31DC2014 Day 21: A Color That Can't Be Tamed

I didn't go super, over-the-top creative with today's prompt. To figure out what to do I searched through my nail polish collection, paying attention to the names, and came up with a handful of ideas. Then I picked the easiest one. The color that I was inspired by is Sephora by OPI A Color That Can't Be Tamed. Hence the "wild" leopard print. And who doesn't love a good leopard print?

Blue Zebra and Leopard Animal Print

I had a day at the zoo and wanted to my manicure to blend in, so I have a zebra and leopard design for you. Lately I have been in a very "blue" mood. You know, blue as in the color, not in a sad way. Yesterday I bought a blue shirt, skirt, and even blue eye shadow. Blue is my favorite color, but I think because I've been trying to embrace other colors, I went into withdrawal or something.

To create the manicure I first applied two coats of OPI I Don't Give a Rotterdam, one of my very favoritist polishes. Then I painted on the zebra stripes with my long striping brush. Next I added some small bright blue blobs. Then used my dotting tool to finish the leopard pattern. Lastly I finished with some top coat. Darn top coat made my stripes smear. Curses.

What I used:
OPI I Don't Give a Rotterdam- base color
Zoya Sailor- navy
Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Blue-Away- bright blue
Seche Vite top coat

I just received my Seche Restore in the mail today (I don't know where to get it locally, they didn't have any at Sally Beauty)! My Seche Vite bottle always gets thick after just a few weeks of use. The Seche Restore is supposed to add the ingredients that have evaporated from the bottle back in and return it to its original state. I bought mine from Amazon. I'm going to try it out tonight. I'll let you know how it goes!

Christmas Leopard Print

Well December is finally here. I'm not a crazy-about-Christmas kind of person, but I couldn't resist starting off the month with a wild Christmas leopard print mani. I have a lot more Christmas themed ideas that I really hope turn out! Christmas or not, I am really feeling the winter vibe now. Although I'm not happy about the freezing temperatures, I really enjoy focusing on different colors with the changing seasons.

The base color is two coats of OPI Bagota Blackberry. I have been wanting to buy this polish for years. I seriously don't know what took me so long, but I finally bought it last month! I don't regret it, I think it's gorgeous. For the gold dots, I used OPI Liquid Sand Honey Ryder, and painted the color on straight out of the bottle. Since I used a top coat you don't get to see the texture of the polish in all of its glory, but the color is still so pretty. With a small dotting tool I applied A England Saint George around the gold dots.

I think this looks like velvet. Like a fluffy velvety bathrobe that a flamboyant grandpa would wear.

What I used:
OPI Bagota Blackberry
A England Saint George
OPI Liquid Sand Honey Ryder

What do you think? Too wild, or just enough?

31DC2013 Day 13: Animal Print

I really considered doing something unique and unexpected for today's challenge. That didn't happen for a couple of reasons. First, it would have been harder to come up with something different and to execute it awesomely. Second, I've been waiting for a chance to do this mani for a while now. After I did my first leopard print, I noticed a pair of my daughter's pajamas and knew I had to try it in this color scheme.

I even bought China Glaze Pelican Gray specifically for this leopard print. I love that it is the dove gray creme that I was searching for, and has an added bonus of a slight micro shimmer in it.

With the fleece pajamas. Too bad I don't have one in my size.

What I used:
China Glaze Pelican Gray- light gray
Sephora by OPI Break a Legwarmer- dark gray
Jenna Hipp Damage Control- pastel pink
Seche Vite top coat

Nude and Neon Leopard

I am in love with this manicure! I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to do, even on my right hand. I've never been really big into animal print. I don't think I could pull off wearing leggings with this print (but I know some of you could!). There is something though, in being able to wear it on such a small area as my nails, that has made me a big fan. As soon as I did my zebra mani I knew I had to try leopard next. I especially love that there are endless possibilities for colors.
I had bought an Urban Decay mini set of six colors from Nordstrom Rack a few days before. I wanted to see them on, and thought this design was a perfect way to test them all out!

What I used:
Essie Mamba- nude base
Urban Decay Fishnet- purple
UD Showboat- orange
UD Radium- blue
UD Covet- green
UD Woodstock- pink
UD Perversion- black

What is your favorite kind of animal print? Do you feel like you can actually wear it? Which print should I try next?