Explore With Me: Downtown Phoenix Inspired Nail Art (with Tutorial)

I’ve lived in Phoenix my entire life. I used to be less than impressed by this city, but I think I just didn’t understand it in my youth. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve really come to appreciate the cultural scene and have even gained some appreciation for the dry heat.

As I walked around downtown, I was really struck by how much variation there was. A polished and imposing office building positioned not two minutes away from a vibrant and colorful street taco joint. An alleyway filled with lively graffiti right next to an auto repair place. I found myself looking around every corner, wondering what little treasures I’d find next!

One of the first things to catch my eye was an empty alleyway with shadows of palm trees painted on the side of the building. I had to do a double take to make sure they weren’t real! It was a cool juxtaposition of organic and urban, and so Phoenix appropriate. I was definitely starting to feel inspired!

As I continued exploring, I found many spots that interested me, but it wasn’t until I saw the chalkboard that I knew I had found my second point of inspiration. The portable storage unit had been painted with chalkboard paint, and then passing people had doodled on it, written stories, confessed truths, and declared their love for pizza.

By this point, I was raring to go on my nail design inspired by these two spots. I knew I wanted to combine them together, so I assigned the palm tree silhouette to my accent nail and chose to go with stream-of-consciousness style doodles on the other nails. Give them a try… I bet they are easier than you might expect!

To achieve the doodle nails:

1. Paint your nail with the Sally Hansen I Heart Nail Art Neon in Pretty In Hot Pink. Let it dry completely before moving on to the next step.
2. Using the Sally Hansen I Heart Nail Art Pen in Black, draw on some random doodles and shapes.
3. Grab the nail art brush from the Sally Hansen I Heart Nail Art Tools Kit. Fill in the shapes with Triple Shine nail color in Dive In and Vanity Flare, and the I Heart Nail Art Striper in White. You can also use the dotting tool to fill in empty spaces between shapes.
4. Let the manicure dry completely before finishing with a coat of topcoat.

To achieve the palm tree nail:

1. Paint your nail with Sally Hansen Triple Shine Nail Color in Dive In. Let it dry completely before moving on to the next step.
2. Using the Sally Hansen I Heart Nail Art Pen in Noir, draw on a palm tree trunk that starts wider at the base and tapers in.
3. Sketch on the outline of the branches, and then fill them in.
4. Let the palm tree silhouette dry completely before finishing with topcoat for seal and shine.

I loved my city before, but there’s really something to be said for taking an afternoon to explore and find some of its hidden gems. I realized that we all want to be connected, we all want to make something beautiful, we all want to feel inspired and share our stories. I know I found my inspiration, and I hope you feel inspired to explore your city’s treasures now, too.

Be sure to check out Sally Hansen's #iHeartNailArt contest and enter for a chance to win $500 and a trip to NYC to compete in the Grand Finale*; the grand prize is $2000! Enter at www.sallyhansen.com.
This month's theme is Liquid-Mani, so be on the hunt for some nail inspiration and enter before the deadline.

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Contest ends 7/31/14 Open to legal residents of the U.S. and D.C., 13 or older. Void where prohibited. See official rules at www.sallyhansen.com for full details including entry/voting periods & requirements, judging criteria, and limitations. Sponsored by Coty US LLC.

This post has been sponsored by Sally Hansen.

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Matte Brain Graffiti Nail Art

This nail art design reminds me of a brain, and I'm totally okay with that! I was happily doodling along, and as soon as I added the light pink doodles, I just had to stop. There was just something strangely appealing about the brainy effect. This particular shade of pink really locks it in, and I ran with it!

This is an easy design with a fun, edgy effect. Definitely appropriate with Halloween coming up! The key is to start with a matte base (completely dry, of course) so that your nail art pen flows on evenly.

I used an actual matte black polish, but you could also use a regular black and apply a matte finisher like OPI Matte Topcoat.

Then, I used three Sally Hansen nail art pens (light pink, silver, and coral I believe) to draw the doodly marks. I actually don't particularly care for the way these pens work over a glossy base; the liquid seems to contract on the smooth surface or something. HOWEVER, they work really nicely on a flat matte base. Neat!

A final coat of matte topcoat sealed the whole manicure in.

What do you think? Too weird for you, or just weird enough? Would you wear them for Halloween?

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Kindergarten Doodles

I did this manicure a few months ago to work on my skills with a nail art pen. I had just purchased a set of Migi Nail Art Pens and wanted to get some experience in. They take a little bit of practice, but if you get good with them you can really achieve some awesome things. It's an interesting alternative to a nail art brush; I'd have a difficult time saying which one is better as they both have their advantages.

I've talked about Migi pens once before, in my Saran Wrap Spiderwebs manicure. If you're unfamiliar with how they work, the pens arrive in dual ended sticks, but each end can be disconnected. I would recommend keeping them together though as the added length of the stick can make it easier to draw! The pen caps can be unscrewed to reveal a normal nail polish brush, or you can leave the cap in and use the metal nib to draw as you squeeze the body of the bottle.

The doodly shapes are so colorful and cheery, they remind me of kindergarten doodles or an 80's print or something. I think I could still use a bit of practice but all in all a pleasant experience!

Visit the Migi Nail Art Pen website here and their online shop here. I purchased mine on Amazon -- the set I ordered is called "Beautifully Bold" there and appears to be called set #101 on the Migi website.

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