how to: splatter mani

Hey there...here's a fun and easy mani that you've got to try sometime right now...splatter nails!!! I don't do much nail art but doing them once in awhile is kind of fun.

Warning: this mani is a little bit messy. I highly recommend you put wax paper down on the surface you are working on, also makes for easy clean up after. You'll also need a couple of regular drinking straws and tape.

First, choose a base color for your nails. Paint as usual and let dry. I used OPI's Can't Find My Czechbook for my base. Then choose a couple of other colors you'll want to use for the splatter effect. I chose Orly's Sapphire Silk and Barry M's Peach Melba.

After your base color is dry, put tape around your nails. This is optional but helps a lot during clean up.

Take one of your splatter colors and drip a few drops onto your wax paper. Dip one end of your straw in the little puddle of polish. Make sure you get a good glob of polish then hover over your nail and blow hard at the other end of the straw. Repeat over the nail until desired splatter effect is achieved, then proceed to the other nails. Repeat for any additional colors.

Carefully remove the tape and begin clean up. Let the splatter set on the nail for a minute or two before sealing with a top coat. I did two thick coats of Seche Vite to smooth out the splatter.

Now sit back an enjoy your beautiful work!

in the shade

Here's my first splatter mani that I did for Independence Day, last year.

If I ever use that color combo again, I may use red as my base color otherwise the red splatter almost looks like a crime scene! haha!

Tips:

• You might want to play around with the lengths of the straws you use and distance from straw to nail. I preferred using shorter straws to blow through on the nail at about 3 inches away. You also get different splatter effects depending on how strong you blow through the straw
• It's easier for me to do one hand at a time.
• For clean up, I use a small make-up brush for better control.

thanks goodness for tape!

Are you going to try doing a splatter mani?! What color combo will you use?

Thanks for stopping by!

Update - 3/14/13

I mattified my splatter mani with Essie's Matte About You...

Love!

Linked up with Polly Polish's Polish Days 'Vintage' theme link party.

This mani has a vintage type feel to me...looking like a Jackson Polluck piece of art!

Also linked up with:
F-it Friday Round 14 at Parlo & Logi
What's Shakin' Link Pary #51 at Shaken Together

opi - can’t find my czechbook

I've made it my goal to swatch all of my untried nail polishes before I buy any more nail polish but I've been so good at not buying any new, new nail polishes for the past few months, I decided to treat myself this weekend. With an ULTA rewards to redeem at hand and after rummaging through a blah clearance section, I caved and bought OPI's Can't Find My Czechbook from their Euro Central Spring/Summer 2013 Collection. It was the last bottle too, so it's meant to be, right?!

I can't remember the last time I've bought a new nail color that was a new release. I usually wait to buy them whenever I can catch them on clearance or will get them if I have a really good coupon.

So glad I got this color! I actually don't have anything like it! It's such a pretty creamy dusty aqua that goes on the nail perfectly. Below is 3 coats, topped with Seche Vite.

 

in the shade -  btw, sorry my skin looks so dry :(

opi gift cards for everyone

Last Christmas, ULTA was having a promotion with OPI nail polishes: Buy 2, get 1 ULTA exclusive OPI color for free. As my free bottle, I chose Gift Cards for Everyone!. Such an odd name.

Gift Cards for Everyone is a dark metallicky purple with hints of blue shimmer from the microglitter.

I'm sad to say that this is a purple that I don't like. And I looove purple...

The color looks so nice in the bottle but not on me. Maybe it may look better if my nails were shorter!?

my own attempt at generating a meme :)

with flash to show the microglitter

To me, this color is borderline Grandma-ish and I don't think I will be wearing this much, if ever again.

At least I got it for free.

opi - houston we have a purple

I've been really good and haven't bought any nail polish in a while. I want to at least wear all of my untried nail polishes first. I have a lot of them.

I was at ULTA the other day redeeming my Beauty Club Reward and decided to check out the nail polish clearance section and there were actually some colors that I had wanted to get.

I settled on purchasing OPI's Houston We Have a Purple from their 2011 Texas Collection. This was not one of the ones I wanted to get. It was an impulse buy. I really like purple! And I didn't have this kind of purple!

I usually look up swatches on my phone before I buy a new nail polish but for some reason I didn't for this one. I had no idea it was a jelly! I don't even like jellies!

When I put it on, my first thought was, Oh man! It's a jelly! Then layer after layer, I started to kind of like it.  It reminds me of raspberry jelly!

It took me 3 coats for opacity but you can kind of still see my nail line. The finish was very glossy but I topped with a coat of Seche Vite anyways.

Now I can't wait to try this as a jelly sandwich!

happy thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are surrounded by loved ones and lots of food!

I really wasn't planning on doing a mani for Thanksgiving but my Mom had the perfect colors for an autumn dotticure and I could no longer resist.

I used these:

I used Spoiled Pumping Gas as my base and OPI Chopsticking to My Story, Zoya Pippa, and Spoiled I Don't Drink Cheap Wine for the dots.

I also made some pumpkin muffins with chopped walnuts and white chocolate chunks. Super yummy! I must have ate 3 back-to-back...oops! haha

in the shade

As per usual, my Mom wanted me to do her nails too, exactly like mine...Twinsies!

I don't know Jacques anymore

I used to wear OPI's You Don't Know Jacques all the time. It was my go-to nail polish. I would wear it week after week after week! It's the perfect taupe. I reccommended this color to everyone I knew. I made people want this color! I was completely in love with Jacques!

But that was last year...I really haven't worn YDKJ in about a year and I finally put it on my nails.

As my much as I hate to admit, the color didn't feel the same. I wasn't as excited to see it on my nails like I had been before. I still like the color but I guess I'm no lnger in love with it...what happened?! Did I just break up with Jacques?!

Do you have a nail color that you used to love?

happy halloween

Here's my Halloween wreath that I have hanging at my desk at work....well, actually, it's been hanging at my desk this whole time since last Halloween! I don't care, it's cute!

I decided to dress up my nails in a nice Halloweenish color for today. Don't look too close or you'll get a scare! My hands are soooo dry.

This is OPI Lincoln Park After Dark.

I've had this color for almost a year and I'm finally trying it out. I love it! Perfect fall color! It's a lovely deep purply-maroonish creally [cream/jelly] that looks almost black and goes on your nail like a dream in just 2 coats.

Oh hey, look at my new watch. It was a late birthday gift from my boyfriend, Calat. Hey Babe! It's awesome! I still haven't learned about all of its features, but the best thing about it is that it's not just an analog watch but it's digital too!

Did you decide to wear a Halloween color on your nails today or do any fun nail art?