Mystic Mermaid

I never get tired of mermaid nails, so when I saw mermaids as a theme on @clairestelle8challenge for #clairestelle8august, that was reason enough for me to do one.

Leopard Love

Leopard print may look tricky, but it is one of the easiest animal prints to paint.  The design doesn't have to be perfect, and the more imperfect and messy, the better.  And it looks great in any color!  I chose an apricot and gold look for a fab feminine look.

Colors of the Wind

"Do you paint with all the colors of the wind?"  I do :)  The sixth nail design in my Disney series is Pocahontas.  I decided to paint Meeko, Pocahontas' raccoon, for a cute woodsy look.

Mockingjay

Fire burns brighter in the darkness.  Today is the big day...The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 comes out!  I can't wait to see it!!!  In celebration, I painted some Mockingjay nails with the mockingjay surrounded by fire.

Neutral Nocturnal

Owls are one of the coolest birds of prey in my opinion.  They have amazing hearing and night vision, and can turn their heads almost completely around.  I did a neutral look with this mani for fall, and to match the owl colorings.

Autumn Argyle

You're going to be seeing a lot more manis with fall colors.  This Autumn Argyle look is for China Glaze's fall inspired looks for #CGClique.  At first I was going to do something with stamped leaves, but opted for a fall color scheme instead, with some argyle prints mixed in.  Argyle makes me think of socks, sweaters, and scarves that are all fall weather attire.

Mystic Marble Mash

I decided to try the plastic bag marbling technique.  I think I used too many colors/polishes for it to work properly, but I still like it.  I based my color choices off of the solar quartz with its iridescent whites and blues.

Chanel Chic

I know I just used "Chic" two posts ago, but really...how else can you describe Chanel.  Plus it sounds nice together.  When I think of Chanel, I always think of their classic black and white purses, so I wanted to emulate that look here.  I mixed black and white with some gold detailing and a tweed pattern that is sophisticated and classy like the brand.

Black Beach Chic

Earlier this year, my family rented a house in Dillon Beach, CA for a weekend vacation.  I wanted to do a beach themed nail, but not overly tropical since that's not how northern California beaches are.  I chose a black and gold look - gold to represent the sand, and black to add a cool, chic quality to it.

Military Mani

I always love a good military look.  Military nails, jackets, accessories, I love it all.  For this mani, I chose an army green polish, and added some gold start stamping and studs.

She Sells Sea Shells

Pink sea shell nails!  Bright and beachy and perfect for summer.  I wanted the focus to be on the feature nail, so I kept the rest of the nails simple since I used such a bright color.  With sea shells, pearls, and jewels, the feature nail is the perfect treasure chest. #nailart

Triumphantly Teal Nails

You are probably wondering why these nails are "triumphantly" teal.  Well, that's because these nails won a contest with InStyle Magazine!  For InStyle's April 2014 issue, they had a #sayitwithcolor contest where readers could submit pictures on Instagram showing how color inspires their wardrobe, look, and life.  Each week had a different color theme, and the senior marketing editor chose five winners for each color.  I entered this mani and won for the green week! #nailart

Scales and Feathers

 
Day 29 of the Bundle Monster Challenge is "Green/Blue."  I instantly thought of a peacock feather for the colors.  For an "animal-print" theme, I chose different nail plates featuring feathers, scales, or anything that looked like that.  I'm not a bird person in the sense that I'd want a bird as a pet, but I did build bird houses when I was little and I like feedings birds.  And I really like bird or feather prints or jewelry, so this was a fun mani to create.

Pop Some Bubbly - Champagne Nail Art

Day 13 of the Bundle Monster 30-Day Nail Art Challenge is "Celebratory Drink." Nothing says "celebration" quite like champagne since that's usually the only time you drink it, except of course mimosas at brunch.  Although that could be "celebratory" in my case because I am NOT a morning person, so to wake me up early on a weekend for brunch is a miracle and cause for celebration.  Plus I love breakfast food, so that is always a celebration for me. 

But back to nails...  Since I'm using champagne as my celebratory drink theme, I decided to paint my nails in the champagne color scheme.  Champagne bottles are usually green with gold labels, so those are the colors I used.