TopCoatIt

Twinsie Tuesday: Revisited

topcoatit — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:00:01 +0000

Today we’re choosing the challenge for ourselves. We’re revisiting a past challenge we enjoyed. I spent some time going through my posts deciding what I was in the mood for. I was feeling a happy rainbow again.

I went with all acrylics and no top coat today. What?! I know, I’m all about a good top coat, but I like the matte, textured look of unsealed acrylics. It makes me feel like I’m an artist painting a canvas. I tried a couple different patterns before deciding what I liked. That’s why my pinkie is different.

Be sure the check out all the other manis today:

Amanda of Amandalandish
Anna of Going to the Showing
Anne of Grape Fizz Nails
Ashley of Art Evolve
Chelsea of Nailed Blog
ChiChi of I’m Just Me…ChiChi
Cordia of Seriously Swatched
Elizabeth of Did My Nails
Katherine of Haul of Fame
Kelly of Tuxarina
Lakeisha of Refined and Polished
Maribeth of Obsessive Cosmetic Hoarders Unite!
Marisa of Polish Obsession
Meredith of Polish and Charms
Nory of Fierce Make Up and Nails
Sarah of See Sarah Swatch
Traci of DrinkCitra

Peach Bows

topcoatit — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:00:09 +0000

I would bet that no one could guess what I patterned this manicure after. I’m going to give you a minute to think about that.
I started with NYX Girls White and used China Glaze Peachy Keen and Sinful Colors Hazard for my borders and bows.

Anyone want to venture a guess as to what my inspiration was? The winning guess will get a gold star!

White Picket Fence

topcoatit — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:00:22 +0000

Isn’t a house with a white picket fence supposedly the American dream? I’m pretty happy with my cedar fence thanks.

Other than the base coat and top coat, this mani was done with only acrylics. I decided I didn’t have a polish that was the right color for the sky, but I did have an acrylic that was perfect. I put down my base coat so the blue acrylic had something to stick to, then added my pickets in white acrylic. I actually liked the look of this mani before I added the top coat. It was matte and lumpy like acrylics on a canvas. It looked very artsy.

Black Scratch Hearts

topcoatit — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:00:08 +0000

I don’t love this black scratch mani as much as I liked the last one. I used different polishes underneath and they didn’t show through quite as much. Disappointment.I chose this design because I just bought my daughter a pair of flip flops that are black with neon hearts. I hate to show you my laziness, but I can’t be bothered to pull myself away from The Voice and go upstairs and look. :/ I can tell you that the black is China Glaze Liquid Leather, the blue is Zoya Robyn, the pink is NYX Girls Pink Strawberry and the yellow is NYX Girls Bubblegum. I hope that’s good enough.

Shining Stars

topcoatit — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:40 +0000

These totally look like pictures from a coloring book to me. Although maybe I should’ve colored outside of the lines a bit more.
I purposely colored these stars in a little sloppily and streaky. I really did want it to resemble crayon. I’m really pleased with it. It’s a happy little mani.

I used Sally Hansen White On and acrylics to create this design.

Twinsie Tuesday: Oldest Untried

topcoatit — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:00:12 +0000

Today we’re showing our oldest untried polish. I don’t actually have that many untried polishes. When I first started blogging, I did a 30 days of untrieds challenge and I haven’t collected many since then.

I chose two polishes that I hadn’t previously used; Wet ‘n Wild Cougar Attack and NOPI Khloe Had a Little Lam-Lam. It’s been a long time since I’ve done a burst type design, so I busted out the tape and went at it. The polka dots broke the look up a little. It’s an unconventional color match up, but I really like it.

Be sure the check out all the other manis today:

Cartoon Gradient Nails

topcoatit — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:00:42 +0000

I seriously can’t get enough of these cartoon nails lately. Yes, I did them again.I love the gradient addition to the design though. I’m quite happy with the gradient by itself. I took extra care to make sure I blended it well. Then outlined it and added the highlight with acrylic paints.

The polishes I used for this design were Sally Hansen Mellow Yellow, Revlon Peachy and NYX Girl Pink Strawberry and topped it off with Chill Zone top coat. If you haven’t tried Cutepolish’s animated cartoon nails tutorial yet, you should. It’s my newest favorite.

Down Comforter

topcoatit — Fri, 10 May 2013 12:00:54 +0000

We don’t usually have our down comforter on our bed because it’s too hot. Because I’m taking pictures of our house to list it for sale, I’m staging the rooms. I pulled out our fluffy comforter because I knew it would photograph well.
This was a fun design to make. I painted my nails with Sally Hansen White On, then added my top coat. Once the top coat was dried enough that I could touch it without messing it up, I pressed the lines in to it. I had a hard time finding a tool that was easy to work with and made the lines I wanted. I ended up using an earring to get the pillowy effect I was going for.

I find myself touching them a lot because they have such a unique texture to them. What do you think of textured nails?

Flowers or Feathers?

topcoatit — Thu, 09 May 2013 12:00:01 +0000

I say this is a floral. I see oriental poppies in there. Hubby says it’s feathers. Peacock. I think I would go more turkey if I were going to go with a bird.
Whatever you see when you look at it, I love it! It was really easy to do and makes a bold statement. I used Sally Hansen White On and acrylics for this design. I topped it off with Chill Zone top coat.

So what say ye? Flowers? Feathers? Or something else?

Crackle Gradient

topcoatit — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:00:53 +0000

I don’t think crackles are dead. There’s a time and place for them. They’re fun to get a little creative with too, like how I incorporated it into my fishtail braid yesterday.
Today, I’ve used two different blue crackles to create a gradient effect. I used OPI DS Temptation underneath and OPI Blue and Turquoise Shatters on top. Because you really only have one chance with crackles, I simply brushed them on. Blue at the cuticle and turquoise at the tip.

Are you over crackles or do you still use them in your designs?