Mexican Sugar Skulls

Today's nail idea came from a girl at work and were inspired by the Latin American holiday the day of the dead.

Sugar art was introduced to Mexico during the 17th century. Since Mexico was lacking money to buy fancy church decorations many locals started making decorations out of sugar, which there was an abundance of. The skulls were usually decorated with colorful icing, sparkly tin and glittery adornments. These sugar skulls represented a departed soul and ware usually placed on the grave stone of that individual to welcome and honor their return on the day of the dead.

For this design I used the following:

-"Beauty Secrets" Base Coat
-"Orly" Nail Polish in Liquid Vinyl
- Acrylic Paints in ivory, yellow, blue, red, baby pink, teal, orange and black
-"Beauty Secrets" Top Coat

Tip: For the teeth on the sugar skulls I used a tooth pick, they are cheap and disposable and I find they work best for any tiny details.

I really hope you like this design! Post your comments and keep sending your requests to nailsbyvalentine@gmail.com.

Check out my facebook page!

-Valentine

A rose is a rose is a rose...

Vintage Rose Nails

Today's nails were inspired by outdated stationary that I found while cleaning out some old boxes in my closet. It's an easy design to do and looks great on all nail sizes.

For this design I used:

-"Beauty Secrets" Base Coat
-"Sally Hansen" Nail Polish in Lavender Cloud
-"China Glaze" Nail Polish in Mint Sprint
- Acrylic Paints in Baby Pink, Ivory, Red, Blue and Yellow
-"Beauty Secrets" Top Coat

Tip: To create the pink and white lines use a flat brush, dip one side of the brush in the baby pink paint then the other side in the ivory. Go over your nails with single strokes to create a blended effect. Acrylic paint dries very quickly so you may want to practice on a sheet of paper before trying this on your nails.

Let me know what you think of this design and keep sending your requests to nailsbyvalentine@gmail.com. Don't forget to send me a picture if you try these on your own nails!

Hope you enjoy!

-Valentine


**NEW**  Check out my Facebook page!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nails-by-Valentine/251443941602594

Tutti Frutti

Tutti Frutti Nails

For nails that are absolutely "Frutti-licious" try this nail idea!

I did these for the receptionist at work (you know who you are!) She mentioned that she wanted to see some fruit salad nail art.

For this design I used the following:

-"Beauty Secrets" Base Coat
-"Orly" Nail Polish in Shine on Crazy Diamond
-"Finger Paints" Nail Polish in Art Nouv-Yellow
-"ACO" Nail Polish in Neon Pink
-"Beauty Secrets" Top Coat
- Fimo Fruit Nail Slices

You can buy Fimo polymer clay nail accessories in a variety of designs. These were ordered on ebay.ca; they were pre-sliced but are even cheaper if you slice them yourself (they normally come in long canes which you can cut with a razor).

Boost your vitamin C intake and try these on your own nails! Send me a picture of your design. Please keep sending your requests to nailsbyvalentine@gmail.com

Hope you enjoyed these!

-Valentine


**COMING SOON**
Look for my mexican sugar skull design later this week!

A Little Birdie Told Me...

Tweet Tweet

Today's nail idea came from a girl at work who asked me to do trees and birds. This is what I came up with... Hope you like it :)

I tried to paint the tree as if it was stretching across the nails, with the song birds tweeting across the forrest.

For this design I used the following:

-"Beauty Secrets" Base Coat
-"Joe Fresh" Nail Polish in Caramel
- Acrylic paints in black, white, red and orange
-"Beauty Secrets" Top Coat

If you try this design please send me a picture :) Keep Sending your requests to nailsbyvalentine@gmail.com

Hope you enjoy this design!

-Valentine

Plan "Bee"

Honey Bee Nails

Ok, so there is a story behind the name of today's post. Originally I had planed to post some really cute panda nails but had a little mishap, therefore my "plan bee" nails (pun intended) are these super cute honey bee nails.

For this design I used the following:

-"Beauty Secrets" Base Coat
-"Joe Fresh" Nail Polish in Wave
- Acrylic Paints in black, white, yellow and gold
-"Beauty Secrets" Top Coat

I picked up a few "joe fresh" polishes from my local grocery story and have to say they are a pretty good buy for your money. Although I don't find them to be as high of quality as China Glaze, Finger Paints, or Orly (my preferred brands), joe fresh polish is definitely worth what you pay (3 for $10) and comes in a wide array of colors. Try them out and tell me what you think!

If you try this on your own nails send me a picture! Keep sending your requests to nailsbyvalentine@gmail.com

Hope you enjoyed this design!

-Valentine

Pretty in Pink

Pretty In Pink Nails

Today's nails were inspired but a pink and black Chanel wallet I saw online. They use pink and black to create a simple design and thats what I tried to do with my nails.

For this design I used the following:

-"Beauty Secrets" Base Coat
-"Orly" Nail Polish in Liquid Vinyl
- Acrylic Paint in Baby Pink
-" Beauty Secrets" Top Coat

If you can draw an oval you can do this design! If you want to add a little glam to this you can always add nail gems (black and gold would look great) or even use a black or white striper brush to create the look of faux stitching! The possibilities are endless.

If you try these on your own nails send me a picture; keep sending your requests to nailsbyvalentine@gmail.com.

Hope you enjoy!

-Valentine

My Inspiration

Neon Safari

Neon Safari Nails

Todays nails were inspired by the new China Glaze nail polish lines that are due out this summer; Summer Neons and On Safari. I decided to combine both ideas and came up with some sassy neon leopard print.

For this design I used the following:

-"Beauty Secrets" Base Coat
-"Wet & Wild" Nail Polish in White Cream
-"China Glaze" Nail Polish in Celtic Sun (neon)
- Acrylic Paints in Ivory White, Aqua and Black
-"Beauty Secrets" Top Coat

Tip: When using a neon nail polish its a good idea to put a solid white polish coat on first; once this dries put 1-2 coats of neon polish over it. This will make the neon color really stand out and cause less chipping and longer wear.

Send me a picture if you try these on your own nails, keep sending your requests to nailsbyvalentine@gmail.com.

-Valentine

Be My Valentine

Valentine Nails

Since it's valentines day I decided to post some theme nails! I remember when I was in school and I loved making and addressing valentines to my classmates. Now that I'm older I don't make or give as many valentines but I sure do enjoy painting bunches of them on my nails!

For this design I used the following:

-"Beauty Secrets" Base Coat
-"Orly" polish in Shine on Crazy Diamond
-"Sally Hansen Complete Manicure" in Lavender Cloud
- Acrylic paints in black, cream, baby pink and red
- "Beauty Secrets" Top Coat

Tip: I used small brushes for the hearts and thin lines, if your not comfortable using a paint brush you can also use toothpicks  to create a similar look for the tiny hearts and red lines on the envelopes (use a stippling motion).

Hope you enjoy this design, comment and keep sending your requests to nailsbyvalentine@gmail.com.

Happy Valentines Day!

-Valentine

Tea Time

Willow Blue - English Pottery Inspired Nails

Today's nails are inspired by vintage english pottery. I remember seeing tea sets like this when I was younger and thinking they were beautiful.

For this design I used the following:

-"Beauty Secrets" Base Coat
-"Sally Hansen-Complete Salon Manicure" Polish in Lavender Cloud
- Acrylic paint- Blue
-"Beauty Secrets" Top Coat

When this pottery was big many potters used a transfer technique that left some imperfections/ inconsistencies in the blue coloring; to achieve this type of look I really watered down the blue acrylic paint and went over different sections to create darker and lighter sections. Hope you like this design, let me know what you think.

If you try this on your own nails please send me a picture! Please keep sending your requests to nailsbyvalentine@gmail.com.

Come back tomorrow for my Valentine's Day nails!

-Valentine

My Inspiration

Blood On Your Hands

"Blood on your hands" Nails

I did these nails for the DVD/Blu-Ray release of Breaking Dawn Part 1! It's a little hard to see in this picture but under the red blood I used a grey polish and glitter to incorporate the skin-tone of the Cullen family.

For the following design I used:

-"Beauty Secrets" Base Coat
-"Joe Fresh" Nail Polish in Cement
-"Orly" Nail Polish in Shine on Crazy Diamond
-"Finger Paints" Nail Polish in Curators Crimson
-"China Glaze" Nail Polish in Ruby Pumps
-"Beauty Secrets" Top Coat

Tip: To create the look of blood running down my nails I used the back of a makeup brush. If you don't get the rounded ends you can always go back over the red parts and make a pok-a-dot at the tip. After I did the running blood in curators crimson I chose to highlight it with ruby pumps glitter polish but you can use other glitter polishes to achieve a similar look (I just chose this one because it has red glitter in it).

Hope you enjoy this look and try it on your own nails. It could also be a fun Halloween design if your not a Twilight fan.

Please keep sending your requests to nailsbyvalentine@gmail.com

-Valentine

Happy Birthday!

Balloon Nails

Today is a very special day for a little man named Kyle! These were done for my cousin's son who's birthday is TODAY!

For this design I used the following:


-"Beauty Secrets" Base Coat
-"Orly" Nail Polish in Liquid Vinyl
-"Orly" Nail Polish in Shine on Crazy Diamond
- Acrylic paints in black, red, yellow, blue, purple, green and white.
-"Beauty Secrets" Top Coat

Hope you like this nail art! Keep sending your requests and/or questions to nailsbyvalentine@gmail.com.

Happy Birthday!!!!

-Valentine

The Persistence of Memory

Salvador Dali Inspired Nails

I painted these a few weeks ago and entered them into a nail art competition, I didn't win but I had a lot of fun painting them anyways. I'm posting them today for those who didn't get to see them when I entered this design in the competition.

This design was inspired by Salvador Dali's painting which I think is amazing. I tried my best to incorporate the melting clocks.

For this design I used the following:

-"Finger Paints" Base Coat
-"Wet-n-Wild" Polish in Black Cream
-Acrylic paints in Black, White, Blue, Yellow, Purple and Red
-"Finger Paints" Top Coat

Tip #1: For this design I started with a solid black nail as my background. Use this as your outline. It's much easer to create a smooth outline first instead of having to get perfect outline after you've done all the detail work.

Tip #2: When using acrylic paints mix your pigments with white to make them opaque, once the "pastel" colors dry go over them with the more vibrant colors. This will reduce the number of times you have to go over the same line on your nail and reduce textured/clumpy nail art.

Hope you guys like this design, don't forget to send me a picture if you try it on your own nails!

Please send requests to nailsbyvalentine@gmail.com

-Valentine

Touchdown!!!

Super Bowl XLVI

Today I did some special nails just for Super Bowl XLVI. For this design I used the following:

- "Beauty Secrets" Base Coat
- "Orly" Nail Polish - Shine on Crazy Diamond
- "China Glaze" Nail Polish- Frostbite
- Acrylic Paints in Blue, Red and White
- "Beauty Secrets" Top Coat

Tip: when trying to make thin lines for detailed work make sure you water down your paint (when using acrylic). The thinner the paint the easier it will be to make thin lines.

Try this on your own nails or pick your favorite team and send me a picture of those! :)

Please continue to send your request to nailsbyvalentine@gmail.com. Don't forget to comment.

Good luck to the Giants and the Patriots today, may the best team win!

-Valentine

True Love

True Love Nails

With Valentines Day just around the corner I decided to do some love inspired nails! These were fun to do and look great with any length nail.

For this design I used the following:

- "Beauty Secrets" Base Coat
- "Orly" Nail Polish in Shine On Crazy Diamond
- "Orly" Nail Polish in Liquid Vinyl
- "Orly" Nail Polish in Charged Up
- Acrylic Paints in Black, Purple, Red and White
- "Finger Paints" Nail Polish in Paper Mache
- "Beauty Secrets" Top Coat

Tip: For fine lines use a small artists brush and make sure the acrylic paint is watered down (will dry quicker this way). I used a natural hair paint brush that I bought at Walmart for $2 and trimmed the brush myself.

If you try this on your own nails send me a picture. Comment below and tell me what you think!

Keep sending your requests to nailsbyvalentine@gmail.com

Hope you enjoy :)

-Valentine

Matte vs. Glossy

Matte/Glossy Black Nail

These nails are quick and easy and look great on long AND short nails! I also love the contrast of the matte and glossy finishes.

For this design I used the following:

- "Beauty Secrets" Base Coat
- "Orly" polish in Liquid Vinyl
- "Joe Fresh" Matte Top Coat
- "Beauty Secrets" Top Coat

This was the first time I used Orly-Liquid Vinyl. To achieve the solid black look I used 3 coats (this polish is fairly thin and dries really quickly). I find that when I do a matte finish on a dark color it tends to bring out any stroke imperfections so better to be safe than sorry and add an extra coat.

Tip: when doing a french tip it's easier to rock your finger back and forth rather than moving the hand that your holding the brush in. By moving your finger this will ensure full and even coverage! Try it out.

If you try these on your own nails please send me a picture! If you like this blog please share it with your friends :)

Don't forget to comment and let me know what you think!

As always please send your requests to nailsbyvalentine@gmail.com

-Valentine