#nailartapr

I Bought This 

Sorry for the lack of posts!  I lost my camera battery and charger. :(  I've been looking everywhere, but I can't remember where I might have left it.  I'm going to borrow someone's camera or use my phone, until I find it (or maybe buy a new battery...).  But for now, here's the nail art I did in April for @californails' challenge:

Click for the nail art!

FLOWERS

I used my April SquareHue colors (see below) to create this flower design.  Flower Power!!  It feels kind of 70s, haha.

SWATCH

Swatches of my April SquareHue box.  I posted swatches earlier in April, here.

BRAIDED

My first time trying braided nails!  I freehanded this, so it doesn't have perfect lines, but I'm still happy with how it turned out.  I couldn't decide which color combo I wanted to go with, other than I wanted to use the green and blue.  But looking at it afterwards, I like the combo with yellow better.  I used China Glaze Flyin' High (blue), SquareHue Flower Power (green), Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Butterscotch (yellow), and China Glaze IV (pink).

BRIGHTS

Swatches of the polishes in my April Julep Maven box.  Avery on left and Jackie on right.  Jackie is my new favorite red!!

OMBRÉ

My first ombré nails!  I really like how this turned out. ^^  From index finger to pinky, I used Sinful Colors Sugar N Spice, Sinful Color Cotton Candy, OPI Pink Friday, and China Glaze Something Sweet.  Not pictured: China Glaze Heli-yum on thumb.

OOTD

So, I tried to do a design that matched the print on the top I wore on 4/16 and I thought it turned out pretty good.  But then I applied top coat and it smudged! T-T  I used OPI Alpine Snow as my base and Orly Liquid Vinyl for the black.

MINT

Another first!  An attempt at spun sugar nails.  I definitely need to work on this technique, but I still like how it came out.  It kind of reminds me of frosting of toaster strudel, lol.  The mint polish I used was Essie Mint Candy Apple and the white I used was OPI Alpine Snow.

EARTH DAY

Other than the heart, this mani was completely unplanned and I didn't know what I was going to paint until I sat down to paint it.  I used China Glaze Starboard (green), China Glaze Ride the Waves (blue), OPI Skull & Glossbones (gray), OPI Alpine Snow (white), and Julep Eden (purple).

GOLD/SILVER

Nude nails with a metallic accent.  I really liked the look of this mani, and wore this for a weekend trip to Vegas. :)  The nude polish is Essie Not Just a Pretty Face (4 coats) and the gold is Butter London The Full Monty (2 coats).

GALAXY

My first time attempting galaxy nails!  I have to say this is my fave mani this month.  Really like how it turned out!  I used Orly Liquid Vinyl as my base, and then I used Julep Eloise, OCC Chlorophyll, OPI Dim Sum Plum, Sally Hansen CSM Butterscotch, OPI Alpine Snow, and China Glaze Shooting Stars.  I ripped up a makeup sponge into smaller pieces and actually ended up only using 2 pieces, lol.  I sponged on the colors and then applied ChG Shooting Stars.  I think it might have been better with ChG Fairy Dust, but I don't have that one...yet. ;)

PASTEL

Last, but not least, a pastel mani to end April.  I was testing color combos with this mani, and found that the purple doesn't really stand out against the pink that I used.  The polishes used were mostly from China Glaze: Something Sweet (pink), Light as Air (purple), Re-fresh Mint (green), and Glistening Snow (holo).  Also used OPI Alpine Snow (white).  The design on the pinky is kind of like a watercolor and was kind of a happy mistake, haha.  I created a different design on the pinky but ended up not liking it, so I applied acetone to it and the polish swirled together to form this. :)  I also really like the color combo for the stripes on the index finger.

I think I will be skipping #nailartmay.  But I will still be doing swatches and nail art, so feel free to follow my instagram for sneak peeks to upcoming blog posts! ^^