GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE SEPTEMBER (2024) — Autumn Harvest

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday! Today is a balmy not-so-Autumm day here on the East Coast, not Fall-like at all. But that’s okay because we’re continuing on with our Fall inspired manicures for Glam Nails Challenge September with the next prompt which is Autumn Harvest. & I won’t lie, this one had me a bit stumped at first! So I decided to pull out some acrylic paint & get creative.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie First Base 
  • Base Coat: LA Colors Mega Grow Treatment 
  • Essie Expressie Cold Brew Crew
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Moonlight Top Coat
  • Acrylic Paint
  • Nailstuff.ca Mermaid Tail 7mm & 11mm liner brushes

So I don’t know if you can tell, but I handprinted some pumpkins & squash, & then filled into the space with some Fall foilage. I feel like maybe using such a dark base colour might have been a detriment to my design, but it looks very pretty up close. & the colours just scream Autumn, which I love!

& you can never go wrong with flakies.

What do you think about these Autumn Harvest nails? Are you getting the prompt from this design? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below, & how you think I did.

Are you following along with the other nail art designs for this month’s Glam Nails Challenge September? Don’t forget, you can check out #glamnailschallengesept24 on Instagram, & see all the other beautiful designs being shared!

Rainbow Paint Splatter (Using Acrylic Paint 🎨)

Good morning lovelies & happy Thursday! How is everyone’s week going so far? I hope it’s been filled with beautiful days.

Today I’m sharing a super easy design that was totally inspired by my daughter. I asked her how I should paint my nails, & she told me rainbow 🌈. I haven’t played with my acrylic paints in a while so I decided to use them for a splatter-y effect, & I think it turned out pretty cool!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • OPI I Cannoli Wear OPI
  • Acrylic Paint
  • Paint brush
  • Water

These nails were kind of an experiment because I wasn’t sure initially what I was going to create. I ended up applying drops of acrylic paint on my nails, then using the water to make it spread out a bit. My ring & pinky finger probably turned out my favourite of the 5 on this hand, but I definitely know what I’ll do next time to get the look I want.

These were super easy though, & because I was using acrylic paint vs nail polish I could easy erase any mistakes & start over. My only tip is make sure the acrylic paint is dry before applying top coat, otherwise you’ll end up with some smearing & transferring which kind of mucks up the final look a bit (like on my middle finger). Over all though, such a fun quick look to do.

What do you think of this rainbow paint splatter design? Do you love this quick & easy look? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE DECEMBER — Ugly Christmas Sweater

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday! How is everyone doing so far this week? Today is my last day of Christmas break before returning to work, so I’m soaking up all I can. It’s definitely been a busy couple of days

Today I’m sharing the next prompt for Glam Nails Challenge December which is Ugly Christmas Sweater. I’m not sure if I quite captured the ugly or Christmas part of the prompt — but these are definitely sweater nails haha.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • OPI Infinite Shine Shaking My Sugarplums
  • OPI Infinite Shine Put Something On Ice
  • Black Acrylic Paint
  • White Acrylic Paint
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm detail brush
  • NailStuff.ca 16mm striper brush
  • Small dotting tool (NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio)

So while these aren’t quite your typical ugly Christmas sweater nails, I feel like if you translated this look into a literal sweater (sparkle & all) it definitely would work at that ugly sweater holiday party! So to me, it’s a win. Plus I love the combination of Put Something on Ice over Shaking My Sugarplums.

What do you think of these festive sweater nails? Do you think they fit the ugly Christmas sweater theme? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below! 🖤

GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE DECEMBER — Christmas Trees 🎄

Good morning & Merry Christmas! I hope Santa was kind & found everyone. I’m popping in quick to share the next prompt of Glam Nails Challenge December — Christmas Tree! 🎄

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Thyme is Money
  • Acrylic Paint
  • ACO by Ardene Secret Diary
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm detail brush

I decided to paint the whole design using acrylic paint because I thought nail polish might dry a bit too quickly, & it gave the design a fun rustic effect. I did add a little bit of glitter on top of my stars, although it didn’t show up like I had hoped. It does remind me of one of those painted Christmas cards you see.

I hope everyone has the merriest of Christmas Days. Enjoy your day however it is spent & I will see you on Wednesday!

🖤

Christmas Ribbon Candy Swirls

Hello beauties & happy Friday! It’s almost the weekend, & not just any weekend, but Christmas weekend! That’s insane but exciting. I had to keep my holiday inspired nail art going with some more abstract nail art.

The first thing this design made me think of after I did it was the Ribbon Hard Candy you get around Christmas. I’m sure you know the stuff, but if not it’s this stuff.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • OPI I Cannoli Wear OPI
  • OPI Unfrost My Heart
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel 5 Golden Blings
  • Red & Green Acrylic Paint
  • 16mm Striper Brush from Nailstuff.ca

I decided to use a combination of acrylic paint & nail polish for this design to make it a bit easier for me. Sometimes, I find when I’m doing bigger stripes, my polish starts drying a bit too quickly, but you don’t have the same issue with acrylic paint.

I really, really like how these stripes turned out. I know, I know — I say this every time. But I don’t think there is anything wrong with being proud about your nail art! For a long time, I was extra critical of my work, so I’m glad to enjoy what I do. & it is a little bit different from typical Christmas nail art.

What do you think about these ribbon candy inspired abstract swirls? Do you like the holiday vibes they are giving off? Would you wear these for any Christmas celebrations you’re partaking in this weekend? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Happy Friday 🎄