i heart nail art

if you didn't know, i have a fascination (more of an obsession) with nail polish...  i make a point not to swing by nail salons, sephora, or any cosmetic sections/aisles in department stores, pharmacies, or grocery stores.  the reason being, i end up purchasing nail polish 9 out of the 10 times i'm there.  yeah, i know, brutal... lol.

so today, i wanted to share with you my very simple and recent nail art creation.

here are the steps for re-creating this look:

• apply one layer of essie base coat or any base coat you have
• apply two coats of ocean love potion - sephora by opi (for the main shade or any shade you prefer, let each coat dry for a couple of minutes each)
• apply the dots with a toothpick, i used "a la jade" - a custom concoction i made:  green-wich village by opi mixed with baby's breath by essie.   it has a light mint shade. (you can also use any contrasting shade for this step)

i like creating custom polish shades.  once a bottle is half-full, i mix it with another.  you'd be surprised with the great shades you can create.  it's also a great way to recycle your polish!

• apply seche vite top coat - this is the fastest drying top coat in the market and an ultimate must have!  specially for those of you who don't have a lot of time to spare. (i washed a full sink of dishes, 15-20 minutes after application!)

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• you can also use a quick drying spray / drops for nail polish.  this is available in any brand. 

have fun with this diy nail art!!!

here's the finished nail art / weekend nails:

i really liked how it turned out!

here are more nail art images that i love.  they are painted, stencilled, glued on, stamped... some subtle, and some extreme (3D nail art), but all of them amazing!

(all images found at we heart it, unless indicated)

louboutin - by zoe pocock
featured in grazia magazine - read the online article here
(i would love to try this one day!)

matte black - @ lacquerized by michele

(if you are a nail nerd like i am, you are going to love this blog - she is great!)

aquarium - by: mae espiritu

(she is another "must follow" for all the nail nerds out there! 
her work is so inspiring!)

 corset - by haileycakes via f*#kyeahnailart

 fleur - @ f*#kyeahnailart

lace - by obsession mia

 stamped - by inspireplease

 tuxedo - via tumblr
 

 fast food nail art - by janet riffe via puru pururin

 super mario brothers - by janet riffe

 blood stained... dexter-inspired - by yaptus @ tumblr.com

 eye - by piercy

 hello kitty - @ stylepixie

 flight of the bumble bee - by the daily nail
(this is another great blog for nail enthusiasts)

 diamonds - by styletastic

 hello kitty 3D nail art - by of-fairytales

fish net - @ f*#kyeahprettynails

houndstooth - by styletastic

you can find lots of polymer clay canes ( as a nail art element, and also for various crafts), or pre-made nail art on etsy too.  here are some of them:

poly-clay canes - by miniaturesweets

aiko - by aya1gou 

(she used some polymer clay fruits on her pre-fab nail art)

the scream - by nevertoomuchglitter

(hand painted edvard munch painting replica)

if you want more nail art goodness, check out the wah nails website here.

happy monday!
xo, carla

i really love munny!

i love munny, who doesn't?   these first caught my eye at an art shop years ago... they range from $ 10 - 200 for a 4 inch to an 18 inch vinyl figure!

 (source)

it's amazing what you can do to customize these amazing dolls!  you can  use crayons, markers, pens, paints, polymer clay...  the media that can be used seem limitless!  here are some images i found:

kodak brownie hawkeye flash munny (source) - for photography buffs out there

(source) - simply, cute!

bug jar munny (source) - i really liked the shape of the teeth!  dom calls it the "sock monster".

 heart munny by michael byers

munny speakers (source) - they really work!

 vega munny (source)

this is found here + 59 more...

here are some cute etsy finds too:

button eyes pink monster munny by babyfoot21

lil red hoodie by alfienumeric

 zombuki munny - this is my favorite on etsy!

some inspired by pop culture:

davy jones munny (source) - aaarrrgh!

buddha munny (source)

master chief munny from halo (source) - this is for you b!

yakuza munny (source) - the detail on this one is amazing!

 hello kitty nautical munny (source) - for hk fans everywhere!

gogo yubari munny (source) - kill bill!!!  she is such a cool villain.

spock munny (source)

super homer munny (source)

don't these creations make you want to customize one for yourself?  if you ever wanted to create an art doll without having to sew one, you can always get a munny!

happy wednesday!
xo, carla