22– Polka dots
Big dots, little dots, dots within dots, dots dots dots….

Are they still polka dots if they’re all over the place? Let’s say yes. :P

Illamasqua– Milf
Ulta– Sun of a Gun
Butter London– Royal Navy

22– Polka dots
Big dots, little dots, dots within dots, dots dots dots….

Are they still polka dots if they’re all over the place? Let’s say yes. :P

Illamasqua– Milf
Ulta– Sun of a Gun
Butter London– Royal Navy

Technicolor texture rings.
I really really love texture polish. Like… a lot.

There are way too many polishes to list here, but I used textured polishes from OPI, Nails Inc, Barry M, China Glaze, Zoya, Julep, Milani, and LA Girl. If you’re curious what any of them are, feel free to ask! :)

Where did all of you lovely people come from!? Wow though, this is a slightly surreal and very happy moment for me, and it’s completely thanks to all of you!

A while back I told myself that if I ever got 1000 followers I’d do some kind of giveaway to celebrate. Now that it’s happened, and then some, I very much intend to do just that. In the next week or so I’ll be putting something together for you guys, so keep a look out! 

Thank you guys infinitely! You’re all absolutely amazing!!!

Where did all of you lovely people come from!? Wow though, this is a slightly surreal and very happy moment for me, and it’s completely thanks to all of you!

A while back I told myself that if I ever got 1000 followers I’d do some kind of giveaway to celebrate. Now that it’s happened, and then some, I very much intend to do just that. In the next week or so I’ll be putting something together for you guys, so keep a look out!

Thank you guys infinitely! You’re all absolutely amazing!!!

05/21/2013
16:24

20– (Totally Adorable Mutant Cannibal) Strawberries
I am physically incapable of keeping a manicure classy simple.

Illamasqua– Boosh, Scorch, Throb, Harem
OPI– I Theodora You, Gargantuan Green Grape, Need Sunglasses?
OCC– Echo
Fimo fruits, rhinestones and pearls

Heavy metal bacteria!

The design’s kinda quick today, but I found something neat! I’ve doodled on my nails plenty of times with sharpies, but I’ve never tried with regular markers. So, I busted out my set of classic Crayolas, and this was the result! I colored all over the nail and the color naturally separated like that. And when it dried the bigger spots had darker rings around them. I think it looks a bit like bacteria under a microscope. It’s kind of a mix between a water spotted and watercolor look. And it’s super easy!

OPI– My Vampire is Buff
Green, Blue, Purple and Black Crayola markers
Lots of Born Pretty studs

Heavy metal bacteria!

The design’s kinda quick today, but I found something neat! I’ve doodled on my nails plenty of times with sharpies, but I’ve never tried with regular markers. So, I busted out my set of classic Crayolas, and this was the result! I colored all over the nail and the color naturally separated like that. And when it dried the bigger spots had darker rings around them. I think it looks a bit like bacteria under a microscope. It’s kind of a mix between a water spotted and watercolor look. And it’s super easy!

OPI– My Vampire is Buff
Green, Blue, Purple and Black Crayola markers
Lots of Born Pretty studs

16– Spring Swatch

So for today’s challenge prompt I’m swatching a polish I made last year at some point. It’s called Specimen. I have to say, getting those little butterflies out of the bottle is like trying to find a unicorn. But, well, I made it, so I’m still kind of fond of it.

16– Spring Swatch

So for today’s challenge prompt I’m swatching a polish I made last year at some point. It’s called Specimen. I have to say, getting those little butterflies out of the bottle is like trying to find a unicorn. But, well, I made it, so I’m still kind of fond of it.

Nature at your fingertips.

Once upon a time I was obsessed with miniature terrariums. I thought I’d transfer that idea to my nails. There’s no way I could wear these very long, especially not to work tomorrow. But I’m still having fun looking at them!

CND– Perfectly Bare
Nubar– Swiss Chocolate
OPI– Jade is the New Black
Sand, rocks, reindeer moss and dried flowers

Crazy glitter tips!

So, I thought I’d try to do my own acrylics. They’re not perfect, but they came out better than I expected! And then I slathered them in glitter. Naturally. :)

Claire’s– Little Dipper
Lots and lots of loose glitter

Crazy glitter tips!

So, I thought I’d try to do my own acrylics. They’re not perfect, but they came out better than I expected! And then I slathered them in glitter. Naturally. :)

Claire’s– Little Dipper
Lots and lots of loose glitter

12- Doodles.
This is definitely my favorite prompt in this challenge. I’m an artist and an art teacher, so my entire life is doodles! Also, my doodles tend to be very messy, creepy, and usually a little NSFW, (I think most of these are pretty PG. Or PG-13. Mostly…) so, sorry about that. Lol, no I’m not.

Cult Nails– Tempest, Feel Me Up
Illamasqua– Boosh, Throb, Noble
Ulta– Sun of a Gun
Butter London– Slapper
Sally Hansen– Ruby Sequin

Where did you get the design for the xray nails? thats so cool looking! I wanna try it out.

Hello! And thank you! I pretty much just yanked all of the images off google and used the parts I wanted to. If you’re looking for the exact images, here are the links:

Right Hand
Thumb
Index
Middle & Ring
Pinky

Left Hand
Thumb
Index
Middle
Ring
Pinky

But there are a lot of cool x-ray images out there. Start out by just image searching for x-rays, but if there’s a specific body part you want (E.g. chest x-ray, hand x-ray etc.) you’ll get better results this way. Even better than that is if you know what bones you want (skull x-ray, lumbar spine x-ray etc.), because you’ll usually find exactly what you’re looking for. There’s also some cool things to be found in childrens’ x-rays (like the teeth on my right thumb) and animal x-rays.

I’d love to see these if you try it!

05/12/2013
18:02
Okay guys, this is a very complex technique for only the most experienced  of nail artists. Okay, maybe not. All you need to do this is some nail polish and a toothpick or dotting tool. You just put some blobs of polish on your nails and poke them around until you get something you like. It’s like dry marbling, but with none of the artistry. Polish poking? Yeah, let’s go with that.

I love these Zoya PixieDust polishes, btw. They’re such a fabulous combo of sparkly and gritty. And the dry time is long enough that they’re very easy to design with. Definitely going to be some of my favorites this summer!

Zoya– Miranda, Liberty, Destiny, Stevie, Beatrix, Solange

Okay guys, this is a very complex technique for only the most experienced of nail artists. Okay, maybe not. All you need to do this is some nail polish and a toothpick or dotting tool. You just put some blobs of polish on your nails and poke them around until you get something you like. It’s like dry marbling, but with none of the artistry. Polish poking? Yeah, let’s go with that.

I love these Zoya PixieDust polishes, btw. They’re such a fabulous combo of sparkly and gritty. And the dry time is long enough that they’re very easy to design with. Definitely going to be some of my favorites this summer!

Zoya– Miranda, Liberty, Destiny, Stevie, Beatrix, Solange

10– Match OOTD. It’s day 4 of the challenge and I thought I’d celebrate my extremely questionable fashion sense with this mess of patterns and colors! Always wear what makes you happy, people. Even if you look like a colorblind clown… like me. :)

China Glaze– Peachy Keen, Bare If You Dare
Illamasqua– Throb, Boosh, Scorch
Glitter from ebay, and stones (Aaaah! These stones!) from Born Pretty Store

10– Match OOTD. It’s day 4 of the challenge and I thought I’d celebrate my extremely questionable fashion sense with this mess of patterns and colors! Always wear what makes you happy, people. Even if you look like a colorblind clown… like me. :)

China Glaze– Peachy Keen, Bare If You Dare
Illamasqua– Throb, Boosh, Scorch
Glitter from ebay, and stones (Aaaah! These stones!) from Born Pretty Store

Today’s manicure was inspired by one of my favorite beers– Stoudt’s Scarlet Lady Ale. It looks rather Christmas-y I think, but whatever. Nails and beer!

OPI– Off With Her Red!, Mrs. O’Leary’s BBQ, Ginger Bells!
Cult Nails– Nevermore, Tempest, Feel Me Up
Sally Hansen– Yellow Kitty, Going Green
CND– Perfectly Bare
Orly– Retro Red
Sinful Colors– Innocent
Essie– Very Structured
Studs from Born Pretty Store and Dollar Nail Art

Hey all! Really quick before I run off to work, thelovelyquirkster had asked on my last post about the affordability and quality of Born Pretty Store and their products.

The short answer is, in my experience, everything I’ve tried from them has been very high quality. And compared to what you’ll pay for similar things on, say, ebay, the prices are great.

There’s a few other things I want to mention, and I think some of this is why so many nail art lovers order from them. First, they have an absolutely amazing selection to suit any aesthetic. Everything from basic tools for classic manicures, to cute sparkles and flowers for more “girly” designs, and studs and chains for something with a harder edge. And there’s a lot of stuff you never even thought to look for. Like these stones…
imageI never knew I needed wanted them until I saw them. (you can get those here, btw)

Another thing I was very impressed by is how quickly everything got to me. I’m in the US, and coming from Hong Kong, my package got to me in less than 2 weeks. I buy a lot of things from international sellers, and I definitely don’t mind waiting a while to get something awesome, but it’s a very pleasant surprise when it comes so quickly. Of course, the shipping time does depend on where you live, so if you want to read more about that, the info is here.

The last thing I’ll mention is that there’s a lot more there than nail supplies. So far, that’s all that I’ve bought, so I can’t really speak to the quality of everything else (although I’ve heard good things). I’ve been hungrily eyeing some of their jewelry and cosmetics. They have all kinds of neat stuff there!

So to wrap up, I would definitely check them out. Their products are great, and they have a lot of very cool, unusual nail art supplies.

I can’t actually paint my nails tonight, buuuut… OMG BEST NAIL MAIL DAY EVER!!!

Lots and lots of beautiful things from  Born Pretty Store. And all of the gorgeous Zoya PixieDust summer polishes. I’m in heaven right now!

I’m currently resisting the urge to dump everything out into my bathtub so I can swim in the prettiness.

This is where all of my extra income goes. I regret nothing.

Expect to see lots of sparkly, shiny amazingness in the near future!

I can’t actually paint my nails tonight, buuuut… OMG BEST NAIL MAIL DAY EVER!!!

Lots and lots of beautiful things from Born Pretty Store. And all of the gorgeous Zoya PixieDust summer polishes. I’m in heaven right now!

I’m currently resisting the urge to dump everything out into my bathtub so I can swim in the prettiness.

This is where all of my extra income goes. I regret nothing.

Expect to see lots of sparkly, shiny amazingness in the near future!

Hey everyone! I'm Alana, and this is my nail blog. I post my designs, tutorials, and any fun and strange nail techniques I come across. I hope you all enjoy!

If you guys have any questions, requests, ideas, or if you just want to chat send me a message or email me at nailgasmnails@gmail.com