Let's see what the other ladies have for you today!

PurchasedPress Sample

Saturday, September 28, 2013

#31DC2013 Inspired By Art - Cartoon Nails With Bettina Ocean


Most of the art that I like is contemporary along the lines of street art and pop art.  Unfortunately, I'm not good at either, so I went the easy route and decided to try a new to me technique, cartoon nails.  To start, I used a base of Bettina Ocean, a lovely blue leaning teal cream.  I then outlined the nail with Wet n Wild black creme and added the cartoon shine with Wet n Wild white cream.  I then finished with Essie Matte About You.

#31DC2013 Inspired By Art - Cartoon Nails With Bettina Ocean
#31DC2013 Inspired By Art - Cartoon Nails With Bettina Ocean

#31DC2013 Inspired By Art - Cartoon Nails With Bettina Ocean
#31DC2013 Inspired By Art - Cartoon Nails With Bettina Ocean

#31DC2013 Inspired By Art - Cartoon Nails With Bettina Ocean
#31DC2013 Inspired By Art - Cartoon Nails With Bettina Ocean

#31DC2013 Inspired By Art - Cartoon Nails With Bettina Ocean
#31DC2013 Inspired By Art - Cartoon Nails With Bettina Ocean
Not so bad for my first attempt!  Sorry about the black smearing, I guess I was too impatient to apply the matte topcoat and didn't let the black dry completely.  If you haven't tried cartoon nails, you definitely need to.  It was fun and super easy to do.

Let's see what the other ladies came up for today's art challenge!



Friday, September 27, 2013

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Pattern - Fall Camouflage


Today's last minute submission for the pattern challenge is my take on a a fall colored camouflage print.  I love mixing camouflage prints with my regular wardrobe, and I've always wanted to try a camouflage mani.  I didn't use a tutorial, instead I randomly painted thin squiggly lines across my nails.  I used Revlon Emerald City and Ruby Ribbon, Essence Color And GobGorgeous Bling Bling, and Barielle I Got A Headache over a base of Skin Food Cappucino.  To help enhance the camouflage print, I used Essie Matte About You.

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Pattern - Fall Camouflage
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Pattern - Fall Camouflage

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Pattern - Fall Camouflage
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Pattern - Fall Camouflage

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Pattern - Fall Camouflage
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Pattern - Fall Camouflage
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Pattern - Fall Camouflage
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Pattern - Fall Camouflage
I really like how the colors scream fall together.  It helps me feel like fall is finally here, despite the hot weather outside here in SoCal.

Let's pop on over and see what the other ladies are cooking up!



Thursday, September 26, 2013

#31DC2013 Inspired By Fashion - Marc Jacobs Night Birds


I'm falling behind with the challenges but hopefully I can still hang on through the end.  Today's(yesterday's?) challenge was inspired to be inspired by fashion, something that I think most of us ladies are a slave to.  One of my favorite designers is the ever creative Marc Jacobs, and over the years I've slowly collected some of his pieces into my wardrobe.  One of my favorite pieces is a taffeta dress that he released last year with the "Night Bird" pattern.  I don't get to wear it often except for special occasions, but when I do, I always feel like a princess.

To start, I used Gabriel Cosmetics Poseidon a dark blue cream as my base, and then used acrylics to paint the birds.  The pattern was a little more difficult than I thought it would be to draw!

#31DC2013 Inspired By Fashion - Marc Jacobs Night Birds
#31DC2013 Inspired By Fashion - Marc Jacobs Night Birds

#31DC2013 Inspired By Fashion - Marc Jacobs Night Birds
#31DC2013 Inspired By Fashion - Marc Jacobs Night Birds

#31DC2013 Inspired By Fashion - Marc Jacobs Night Birds
#31DC2013 Inspired By Fashion - Marc Jacobs Night Birds

#31DC2013 Inspired By Fashion - Marc Jacobs Night Birds
#31DC2013 Inspired By Fashion - Marc Jacobs Night Birds
Aren't the birds just darling?  I love this pattern and I know Marc has created other pieces using the same pattern.  I only wish I had the $$ to buy them all!

Let's see what fashion got the other ladies creatives minds going below!




Tuesday, September 24, 2013

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Book - The Rachel Morgan Series


With LO around, I haven't been able to read as much as I use to.  The most recent book I read was the last installment of the Rachel Morgan series by Kim Harrison.  It was recommended to me by a friend who enjoyed reading the Sookie Stackhouse series, so I thought it would be a good read.  After getting past the first hump of a book, I was hooked to the rest of the series.  It's been a gradual build up across the eleven books, but I'm impressed because the series continues to get better and better, rather than deflating like other series I've read(I'm looking at you Charlaine Harris!). I can barely wait for the next book to be released.



To start, I know I need to have a base of black to represent the black leather that Rachel wears throughout the series.  I then added her trusty handcuffs and splat gun.  I used the cover of the Ever After to draw Rachel on my ring finger.  For some reason, while I was doing the cover from memory, I thought she was facing away with her back on the cover.  I painted Jenks, her trusty sidekick fairy on my ring finger.  To finish, I used Essie Matte About You on the pinky, middle, and thumb to give it a leather appearance and some Savina holo glitter on Rachel and Jenks to represent their magic.

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Book - The Rachel Morgan Series
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Book - The Rachel Morgan Series

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Book - The Rachel Morgan Series
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Book - The Rachel Morgan Series

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Book - The Rachel Morgan Series
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Book - The Rachel Morgan Series

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Book - The Rachel Morgan Series
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Book - The Rachel Morgan Series
Not so bad!  Have you read this series before, and what do you think of it?  What books are you currently enjoying right now?

Let's head on over to see what the other ladies have been reading lately!





Monday, September 23, 2013

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Movie - The Watchmen


I can't lie, I chose an easy movie to base tonight's nail art.  I browsed movie covers and then suddenly I remembered the image of the Rorschach test and the mask of Rorschach the character.  It all came together when I saw the rest of the images for the movie and I realized I could easily translate the art onto my nails.

I used American Apparel Manila for the yellow base, and then used acrylics to paint the faces of the characters onto the nails.  I'm sure you can figure which character is which, hopefully!

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Movie - The Watchmen
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Movie - The Watchmen

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Movie - The Watchmen
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Movie - The Watchmen

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Movie - The Watchmen
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Movie - The Watchmen

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Movie - The Watchmen
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Movie - The Watchmen

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Movie - The Watchmen
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Movie - The Watchmen
Eh, faces are definitely not my forte!  I need to work on that some more.  Shading and noses are the most difficult for me.

Let's see what awesome-ness the other ladies came up with today!



Sunday, September 22, 2013

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Song - Michael Jackson's Beat It


Today's inspiration was easy for me - I've been watching MJ's Beat It video constantly for the past couple days because I suddenly needed to learn all the choreography in the video.  I've got most of the steps down, but there are some parts that I just can't get.  I love it though - I know I'll randomly start dancing it while I'm in line somewhere because I'm nuts like that.

With all the video replay(I'm currently limited to only playing it a max of five times a night right now by my DH), I have MJ's outfit vividly seared into my mind.  This is the video where he wore his iconic red jacket that everyone in the 80's needed to immediately own after seeing.




To start, I used LA Splash Red Sea for my base on the ring and middle finger.  I placed studs on my ring finger with a toothpick, and then stamped a zipper using Wet n Wild black creme and a BM plate.  My white on the ring and pinky is Zoya Purity, stamped with a piano to represent MJ's t-shirt in the beginning of the video.  The black and white pink is a take on his white socks peeking out of his black pants and shoes.  I finished with Zoya Storm on my thumb to add some bling.

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Song - Michael Jackson's Beat It
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Song - Michael Jackson's Beat It

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Song - Michael Jackson's Beat It
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Song - Michael Jackson's Beat It

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Song - Michael Jackson's Beat It
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Song - Michael Jackson's Beat It

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Song - Michael Jackson's Beat It
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Song - Michael Jackson's Beat It
I showed my DH my nails and asked him what he thought, and his first response was, "Those are Michael Jackson nails!"  Mission accomplished!  *starts doing the beat it dance*

I'm excited to see what the other ladies came up with for today!


#31DC2013 Inspired By A Color: You're Turning Violet, Violet by Smitten Polish


Today's challenge is one of those open ended challenges that you can interpret in any way you want.  I decided to go the purple route, and use Smitten Polish You're Turning Violet, Violet as inspiration and a focal point.  I used it on my ring finger and then did a glitter gradient with it on my pinky over Sinful Colors Enchanted.  I then did a gradient with Enchanted and Color Club Puccilicious and Sinful Colors Sweet Nothing on my middle and index finger.  Finally, I used some striping tape with Enchanted and Color Club Eternal Beauty on my thumb.

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Color
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Color

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Color
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Color

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Color
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Color

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Color
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Color

#31DC2013 Inspired By A Color
#31DC2013 Inspired By A Color
I really like this mani - I don't often get the opportunity to do skittlettes but they're fun to do and always look great.  It's a shame I have to remove it for the next challenge tomorrow!

I'm testing a new lens and I'm realizing that some of my photos are coming out a little blurry so I apologize for that.  Hopefully I'll get it figured out soon!

Let's see how the other ladies interpreted today's challenge, shall we?



Saturday, September 21, 2013

#31DC2013 Watermarble Nails With Barielle Daring Dahlia And Misa Trust Fund


I'm not a stranger to watermarbling, so today's challenge was one that I was looking forward to.  I've been practicing watermarbling off and on whenever I get a chance, and I've discovered what works for me.  I wanted to keep it simple for tonight's mani because I've noticed that those kinds of watermarbles are the most striking.  I used a bright fuchsia pink by Barielle called Daring Dahlia and a dark grey creme by Misa called Trust Fund.  Both were very fluid in consistency and spread on top of the water really easily.  This is finished with topcoat.

#31DC2013 Watermarble Nails With Barielle Daring Dahlia And Misa Trust Fund
#31DC2013 Watermarble Nails With Barielle Daring Dahlia And Misa Trust Fund


#31DC2013 Watermarble Nails With Barielle Daring Dahlia And Misa Trust Fund
#31DC2013 Watermarble Nails With Barielle Daring Dahlia And Misa Trust Fund
#31DC2013 Watermarble Nails With Barielle Daring Dahlia And Misa Trust Fund
#31DC2013 Watermarble Nails With Barielle Daring Dahlia And Misa Trust Fund

#31DC2013 Watermarble Nails With Barielle Daring Dahlia And Misa Trust Fund
#31DC2013 Watermarble Nails With Barielle Daring Dahlia And Misa Trust Fund
It's not complicated to do petals, but the effect is always pleasing to the eye.  I love how these two colors work together and bridge summer brights with dark fall shades.  I was looking for my holo topcoat to add on top, but I couldn't find it.  I bet it would have really added some character to those colors!

Check out the other fun watermarbling manis the other ladies have for you today by clicking below!