ehmkay nails

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Valentine's Day Nail Art: Purple Roses

This was my first rose nail art and I'm pretty proud. I didn't use a tutorial, which I probably should have, but rather looked at a picture of a mani I saw in a normal rose motif (red) and then just winged it in my own color scheme.

Lovely polish bestie Jen found me OPI Funky Dunky and Rumples Wiggin and I KNEW I had to use them in a gradient. For three on my nails I did a gradient of Funky Dunky over two coats of the perfection that is Rumples Wiggin (I almost couldn't paint over it). I then used one coat of Red Dog Designs Minnie's Bouquet. You NEED this glitter. I purposely left off the Mickey glitter (but trust me, at least one came out with every swipe) but loved the flowers, hearts, stars, butterflies, and more. It is the perfect purple and holographic glitter topper.

To make the roses, I used Essie Play Date, and the two OPIs with OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls. I basically did a loose circle with Play Date, then just added lines. Using Pure Ice Free Spirit, Essie Turquoise and Caicos, Mint Candy Apple, and white, I drew the leaves. No rhyme or reason.

Purple Roses Nail Art

OPI Rumples Wiggin, 2 coats

Don't forget to enter my giveaway, which is still going for a few more days!

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Thursday, February 6, 2014

Valentine's Day Nail Art: Emily De Molly Bellissima

Remember, my giveaway which has three winners, is still going on. Enter HERE!

While this may not be EXACTLY nail art, it's super sweet, delicate, and incredibly feminine. If you don't like to do nail art but want something more than one color, let me suggest a gradient with glitter. Even if you aren't great at gradients, when you put glitter over it (something not too dense), it smooths out the lines and kind of mushes the polishes together.

On my Instagram, people ask me how I gradient. Honestly, I put a drop of polish on tin foil and dab a makeup sponge on to it, then on to my nail. I don't do anything special like painting the sponge the colors, or make a mess on my cuticles. Just dab it on.

I started with two coats of my favorite white, Orly Au Champagne, which dries to a gorgeous satin finish. Then I dabbed on China Glaze Sexagon. Sexagon is pretty sheer when using it to gradient, so I did two coats of this gradient. Then I added one coat of Emily De Molly Bellissima. Bellissima is a silver, holographic, lilac, and pink glitter topper in a clear base. I love the large circles--it makes the glitter stand out and not be too delicate. What more can I say but LOVE LOVE LOVE. I love Hardware, which is like Bellissima's gold sibling. If Emily de Molly keeps coming out with these types of glitter toppers, I will keep buying!

Emily De Molly Bellissima

I am just so in love with this glitter. Everything about it.

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Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Valentine's Day Nail Art: Cutesy Heart Gradient

Don't forget about my giveaway going on. You have 5 more days to enter so head over HERE to enter.

I have a pile of about 45 nail polishes I want to use before Valentine's Day so I'm trying to think of nail art that uses tons of polishes in one mani. If I could get through 25, I'll be satisfied, haha. Here's a fun manicure that I wore for 6 days because I got sick, but it held up. Lots of nail polish muggles loved this and asked me if it was nail polish appliques, but nope, all freehand. And super easy. You should try it!

I started with three very thin coats of Dior Tutu. For a pale pink, this was the most even formula I have ever used. If I were more careful, I probably could have used two.

Using Zoya Bobbi, Illamasqua Ouija, and Zoya Rory, I painted hearts from dark to light. All these polishes have a great foil shimmer, so it created a consistent look. I just painted two dots and then dragged them down to connect them. Easiest way to paint a heart.

Cutesy Heart Gradient

Dior Tutu

It wasn't perfect, but that's how it goes with hand painted nail art. Do you like it?

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Monday, February 3, 2014

Super Bowl XLVIII Nails

Have you entered my giveaway yet? It ends in a week so enter NOW!! I posted this quickly on my Facebook page last night, but here are the details with names. Because I had no team affiliation (but I'm kind of glad I didn't since this was the most boring game ever), I did one hand in each of the team colors. I only have about 15 minutes to squeeze in a manicure, so dotticure it was. Dotticures are so easy and take no time, so it was a no brainer.

My left hand (and the ultimate winner) is two coats of Smitten Polish Electric Lime with dots of various sizes using Cirque Colors Night Sky. My right hand is two coats of LA Colors Electric Coral with dots using LA Colors Brilliant Blue. Is it crazy that I love the holo of the LA Colors more than the linear of Smitten and Cirque? Either way, representative, fun, and simple.

Super Bowl XLVIII Nails

Super Bowl XLVIII Nails, with flash

Super Bowl XLVIII Nails

Super Bowl XLVIII Nails, with flash

Smitten Polish Electric Lime, 2 coats with flash

You can see my nail line here, but it wasn't visible in person.

LA Colors Electric Coral, 2 coats, flash

Ok, now it's time for super girly, lovey dovey Valentine's Day nail art!

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Sunday, February 2, 2014

Femme Fatale Nightsong Grotto and Kiko Fascinating Burgundy

I opened up my giveaway yesterday, so if you haven't entered yet, check out the giveaway HERE.

Femme Fatale Nightsong Grotto was on my wishlist and when I saw it for a good price, I snatched it up. I think I would have loved this if it were a glitter top coat. Lots of people said they loved this though. If you love glitter in jelly bases, then I think you need this! I love the large holographic circles with the mix of all the other smaller shapes.

I did two coats of Femme Fatale Nightsong Grotto over one coat of Illamasqua Muse. As an accent, I chose to use Kiko Fascinating Burgundy, 438. There's tiny burgundy microglitter in Nightsong Grotto so I thought this would be a lovely accent.