ChitChatNails

Happy Sunday Everyone! Today’s guest post is intentionally queued up on a Sunday (I will tell you why, after I do the formal introductions ).

Mary from SwatchAndLearn is my kindred spirit!  I have yet to find a flaw in Mary, and I doubt she has any… honestly.  Mary is a ball of positive spirit and sunshine.  One tweet from her and you feel like you have been injected with I-can-conquer-anything juice.  Mary’s blog holds a dear place in my heart (and I save it for my nightly reads each evening- kids allowing). Why you ask? Well, Mary is a very gifted writer and reading her blog is both entertaining, intelectual refreshing but also visually appealing Mary has nails that make even the brightest blues and greens look sophisticated!

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When Marta asked me if I would like to do a guest post on her blog, I was bouncing off the padded walls on the inside!

Since I first started visiting ChitChatNails, Marta’s nail designs and impeccable photography skills have never failed to amaze and inspire me. In particular, her Little Critters and Grinch manicures took my breath away…but it came back in time for me to gush in the comments.

Although she’s highly talented, it was her warm, generous, and playful personality that made me want to get to know her better. I’m grateful that I can now call Marta my friend! (Before, I called her “Genius” and “Your Royal Highness”.)

At Christmas, she sent me beautiful photographs of her children. They inspired me to create this floral nail-art design. (I could picture it on her little girls’ fingers.)

I hope that you’ll try this look on yourselves to bring out your inner kid. (Sometimes as adults, we forget to enjoy simple things. Looking down at your nails can be a comforting reminder that life doesn’t always have to be complicated.)

 Floral Nail-Art Tutorial:

What I Used:

1. Nubar Foundation Base Coat
2. Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat
3. OPI Lucky Lucky Lavender
4. OPI Do You Lilac It?
5. Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Pool Boy
6. L.A. Colors Art Deco Nail Lacquer (Green)
7. Nicole by OPI It’s All About the Glam (This was sent to me by PR.)
8. Nicole by OPI Daffy Dill (This was sent to me by PR.)
9. Orly Spark
10. Piece of foil
11. Daniel Stone Art Tool #2
12. Daniel Stone Art Tool #5

Step 1: Apply a Base Coat

Step 2: Paint the Background Colour

Paint your nails with a light nail polish so that the flowers will show up better. (I used Nicole by OPI It’s All About the Glam, which is a shimmery white.)

Wait about 10 minutes before proceeding to the next step so that your nails can dry a little.

Idea: You could also do a futuristic take on this look. How about painting the background black and then doing metallic flowers?

 Step 3: Add the Yellow Centre of the Flower

Put some yellow polish onto the piece of foil. (You’ll use the foil as a palette.) Dip your dotting tool in it and add one yellow dot per nail.

Tip: If you don’t have a dotting tool, try using the end of an old makeup brush or the end of a pen cap.

 

Step 4: Add the Petals

The petals consist of dots. I chose to not have them touch the yellow centre, but feel free to make yours touch if you think it looks better.

(Keep in mind that if you want the petals to touch the yellow centre, make sure that you allow the yellow centre to dry a bit first before adding your petals. This will prevent colour bleeding.)

To add the petals, just put a few drops of a polish onto the foil and dot away! Repeat this for each colour you use.

Idea: Consider adding more than one colour per flower to give it a fuller or more interesting look.

Step 5: Paint the Stem

Using your nail-art brush or a green striper, add a vertical line below the head of the flower.

Step 6: Add the Leaves

Using the same green striper or nail-art brush, draw little triangles on either side of the stem.

Wait 15-20 minutes before proceeding to the next step. Consider waiting even longer if your dots were particularly thick. This will help avoid any smearing when you apply your top coat.

Step 7: Apply a Top Coat

Using ample top coat, apply it to your design with light strokes and as few strokes as possible. This will also avoid smearing.

Sunlight photos:

Hope you enjoyed this easy manicure.

Thanks, again, Marta, for giving me this wonderful opportunity and for being such a kindred spirit!

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Isn’t it just impossible to read Mary’s words and not feel the urge to give her a big hug!?  Mary, how sweet of you to use the photo of my children, and their playful spirits, to inspire your tutorial today! You truly are an incredible one-of-a-kind Woman! Thank you!

So why post this post today, on a Sunday? Well, Mary hosts a weekly post called Smorgasbord Sundays where she features random topics and discussions.  I truly encourage you to now head on over to Mary’s blog! Even if you don’t enjoy nail polish her weekly posts are sure to inspire and enlighten! I will forewarn you though, once you read one of her posts, you will be hooked! Perchance you too will bookmark her blog as your nightly read

Did you enjoy Mary’s tutorial?

What do you look for in blogs you follow (nail art? Personality? Humour?).

THANK YOU FOR READING!

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Tags: GuestPost