Monday, May 6, 2019

6:00 AM

Japanese Cherry Blossom Nail Art in 4 Easy Steps


     Have you ever sat down to paint your nails and had the end result be completely different than your original idea? That's just what happened to me when I created this Japanese Cherry Blossom look. I've actually wanted to do a manicure like this for quite some time but just never seemed to get around to it. I've either had other ideas come first or just haven't been inspired to sit down and actually create it. 

     Now I could get all philosophical and say that fate stepped in and in its way pushed me to finally create this nail art but I think it was more of a case of being inspired by the colors that I used.

     Back in February I rushed out to Walmart to find the latest core colors from Sinful Colors and have had them sitting on my desk ever since. We all know by now that I have a habit of doing this and I'm really trying to get better about it but old habits are hard to break I guess. Anyway, I've been looking at Violet Riot and Strike a Pose for months thinking that they would look great in a gradient. Which I finally put to the test last week and I was right. They go together beautifully. So beautifully in fact that they created a canvas that just begged to have nail art applied. And that is how my 4-step Cherry Blossom nail art was created. 


     Step 1: Paint a layer of Sinful colors Strike a Pose and let dry. This doesn't have to be a thick layer or even have full opacity since we will be doing a gradient over it. You just want to get a layer down so that you'll have better coverage on the gradient. 

     Step 2: Crate the gradient using Strike A Pose and Violet Riot. I like to use a sponge to create my gradients because I tend to get a better blend of the colors but you can do yours however you're comfortable. (The one I use is from Born Pretty Store and if you use code LAUNX31 you can receive 10% off your order.) Remember to use a liquid latex barrier around your cuticles to cut down on clean up. If you don't have liquid latex or are allergic you can always use scotch tape. Add a layer of topcoat and allow to dry fully. 


     Step 3: Stamp your desired image onto the nail. I used Clear Jelly Stamper plate Cjs-05 and Sinful Colors Body Language from the Naughty Nudes collection to create my branches. 

     Step 4: Using a small dotting tool you can create the blossoms. I used the smallest of my dotting tools and Hit the Bottle Drunk Tank Pink to create mine. I randomly placed dots along the branches and in bunches on my nails. Another layer of glossy topcoat and you're all done. 


     I've also included a step by step video tutorial for those of you who like to see how manicures are done. 



     And there you have it. My 4 easy steps to create a Japanese Cherry Blossom manicure. Pretty simple right? I actually loved how this turned out and didn't want to take it off. But like all nail bloggers know, the switching must go on and I was only able to wear this for about 8 hrs. 

    Have you ever had a manicure just sort of come together as you were doing it? Does your base color ever inspire your nail art? Let me know in the comments. Thanks for Stopping by and Happy Polishing! 

   

     


Thursday, May 2, 2019

6:00 AM

Swatch and Review of Serum No. 5 Some Bunny Wants Your Blood for Polish Pickup May 2019


    I'm squeeking today's post in just in time for you to update those wishlists for Polish Pickup. And boy do I have a polish for you today. Some Bunny Wants Your Blood from Serum No 5 has so much going on it's sure to have something that everyone will love. 

     Inspired by Bunnicula, Some Bunny Wants Your Blood is a smoky black thermal with a jelly finish loaded with red, pink, copper and gold glitter. And if that wasn't enough it also has flakies that glow in the dark.  Yes, you read that right a glow in the dark thermal with a jelly base. 

     This might be my most picture heavy post featuring only one polish in the history of my blog! When cold SBWYB shows the black base packed with glitter, when warm it shifts to a light sandy brown, and it glows a bright green color.




     The formula is easy to work with. Like all jelly polishes, I had just a hint of color on the first coat. The glitters are abundant and lay nice and flat on the nail. 

     The second coat built the opacity up nicely and you could probably get away with only doing two coats. Since I didn't know what color the polish would be shifting to at the time of swatching I decided to add a third coat for good measure and ensure full coverage during the transition. The polish is shown as three thin coats plus glossy topcoat in all my photos. 




     Because this polish is so full of glitter it does dry with a bit of a rough texture. A generous layer of good topcoat or two layers of a thinner one will leave you with a smooth finish. 





     And now for the glowing goodness! I charged my nails and the bottle under the lights from my lightbox for about 5 minutes and the results were seriously bright. In fact, my nails were still glowing over an hour later when I finally crawled into bed. It kinda freaked the Mr. out when he saw them and I got a good laugh out of it. 




     Some Bunny Wants You Blood goes on sale in the Polish Pickup on Friday, May 3rd at 11 am Eastern time and runs through Monday, May 6th. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing! 

     

     

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