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!