Sushi is Bae Nail Art

Sushi is Bae Nail Art  || I love sushi and so does most of the rest of the world. It's fresh and delicious and actually gorgeous. Have you SEEN the color of raw tuna? I want to paint my LIFE in it!

Anyway, as with most things I love, I decided to try to put it on my nails. Because, naturally. I've seen a lot of gorgeous interpretations of sushi nails lately, but I did try to make mine "my own."

On my thumb, I put my bae tuna. My pointer is tamagoyaki, which honestly I chose more for it's color than anything -- I have only eaten it once! My middle finger is salmon, my ring finger is rice, and my pinkie is intended to look like avocado with sesame seeds.

Quick sidebar about the rice nail that might give you some insight into my brain: in hindsight, if I were to do this all over again, I would paint individual white grains of rice over a negative space clear nail. I think that would read more like rice and look cooler than what I attempted here. The grey patterning is hard to read.

I used gel polish for this, but won't be able to list out all of the materials I used. I did a lot of color mixing, layering, and blending, and beyond that, I wore this manicure a month or two ago and I don't remember the specifics. Oops! 😇

Are you a sushi fan? What's your favorite thing to order?

Simple Constellation Nail Art

Simple Constellation Nail Art || I was due for a fresh set of gel polish this week, and have been craving black and white lately. I don't usually gravitate towards dark nail colors, because I feel like they make my nails look small and (sometimes) weird. #truenailconfessions. BUT, I've been seeing black and white nails all over my feed lately, and it had me wanting it on my own fingers.

Since I try to ride out these gel polish sets as long as possible, I can't slack on the nail art for my right hand. I figured constellations would be easy enough that I could pull off something passable using my left hand.

I started with two coats of my new favorite black gel polish, Presto #060 Minaccioso. Next, I used Wildflower's Art Paints in Powder to paint on constellations and stars. Then, I used two coats of gel topcoat to seal the paint details in. Easy peasy!

P.S. They're all based on real constellations! I wanted to do my zodiac sign, but who knew Sagittarius had so many stars in it?!?!?

Simple Vintage Floral Inspired by Lacquerstyle

We are nearing the end of the challenge! Today's prompt is "inspired by a tutorial" and I've taken inspiration from the talented (and Queen of Florals), Lacquerstyle. For this particular look, I've followed her Simple Abstract Floral Tutorial, which not only features a fun and easy design, but has gorgeous cinematography and photography to boot.

I wont detail how to do this look -- if you want to visit the tutorial, just click on the link above!

I used Formula X Cloud Nine as my base. The flowers are painted with China Glaze Make an Entrance, while the blue blossom sprays were done in China Glaze First Mate. I created the leaf shade by mixing China Glaze Take a Hike and American Apparel Crescent Heights.

I love this look, though mine aren't quite as perfect as Kristin's! The smaller blue sprays really add a lot to the completed manicure.

Check out the other tutorials I've tried in the past:

• Cutie owl half moons
• Candy mermaid scales
• Floral pond manicure
• Reverse stamped glow in the dark stars

Simple Vintage Floral Inspired by Lacquerstyle

We are nearing the end of the challenge! Today's prompt is "inspired by a tutorial" and I've taken inspiration from the talented (and Queen of Florals), Lacquerstyle. For this particular look, I've followed her Simple Abstract Floral Tutorial, which not only features a fun and easy design, but has gorgeous cinematography and photography to boot.

I wont detail how to do this look -- if you want to visit the tutorial, just click on the link above!

I used Formula X Cloud Nine as my base. The flowers are painted with China Glaze Make an Entrance, while the blue blossom sprays were done in China Glaze First Mate. I created the leaf shade by mixing China Glaze Take a Hike and American Apparel Crescent Heights.

I love this look, though mine aren't quite as perfect as Kristin's! The smaller blue sprays really add a lot to the completed manicure.

Check out the other tutorials I've tried in the past:

• Cutie owl half moons
• Candy mermaid scales
• Floral pond manicure
• Reverse stamped glow in the dark stars

Crop Circle Inspired Nail Art

"Inspired by the supernatural" is another one of the challenge prompts that I'm not usually too enthused about. I started out today attempting a manicure depicting the Galactic Entity from Futurama, but quickly changed my mind (looked too much like my galaxy nails!). I decided to do some crop circle nail art instead, and boy am I glad that I did! I'm super pleased with these and hope you enjoy them too.

I started out by applying two coats of Essie - Mojito Madness as my green base. Then, I used the dry brush technique to add some swipes of Duri - Shocking Twist. If you're unfamiliar, you just wipe most of the polish off of your brush, and then lightly swipe it over your nails.

Then, I used LVX - Avenal to handpaint my crop circle designs. Many of them have geometric elements to them, so I chose to focus on concentric circles as well as lines and triangles.

I finished the nail art with a matte topcoat. I liked the look of it glossy, but to be honest, the reflections of the lights that I use for my photos on my nails made my linework look distorted.

See more of my supernatural nail art:

• Glow in the dark ghosties
• Glittering Edward nail art
• Phoenix feather nail art
• Raava and Vaatu nail art (Legend of Korra)

Crop Circle Inspired Nail Art

"Inspired by the supernatural" is another one of the challenge prompts that I'm not usually too enthused about. I started out today attempting a manicure depicting the Galactic Entity from Futurama, but quickly changed my mind (looked too much like my galaxy nails!). I decided to do some crop circle nail art instead, and boy am I glad that I did! I'm super pleased with these and hope you enjoy them too.

I started out by applying two coats of Essie - Mojito Madness as my green base. Then, I used the dry brush technique to add some swipes of Duri - Shocking Twist. If you're unfamiliar, you just wipe most of the polish off of your brush, and then lightly swipe it over your nails.

Then, I used LVX - Avenal to handpaint my crop circle designs. Many of them have geometric elements to them, so I chose to focus on concentric circles as well as lines and triangles.

I finished the nail art with a matte topcoat. I liked the look of it glossy, but to be honest, the reflections of the lights that I use for my photos on my nails made my linework look distorted.

See more of my supernatural nail art:

• Glow in the dark ghosties
• Glittering Edward nail art
• Phoenix feather nail art
• Raava and Vaatu nail art (Legend of Korra)

Pizza Bunting Nail Art

Today's prompt is "inspired by a flag," and it's arguably the worst prompt in the whole challenge. I was thinking about bunting and how that would be a cute idea to do for flag-day, but wanted to figure out a way to make it more unique. All of a sudden - I had it! At the beginning of the year, Rebecca of Rebecca Likes Nails had crocheted and then gifted me some pizza bunting, and I figured it'd be perfect to try to recreate on nails.

Though my nails aren't as cute as her crochet creation (could anything EVER be?), I think they're unique and fun and who doesn't like pizza, you know? My favorite toppings are pineapple and ham, though lately I've been gravitating towards banana peppers. Also - have you guys tried Pizza Hut's pretzel crust? Pretty sure they just put some butter and salt on it, but man that stuff is delicious.

Previous "inspired by a flag" manicures:

• Racing checkered flag
• Arizona state flag nail art
• Textured American flag nail art
• National flags of Avatar: The Last Airbender

Pizza Bunting Nail Art

Today's prompt is "inspired by a flag," and it's arguably the worst prompt in the whole challenge. I was thinking about bunting and how that would be a cute idea to do for flag-day, but wanted to figure out a way to make it more unique. All of a sudden - I had it! At the beginning of the year, Rebecca of Rebecca Likes Nails had crocheted and then gifted me some pizza bunting, and I figured it'd be perfect to try to recreate on nails.

Though my nails aren't as cute as her crochet creation (could anything EVER be?), I think they're unique and fun and who doesn't like pizza, you know? My favorite toppings are pineapple and ham, though lately I've been gravitating towards banana peppers. Also - have you guys tried Pizza Hut's pretzel crust? Pretty sure they just put some butter and salt on it, but man that stuff is delicious.

Previous "inspired by a flag" manicures:

• Racing checkered flag
• Arizona state flag nail art
• Textured American flag nail art
• National flags of Avatar: The Last Airbender

Line Drawings Inspired by Zach Bootz

Today's prompt is "inspired by artwork" and I've done some nails inspired by the artwork of my pal Zach Bootz. He does these really awesome black and white line drawings that combine surreal patterns, geometric lines, architecture and more. While my manicure isn't as intricately crafted as his pieces are, I've tried to draw inspiration from his style and general "feel."

Though Zach's signature style includes black and white, I knew I wanted mine to be in color. I chose LVX Viola and LVX Mineral. Mineral is a light grey, but when I topcoated the design, the blue base seeped through and turned it pale purple. It looks cool, like blueprints, but this is the second time I've had trouble with an LVX polish bleeding through. I'm wondering if maybe it's the combination of their formula with my topcoat?

Afterwards, I finished with matte topcoat as a kind of nod to ink on paper. Be sure to stop by Zach's website and check out more of his work! It's really compelling stuff.

Not too many challenge days left! I can't lie and say I'll be sad when it's over.

Previous nail art inspired by artwork:

• Jackson Pollock's One: Number 31
• Warhol drip nail art
• Kaws' Kawsbob
• Barbara Kruger - Nail Art Is Dead

Carnaval Netting - X-Patterned Nail Art

Today's prompt is "inspired by a pattern" and I don't even know where I took it today, but here's what I ended up with. The candy colored palette has me thinking of Carnaval in Rio, while the X pattern is vaguely reminiscent of netting.

Wouldn't you know it, my base polish fits the theme! It's Gelish Carnaval Hangover, which is my new gel manicure for the week. I completely finished and cured the manicure before adding the designs.

Using a small nail art brush, I added the Xs with Duri - Shocking Twist (pea green), Sally Hansen - Blue Me Away (blue), and American Apparel - L'Espirit (pale purple). I didn't try to make them uniform, especially not from nail to nail, and instead went for a more abstract feel.

The manicure still needed something else, so after the Xs were done, I added black dots wherever the lines met. I think it contributes a lot to the final look!

More "inspired by a pattern" nail art:

• Dark, matte, and dotted
• Partial checkerboards
• Pretty paisley
• Tori Burch ruby floral

Pinstripe and Damask Nail Art Inspired by Tory Burch

Ladies that are also attempting the challenge with me... Are you getting tired of this yet? I've hit my yearly breaking point, but as always, I will push through and prevail. Today's prompt is "inspired by fashion," and I've drawn inspiration from a Tory Burch look that was just shown off at New York Fashion Week.

View image | gettyimages.com

I love these patterns and colors together, they're very textile-meets-Hamptons. Bold meets soft. Rigid meets organic.

I used Polish My Life - Saint as the base, and then mixed together Formula X - Glorious and LVX - Paraiso for the pinstripe color. I added the floral designs on with Formula X - Push the Limits and finished with topcoat.

Previously, on "Inspired by Fashion" day:

• Max Azria spring look
• Betsey Johnson bright gradient with "silly string"
• McQueen textured skull scarf
• Donna Karan inky negative space

Modern Romance Nail Art

Modern Romance Nail Art || 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

You've Got a Friend In Me! - Toy Story Nail Art

Is there a better trilogy than Toy Story? Ok, there probably is (there are a lot of awesome trilogies!), but it's definitely an amazing one and probably the best animated trilogy at least. Today's 31DC prompt is "inspired by a movie" and in case it wasn't clear, I've done some nail art inspired by Woody and Buzz, the bestest friends ever!

These are handpainted using the following nail polishes...

Woody:
Formula X White Matter
Salon Perfect Oil Slick
Color Club Je Ne Sais Quoi
Deborah Lippmann Respect

Buzz:
Formula X White Matter

China Glaze Looking Bootiful

Formula X Pyrotechnic

Girly Bits It's Hoop to Be Square

Clouds:

Formula X Provocative
Formula X White Matter
Salon Perfect Oil Slick

I have done quite a few movie manicures in the past! Check out what I've done previously for the challenge:

• Star Wars inspired nail art
• Eye of Sauron nail art from the Lord of the Rings trilogy
• Titan nail art from the movie Hercules
• Anna-inspired Frozen nail art

Paint It Black

For today's prompt, "inspired by a song," I decided to do some nail art inspired by The Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black." The song is about depression and loss, and wanting to paint everything black to match those feelings.

If you're familiar with the song, the obvious choice would have been do a red door and then put some black on it, but I wanted to go for something a little more colorful and (only slightly) less literal. I opted for a bright base, splattered and smeared with black paint.

I began with a white base to help the colors above it pop.

Then I cut off a strip of a makeup sponge, and painted swipes of my three base colors directly on to the sponge. I used China Glaze Too Yacht to Handle, Nicole by OPI Hit the Lights, and Girly Bits Hip Hoop Hooray.

For the big black swipe, I wiped most of the polish off of the brush of Salon Perfect Oil Slick, and then dry brushed it across my nails. I used a small nail art brush to add the splatters and drips, then finished with topcoat.

See how I've been inspired by songs in the past:

• Tik Tok - Ke$ha
• Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend
• Lose Yourself to Dance - Daft Punk
• Undone (The Sweater Song) - Weezer

Midnight Sky Nail Art with JINsoon Nocturne - nails-4u

Midnight Sky Nail Art with JINsoon Nocturne || The challenge theme for today is "inspired by a color," and like I've done in many years past, I've decided to do a nail art interpretation of a nail polish's name. The nail art that I ended up with is stylistically simple, especially compared to the galaxy nails that I just posted, but I think it's more wearable and a little more mystical.

My base color is the polish I was inspired by: JINsoon "Nocturne." It's a rich, smoky black with a slight metallic sheen to it. It looks like satin, but dries to a glossy finish, and covers perfectly in two coats. You do have to be a little attentive towards brushstrokes when applying, but it wasn't too difficult.

I then added small white stars and a crescent moon using Formula X White Matter and my small nail art brush.

Check out my "inspired by a color" looks from past years:

• OPI Skull and Glossbones
• China Glaze Kalahari Kiss
• Color Club Wild Cactus
• China Glaze Lug Your Designer Baggage

Wasabi and Caviar - An Exercise In Linework and Patience

Today is my birthday, and if you can believe it, my nails are actually naked right now! THE HORROR! I'm hoping to put something fun on them after I get home from work, but for now, I wanted to share a manicure I spent a lot of time on recently.

I am calling it wasabi and caviar for reasons that I hope are obvious! This entire design is handpainted with regular nail polish. It's some of my best linework to date, I think. Hooray for improvement there!

Nail polishes and products used:
LVX Midori
Formula X Dark Matter
Sally Hansen Stud Kit

If you want to attempt a design like this, I've got some tips!

1. Get a small brush. I can't tell you how long I used a thicker nail art brush, cursing my lack of talent rather than the tool I was using. Once I got a thinner brush, it helped me immensely. I still had to keep practicing, but my old brush was definitely part of the problem. Trim down an old brush with cuticle nippers if you don't have a super thin one.
2. Keep it clean. If you're using polish (instead of acrylic paint or gel), clean your brush frequently with 100% acetone and regularly put down more polish onto your palette. Polish dries quickly and can wreck your fine lines if it isn't the right consistency.
3. Small mistakes aren't the end of the world. You can use a clean nail art brush dipped in acetone to gently "erase" small mistakes from your work; just be careful not to go too crazy or it will eat through your base color. In this case, I put a layer of topcoat between the wasabi shade and my black linework for extra protection.
4. Be patient. This shit isn't fast. When you factor in my previous tips and the detail of the work, you just gotta know it's not going to be easy to bust it out in 45 minutes. I like to put on Netflix and take breaks every so often to stretch out.

I just love this kind of strange green color, and the thick blingy stud nail is just the right amount of "odd" to go with it.