Magic in the Monarch

Do you believe in Magic?

I do and I love that I can’t understand it and am happy to accept it as magic. This of course is completely opposite to The Boyfriend who knows that there is definitely a logical explanation for every trick and that magic is just clever sleight of hand. Whatever. It’s magic. Embrace it.

We were watching Dynamo last night and that was what got us chatting about it. I am awe struck with his tricks. Seriously. They are fun and beautiful and take me back to the days of believing knowing anything is possible and everything can be real (including the fairies). In his one trick, Dynamo manages to turn a paper butterfly into a real Monarch butterfly and then a swarm of them fly about the room. Awesome. (link below)

Watching this inspired my latest mani… Ombre nails with an accent nail of a monarch butterfly wing…

These nails were easy enough but did take  a very steady hand and will need a bit more practice from my side.

First I did an ombre of orange and red using the sponging method  (see here how I did my ombrenails last time)

I chose to do just one accent nail wing, mainly because it is pretty tricky and I couldn’t bear trying to do my entire right hand and also because it feels like it may take away from the beauty of one winged nail.

To do the wing, draw a black curve on both ends of your nail, then painting from the top curve to the tip of your nail. Then join the two lines with three thin black strips, round them off slightly and finally add a few white dots to the black tips.

 

 

 

 p.s. If you know how Dynamo does his tricks don't dare tell me! I love believing in magic...

Floral Fetish Nailed

Am I taking my floral fetish too far? Dresses, skirts, in my hair and now on my nails too! But personally, if I may say so myself, I am in love with this mani! It reminds me of Cath Kidston designs and having Cath Kidston nails makes me happy.

These nails weren’t too hard to do, but they do take patience and time, but it is so worth it!

What you need:

• A base colour (I chose a soft blue - Mavala Lagoon) but you could even use a creamy beige.
• Your flower base  (I used a bright pink – Essie Lovie Dovie )
• Your flower detailing ( I used a darker pink  - Mavala La Paz)
• Green for the leaves ( I used a woollies olive-y type green)
• Top coat and base coat (as always)

After applying your base coat, apply your base colour. I apply two coats so that it is fully opaque.

Once the base colour is dry, create the base of the flowers. These are not meant to be perfect circles so no need for other tools, the little brush in the nail polish is perfect. Just dab onto your nails creating messy little spots.

Once these are dry, using a toothpick dipped into your darker colour draw little squiggles on your roses. These create the petals and define the rose. I sort of outlined areas of the rose and brought them in making a 'c' shape of sorts. Play around and see what looks best on your nail and your lighter pink spot.

Lastly, you need to add the leaves. Do not leave (hehe) these off. They really bring the final look together. Two little green triangular-ish shapes complete your little rose.

As you go from step to step the flowers won’t really look good. You may think it is looking messy but once every step is complete they really come together to look gorgeous. Up until I had completed the last leaf The Boyfriend was not entirely convinced either, but as a final picture you’ll see the effort is so worth it.

Helpful Hint: I read that sometimes it is easier to try do the splodges on your left hand using an earbud as it is easier to control. I however managed with the nail polish brush so didn’t use them, but if you’re struggling keep one close for just in case…

Oh. My. Ombre

I love ombre. Ombre hair. Ombre clothes. Ombre utensils. I love ombre. And then I saw this awesome blog on how to get the ombre affect on your nails and had to give it a try.

I had imagined it would be tricky, but it was super easy and has a really lovely effect. I used a light and dark pink (Essie: Lovie Dovie & Mavala: La Paz) Next time however I’m going to try more contrasting colours and take this up a notch. I’m thinking blue and white or pink and grey…

Here are all the instructions. 

(Note: I sent my pic of my nails to my bestie and told her she had to give this a try. She tried blue to purple, which looked very cool but did resemble a heavy bruise from certain angles.)