Black and White Pattern Nails

Do you need a change for fall?  Why not give yourself a black and white pattern manicure.  There are easy ways to create a professional look without spending a lot of money in the process.  Here are three different methods to create this pattern look. To achieve this manicure you'll need to use a dotting tool-for the dots, nail tattoos-for the butterflies, and nail wraps-for a metallic looking nail.

To start the pattern off paint the pointer finger white and the pinky finger black.  Once the nails dry put black polka-dots on the white nail and white polka-dots on the black nail.  Make sure you keep the dots looking the same on each finger.  The polka dot nails give a great pop to the manicure.  The opposing colors create contrast, while the same polka-dot pattern creates consistency.

To continue the black and white pattern use Dashing Diva butterfly nail tattoos.  I put the tattoos on my thumb and ring finger to create the pattern effect.  There are benefits to nail tattoos that you don't get with other methods.  First of all nail tattoos are easy to apply and easy to clean. Also, nail tattoos can be cut up to the shape you want and applied using a wet cloth.  The nail tattoos are also beneficial since there are many details in nail tattoos that are hard to achieve by hand.

Some of the finer details in the butterfly tattoos are silver sparkle accents.  To compliment the silver in the nail tattoo I decided to add a silver ebuy nail wrap over the last nail.  The nail wrap has a transparent polka dot pattern so you can see the white nail polish underneath. The nail wrap is easy to apply.  All you have to do is wait till your manicure is dry then peel off the nail wrap.  Apply the wrap like you would a sticker, with the sticky part down- line up the round end of the nail wrap with the bottom of the nail.  Then add pressure starting from the bottom of the nail bed and rubbing up to the free edge.  Once the nail wrap is smooth file off the excess part.

After the last nail is done, go back and apply a top coat to all nails except the nail wrap.  The nail wrap doesn't need a top coat. Once the nails are dry you can go out and enjoy your new fashion statement.  Make these nails pop by carrying a small black leather clutch.  After all, half the fun of a black and white pattern manicure is picking out accessories to match!

Dashing Diva's Butterfly Tattoos

ebuy's Nail Wraps

Dashing Diva Nail Tattoos

Dashing Diva Nail Tattoos are the best way to liven up a dull manicure.  I really like the Royal Flush nail tattoos, they lookk good with a varitety of outfits. You can use the tattoos all at once or just for an accent nail! For my manicure I used one tattoo design for the accent nail.

Dashing Diva Nail Tattoos are easy and fun to use.  There are twenty tattoo tabs in each packet.  The nail tattoos can be applied over nail lacquer, gel nail polish, gel or acrylic. So plan out a fun manicure that will make the nail tattoos pop.  I painted four nails black while painting my ring finger white.  Once my manicure dried I followed these steps to apply a nail tattoo over the white lacquer:

1. Pick a tattoo design and tear the tattoo on the perforated lines. 
2. Peel the clear plastic off the tattoo.  
3. Dampen the tattoo with a wet cloth.
4. Gently place the tattoo design down onto your nail and make sure the design is lined up how you want it.
5. Take the damp cloth and press it down over the tattoo for 10 seconds.
6. Slowly peel the tattoo away- if there's any tattoo design hanging off the nail, file it off.
7. Wait a couple minutes for the tattoo to set.
8. Depending on the type of the manicure, finish off the tattoo with a glossy top coat, a gel polish top coat, or a gel/acrylic overlay.

*To add some sparkle to the nail tattoos, I glued a red heart rhinestone over the tattoo heart using nail glue.  

Minnie's Shoes!

DIY Minnie Mouse Shoe

Nail Laquer used from left to right;
OPI Minnie Style: ArtClub Nail Art Duo Red: ArtClub Nail Art Duo White:
CND Vinylux Weekly Top Coat: CND Vinylux Bicycle Yellow

After giving yourself a yellow manicure using CND Vinylux in Bicycle Yellow  paint the Vinylux Weekly Top Coat over it and let the manicure dry.  Once your manicure dries follow these steps to paint Minnie Mouse's shoe:

1. Take a nail art brush dipped in black laquer and paint a black oval shape over the yellow manicure.
2. Trace the black oval with white using ArtClub's Duo pen.
3. Use the white ArtClub Duo pen to paint a strap in the center of the shoe.
4. Dip your nail art brush in yellow laquer and paint over the white strap--leave some white showing.
5. Dot the red laquer at the end of the shoe strap.  This will be the shoe button.
6. At the top of the nail, paint a red triangle using the Duo pen.
7. Paint another red triangle so now the two triangles are forming a bow.
8. Connect the two red triangles with a red dot.
9. Take a toothpick and pick out the white confetti from OPI's Minnie Style and place the white confetti over the red bow.

After the manicure dries for ten minutes you can finish it off with a sealer if you'd like.  You can also use CND Vinylux Weekly Top Coat  but it does give the manicure a matte look.

Nail Laquer of the Week: CND Vinylux in Bicycle Yellow

DIY Minnie Mouse

dotters I used

Couture de Minnie Bow

The Couture de Minnie bow is a great design for an accent nail.  Just follow the nail wheel step by step guide to paint the bow.  

Here are some tips you should use while painting the Couture de Minnie Bow:

• Use ArtClub Nail Art Duo in Red to paint the red bow.  
• Get a dotting tool to make the black center dot.
• Take ArtClub Duo pen in Red and squeeze the pen a little and place a red dot over the black dot.
• Take a toothpick dipped in black nail polish for the bow's outline.
• Grab another toothpick to pick out the white confetti from the Minnie Style laquer.  Then place the white confetti on the red bow.
• Paint Minnie Style in the empty white spaces for an extra pop of color.
• Finish the manicure off with a good sealer.

Order from left to right:
Morgan Taylor Little Black Dress, OPI Alpine Snow, OPI Minnie Style,
ArtClub Nail Art Duo Red, Nail Art Club Sealer 

Nail Laquer of the Week: Minnie Style from OPI's Couture de Minnie

This week's theme is OPI's Minnie Style from the Couture de Minnie collection.  There are five nail lacquers in the Couture de Minnie line and this sparkle polish is just one of them.  The other four polishes are all red and pink tones.  

The other four nail laquers are:

• Chic From Ears to Tail- which is a light pink color 
• A Definite Moust-Have- this laquer is a shimmery coral pink color
• Innie Minnie Mightie Bow- this color has a red shimmer hue
• Magazine Cover Mouse- which is a red liquid sand **Liquid sand is a type of nail laquer that OPI makes.  When the liquid sand dries, it has a matte sandy look.  You do not want to use a top coat for these type of nail lacquers.**

Neon Flower Stickers with Essie's Boom Boom Boom

 Liven up your plain manicure with nail stickers!!  Here I used CinaPro neon flowers.  If you want your nail stickers to stay just follow these easy steps and your manicure will last:

1. Paint your nails a white base coat--I used OPI's Alpine Snow.
2. Wait a couple minutes to let the nails dry.
3. Paint your nails pink using Essie's Boom Boom Boom.
4. Let your nails dry.
5. Now use a high gloss top coat-- I used Dashing Diva Top Seal but you can use other brands too.
6. Wait till your manicure is completely dry.
7. Now take tweezers and peel off a flower nail sticker. 
8. Place the flower on one of your nails using the tweezers.
9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 as many times as you like.
10. Now take Nail Art Club sealer and paint over the nail stickers-- this will seal them on your nail and prevent them from lifting.  
11. Wait till your nails dry.
12. Now enjoy!!!

In order from left to right:
Dashing Diva Top Seal; OPI Alpine Snow; Essie Boom Boom Boom; Nail Art Club Sealer

**I got these nail stickers from CosmoProf, which is a beauty supply store for professionals.  You can buy similar ones from Sally's Beauty Supply.**

Neon Yellow Sparkles Tips with Essie's Boom Boom Boom

I love having bright neon nails!!  These neon yellow sparkle nails are perfect for my neon fix.  Follow these simple steps to create your own yellow neon tip mani!!

1. Paint a white base on your nails.
2. Let your nails dry for a few minutes.
3. Paint your nails pink using Essie's Boom Boom Boom.
4. Wait around 10-20 minutes or until your nails are completely dry.
5. Take a white nail laquer and paint the tips white- I used OPI's Alpine Snow but you can use any type of white laquer. 
6. DO NOT wait for the white to dry.
7. Use So Easy's Cracked Ice in Neon Yellow to sprinkle over the white nail laquer.
8. Tap off the excess sparkles.
9. Gently press the Neon Yellow Cracked Ice down so that the sparkles set.
10. Wait about 5-10 minutes.
11. Now take a clear sealer and paint over the nail- I used ArtClub's Sealer over the manicure but Orly has a nice sealer too.
12. Wait till your manicure completely drys.
13. Now you can go out on the town and enjoy your sparkly neon manicure!! 

In order from left to right:
OPI Alpine Snow; So Easy Cracked Ice Neon Yellow; Essie Boom Boom Boom

ArtClub Sealer

Stars and Sparkle Manicure using Essie's Boom Boom Boom

Want to create a fun star and sparkle manicure?  Just follow these easy steps and your nails will have a fun neon look!!

1. Paint a white base coast and let your nails dry.  
2. Now paint your nails a light neon pink using Essie's Boom Boom Boom.
3. Let your nails COMPLETELY dry.
4. Take ArtClub Nail Art Duo in white and make dots on your nail-- I made eight dots, but you can make as many dots as you like.  It all depends how sparkly you want your nails.
5. DO NOT let the white dots dry.
6. Quickly sprinkle sparkle chunks of So Easy Cracked Ice in Neon Yellow over the wet paint and tap the excess sparkle off.
7. Set the sparkles by pressing them down gently with your finger. 
8. Wait a couple minutes to let the sparkles set.
9. Take Wet n Wild's Fergie Hollywood Walk of Fame and paint it over your nails.  Try to place the stars from Hollywood Walk of Fame into empty spaces on the nail-- you can use a toothpick to do this.
10. Now, all you need to do is enjoy your funky stars and sparkle manicure!!!!!

Nail Laquer used from left to right:
ArtClub Nail Art Duo White; Wet n Wild ; Essie Boom Boom Boom

Stars and Stripe Design using Essie's Boom Boom Boom

Here's a fun stars and stripes DIY design using Essie's Boom Boom Boom.  The stars I used are from Fregie's Wet n Wild collection and I used ArtClub Nail Art Duo in White  for the stripes.  

Nail Laquer from left to right:
ArtClub Nail Art Duo White; Essie Boom Boom Boom;
Wet  n Wild Fergie  Hollywood Walk of Fame; Art Club Sealer

Nail Laquer of the Week: Essie's Boom Boom Boom

Essie's 2013 neon collection has six fun bright colors perfect for summer!!!  I can't wait to paint my nails with Essie's light noen pink Boom Boom Boom. ** For best results paint your nails with a white base before painting the neon color.**

Nail Doodles Part 3: "Moonlight Love"

What I used:

Nail Laquer used from left to right:
Urban Outfitters Westside; ArtClub Nail Art Duo White; Essie Matte About You

*The base color I used for this manicure was a really nice peachy color by Urban Outfitters called Westside.  Even though I love this color it chips very fast. So unfortunately I don't think I'll use it again.*

Nail Doodles Part 2: "Give Me All Your XO Love"

nail lacquer from left to right:
 Art Club Top Coat; Color Club Almost Famous; NailArt Duo Red; NailArt Duo White

Nail Doodles Part 1: "Love, Peace, & Nail Art"

Nail Lacquer from left to right:
OPI Stay the Night, ArtClub Nail Art Duo White

ArtClub Duo: Green and Blue Polka-Dot Manicure

This Week's Theme: ArtClub Nail Art Duo

My new favorite obsession is ArtClub's Nail Art Duo pen and striper.  This week I will be doing fun DIY designs with Nail Art Duo.  So stay tuned!!

OPI Pink and Blue Just Beachy Retro Design

Painting the Pink and Blue OPI Just Beachy Retro Design:

1. Paint your nails blue using OPI's No Room for the Blues.
2. Let your nails dry completely.
3. Paint a pink stripe down the middle of your nail using OPI's La Paz-itively Hot.
4. Wait 30-60 seconds and then use a dotter to dot four blue dots down the pink stripe.  *Since the pink and blue nail polish are both still wet they will blend together.*
5. Wait 10-20 seconds then dot pink dots over the blue dots.  
6. After waiting another 10-20 seconds, dot blue dot over the pink dots.
7. Let your hands dry on a flat surface so that the dots don't drip and run into each other. 
8. Once your manicure is completely dry paint a top coat over your nails. 

OPI's Oz the Great and Powerful Sparkles with Silver and Gold Foils

 Here are my silver and gold nail foil manicure using Light's of Emerald City gold sparkle polish and When Monkey's Fly! white sparkle polish as top coats.  This is such a fun easy manicure to do!! Just paint a base coat over your nails and lay down the nail foils over the wet polish.  After you do that, finish your manicure with a sparkle top coat!  I love blinging my nails out like this.  I hope you enjoy!!!!!

Polishes left to right:
OPI's When Monkey's FLy!, OPI's Lights of Emerald City

Pink Ombre Half-Moon Mani

Just follow these steps and create a fun light pink to dark pink ombre look with the half-moon manicure!!

1. First paint your nail with OPI's light pink, I Theodora You.
2.  Let the nail polish dry completely.  
3. Take sellf-sticking reinforcements and place them over the bottom of your nails to create the half moon.
4. Now take a make-up sponge and paint the tip with OPI's light pink I Theodora You  and OPI's dark pink La Paz-itively Hot.  *Make sure the two polishes are touching.*
5. Sponge the nail with the painted make-up sponge.  *Make sure that La Paz-itively Hot nail lacquer is concentrated toward the top of the nail. *
6. Once your nails are dry repeat step 5. 
7. Paint the very tip of the nail with La Paz-itively Hot.
8. After a minute paint over the top half of the nail with a high gloss top coat.  *This will blend the two pinks together.*
9. Let your nails dry.
10. ****If you want a gold sparkle accent nail, now is the time to paint the top half of your nail with OPI's When Monkey's Fly!.**** 
11. Now that your nails are dry, peel off the self-sticking reinforcements.  
12. Quickly seal your ombre half-moon manicure with a top coat.
13. Enjoy!!!!

Nail Lacquer from left to right:
OPI La Paz-itively Hot, OPI I Theodora You, OPI When Monkeys Fly!,  Dashing Diva Top Seal 

Pink Polka Dot Tips using OPI

Nail Lacquer from Left to Right
OPI La Paz-itivelyHot, OPI Lights of Emerald City,
OPI I Theodora You , Art Club Top Coat