Black Butterflies on White (inspired by Anne Hathaway's SAG Awards Butterfly Manicure)

Hello Everyone!

You may have noticed that I have not been posting as many designs recently.  This is mainly because I have been obsessed with plain nude or white nails as of late.  There's just something about clean, light-colored nails that appeals to me -- when done correctly, they look very polished and sophisticated, even when nails are kept short.

But despite this recent obsession, I still miss drawing on my nails.  I therefore decided to recreate my favorite celebrity manicure from this year's SAG Awards -- Anne Hathaway's butterfly nails!

Here is my recreation:

And for those who are interested to see Anne Hathaway's nails, here is a picture of them:

My butterflies are not exactly the same as hers, but I would like to think I did a pretty good job nonetheless.  I also did not want to copy hers directly, as I wanted mine to have a touch of individuality still. :)

Instead of using a bright white polish like Anne Hathaway, I opted for Portia's Wit by Dazzle Dry.  It is an off-white color with undertones of pink/beige.  It is actually my current favorite, given my recent obsession with nudes and whites.  It strikes the perfect balance between nude and white.  I also find it quite flattering.

Here is a close-up picture of my left hand:

And my right:

I am quite happy that I picked Portia's Wit for this nail art.  I find that black on bleach white creates a very stark look, while Portia's Wit provides a warmth and softness to the design while still providing that contrast that is the essence of this design.

For those wondering how I made the butterflies -- well, there is no secret.  I used Mars Black acrylic paint together with a striper and a detailing brush, and hand-painted the butterflies.  No tricks used in this design, I'm afraid.  Just some good old-fashioned perseverance.  :)

Well, thank you very much for reading!  I hope you liked this one, and that I did the original design some justice.  :)

Gradient Dots

Hello Everyone!

Today I would like to share with you a very easy design I came up with, Gradient Dots.

My goal for this design was to create something that was very easy to do, yet sophisticated enough for sassier ladies to wear.  I knew using dots was the way to go, but the usual polka dots is too playful for my purposes.

I have also been noticing that a lot of ladies recently have been into layering glitter polish to create gradient effects on their nails.  However, I know for a fact that a handful of women try to avoid glitter polishes as they can be difficult to remove.  So I thought, why not mimic the look of gradient nails by using dots??

Tadaaah! Nail art that is simple, chic, and has a graphic edge to it!

To create this look, I used three coats of Dazzle Dry's Breathless.  It's a sheer light pink shimmer. In the photo you can actually see how shiny and glossy it is. I am a big fan of Dazzle Dry, but among their polishes, their shimmers are my favorites.  Dazzle Dry shimmers for me strike the perfect balance between shimmer and subtlety - definitely not over-the-top.  

The texture of Breathless is also something to rave about.  Consistency leans towards the thin side, being a sheer color.  This thin consistency for me makes it easier to control around the edges.  Layering three coats also did not prove to be a problem because it still dried perfectly well (and fast!) without getting bulky.

To make the dots, I simply placed sparse dots with a small dotting tool first near the base of my nails (I used black nail polish from The Face Shop). These created the bigger dots.  Then, I filled in the spaces with smaller dots by using a toothpick.  I made the spaces bigger, and the dots smaller, as I moved towards the tips of my nails.  Once everything was dry, I topped the design with my Dazzle Dry top coat, and it was done!

Aside from being easy, this nail art would also look great on nails of all lengths.  I suggest playing around with colors with this design.  I used pink and black because this is one of my favorite color combos, but I think this will also look great in black with gold dots, or a combination of bright colors for a cool summer vibe.

Thank you for reading!

Pink Roses on Black

Someone once told me that I "pack a punch".  I do not know if I understood the meaning exactly, but I suppose it meant that I made quite an impression because of the contrast between my delicate facade (I am petite and look rather dainty) and my opinionated and quirky personality.  

With this in mind, I decided to create a design that is dainty, but at the same time "packs a punch", and I simply call it Pink Roses on Black.

I know I cannot brag of the originality of this concept - roses are a common nail art theme, and I wouldn't be surprised to see that someone has already done this combination before.  But in the end, I do nail art as a personal outlet, and as long as I am happy with the design, then it's all good.  And I must say, I am very happy with the outcome!

For this design, I used two coats of Dazzle Dry's Midnight Express.  I must say it's a very user-friendly black.  Most blacks are difficult to manage since they go on streaky, but Midnight express goes on smooth.  I think one coat will be enough for some people, but I personally prefer two coats.  

 

Another thing I like about Midnight Express is that because it is from Dazzle Dry, I would not have to worry about staining my natural nails.  Dazzle Dry is vegan, and I am living proof that with continuous use of the complete nail polish system, nail yellowing is reduced and eventually completely gone (as in my case).

I painted the flowers and leaves using a detailing brush and acrylic paint.  The roses were a combination of Crimson and Titanium White, while the leaves were Chromium Green and Titanium White.  You will need to be patient with blending though, to get the right shades.  

Here is a close-up shot of my thumb:

So that's it for this entry.  I hope this design has packed a punch enough for you to try your own nail art design soon!

Thanks for reading!

Blue Feather Nails -- My Graduation Nails!!

Tomorrow, March 22, 2013, will be one of the biggest days of my adult life -- my graduation ceremony for my Masters degree!!!

For those of you who do not know, I have been studying while working since 2008.  Tomorrow, I will formally have the title Master of the Arts in Basic Education Teaching.

This graduation is quite an emotional one for me, perhaps because of how difficult it was for me to earn it.  For one, I financed my way through it all.  Some of the years of my graduate studies were also the most turbulent for me because of personal problems, which nearly made me stop schooling.

Nonetheless, I pushed through with the emotional support of my siblings and dear friends.  Now I swell up with both tears and pride, knowing the gravity of this achievement.  I do thank everyone who was there for me through it all.  And I thank God, because with His unmeasurable wisdom, He molded me to be strong enough to make it this far.

I am really, really, happy. :)

Now about my Graduation Nails.  I am graduating from the school of the Blue Eagle, the Ateneo de Manila University.  So, I thought it would be right for me to do a blue and white nail design.  At the same time, I wanted a look that was elegant enough to wear to a solemn ceremony as such.  Therefore, this is what I came up with:

For this design, I used three coats of Dazzle Dry's French Quarters.  French Quarters is a super sheer lacquer with an opalescent sheen.  You could see in the picture that though I've applied three coats, the tips of my nails can still be seen.

I love French Quarters because though I layer in on for several coats, it never looks bulky on my nails.  The thin consistency also makes it easy to control.

For the feathers, I used acrylic paints in Pthalo Blue (dark blue), Cobalt Blue (lighter blue), and Titanium White.  Here are some pictures of how I made the feathers:

Use the dark blue shade and a thin striping brush to paint the shaft of the feather.

Use light wispy strokes to form the feather.  Remember to take note of the shape of the feather that you want.

Texture it with lighter blue and white strokes.  

I later on added a piece of glitter on each feather by picking up the glitters from the brush of a glitter polish (I used a silver glitter from The Face Shop) with a dotting tool, then carefully placing it on the feather.

Here is one more look of my nails:

I chose to put just one glitter because I did not want to go over the top.  There is always beauty in simplicity.  :)

Incidentally, this design is my 100th picture in my nail art album on Facebook.  For those who want to see the album, click here.  Going through the album, you will see how I've also grown as an artist.

Thank you for reading!! :) And cheers to all the graduates of 2013!!!

Rainbow Butterflies

Hello, Beautiful People!!

Summer break in most schools in the Philippines is fast approaching, and I am so excited!  Having breaks just like kids is definitely a perk I embrace with my work as an educator.

I cannot wait for summer to begin! Thoughts of more relaxed schedules, trips with family and friends, and generally more me time definitely bring a smile to my lips.

So for my next nail art, I asked my young students for ideas.  They're mostly aged 6-7 years old now, and I thought I should turn to them for something bright and fun, and reflective of summer... And they did not disappoint!

This nail art was a suggestion of a 6-year old girl who said she wanted butterflies of different colors.  When I asked her what colors she wanted in particular, she exclaimed, "Make it rainbow!!"

I was not feeling making a gradient nail design to have a rainbow on each nail, so I chose a different color for each nail instead.  I chose the following colors, all from Dazzle Dry (DD): Grape Lollipop (purple), Cotton Candy (pink), Sahara (yellow), Oasis (green), and Aegean Cruise (blue).

To make these nails, I basically first cleaned my nails using DD nail prep, then applied DD base coat.  I then painted my nails with the colors mentioned above with three thin coats each.  I like my nails super opaque :)

I then painted a black diagonal French tip on all of them using DD Midnight Express.

Midnight Express is very opaque.  The picture above shows only one swipe!

I then continued on by painting the lines using a detailing brush and black acrylic paint.  I ended by dotting white polish (from The Face Shop) with a toothpick near the edges.

Once everything was dry, I applied DD top coat, cleaned up, and I was done!

I showed these nails to my students, and they loved it!  The little girl who suggested this was particularly happy. I'm glad they liked it, because it is, after all, dedicated to my pretty little butterflies who make everyday a rainbow!

Here is another shot taken during a dinner date :)

I think this shot is extra pretty and also extra flattering :)

Thanks for reading!

P.S.  I now have a Twitter account.  If you would be so kind as to follow me, it is @NinnaDujunco :)  Thanks again!

Geometric Nails

Hi Everyone!!

I was browsing through the internet for nail art inspirations, and I saw that geometric prints are trending.  I thought I'll try making my own version.

This is what I came up with:

Geometric Nails

For this design, I used three thin coats of Dazzle Dry's Linen Lace.  It is the perfect white for this design.  The yellow undertones gave it a little warmth while still looking clean and crisp.  Of course, I used my Dazzle Dry Trinity kit (nail prep, base and top coat) with this design.

After painting my nails with Linen Lace, I used a striping brush dipped in black acrylic paint to draw the divisions.  Then with a detailing brush, I filled in random boxes with black, orange and blue acrylic paints.  I went through the divisions again with my striping brush in the end to clean out any mistakes.  Finally, a layer of top coat gave my nails smoothness and shine that made my nails look clean and professional!

Sounds easy, right? ;) Making straight lines can be tricky, though.  From reading other blogs and watching Youtube videos, I learned that straight lines can be easier to do by keeping the painting hand relatively steady while rotating the finger you are painting on.  That way you do not get crooked lines.  Works for me!

Here are a couple more pictures of my work:

I am so in love with these nails!  I actually want to try is with a beige and black combo.  I think that will look uber classy!

For those who doubt their painting skills, I came across some blogs that suggest using tape to help in making crisp and clean lines.  Click here for a couple of ideas from Magnolia Magazine.

Thank you for reading!!

Dazzle Dry Glitters Xtreme: Cold as Ice

Hi Dazzling Ladies!!

I have been indulging myself with my favorite brand's latest collection, Dazzle Dry's Glitters Xtreme, this week, and now I finally get to my favorite among the three, Cold as Ice!!

Cold as Ice is an ultra-loaded glitter lacquer.  It has fine, round, and irregularly shaped translucent glitters suspended in a clear, thick, jelly base that keeps all the glitters from sinking to the bottom of the bottle.  

If I were to describe it in a word, I would say Cold as Ice looks magical.  I suppose the glitters will be called white by most people, but I see them as little pieces of magic that reflect light and turn into blue, green, purple, pink... Every color of the rainbow!  

Let me show you a close up shot:

Dazzle Dry's Cold as Ice

As you can see, Cold as Ice lends itself more on the lighter shades on blue, green and purple, which is probably why I love it so much!  I am a girly girl, and this is the ultimate glitter polish for me.  

In the picture above, I painted a single layer of Cold as Ice on my bare thumb.  Can you believe how covered my thumb looks already?  Added to that, the thick jelly base is not difficult to apply at all.  Very smooth and manageable. :)

To experiment with Cold as ice, I chose four very different colors.  I wanted to see how this beautiful glitter lacquer could transform all of them.  

Here are my picks:

Dazzle Dry's Midnight Express, Polar Jade, Blueberry Snocone and Timeless

Now let us see them with Cold as Ice layered over them:

Look at that transformation!! Midnight Express now looks galactic.  It reminds me of satellite pictures of how the galaxy looks like.  On Polar Jade, it surprisingly turned into translucent gold flecks, which I did not even see in the bottle to begin with!  Blueberry SnoCone became a rich, textured, super striking blue.  And well, Timeless... Oh, how breathless it left me!!  It looked crystalline!  In the picture you see how it looks like those trending texture nail polish, but definitely without the rough texture.  Too beautiful to be true!

Again, let us look at the with and without pictures side by side:

I just can't stop loving it!!  As I've said, it is my ultimate glitter polish.  And judging from the results of my little experiment, Cold as Ice easily blends with different shades, and is not only for the feminine and dainty. :)

To read about the other colors in this collection, click here:

• Caught Red Handed
• Gold Digger

Thank you for reading!!