Animal Crossing Grass Pattern Nail Art

Green day of the 31 Day Challenge is here! I decided to try a pattern that pays tribute to one of my favorite video games: Animal Crossing!

This pattern is inspired by the grass pattern that is displayed in summer. I chose colors a little darker than the daytime palette, so let's just say that this is an evening look!

I used the following polishes for this nail art:
LVX Viridis (base)
Essie Mojito Madness (lime green)
LVX Paraiso (blue mixer)
LVX Truffle (brown mixer)

I freehanded the squares with the short end of my Edinburgh Realism 3/4 brush. After they were all on there, I went back with Viridis to clean up the edges of the squares. It's a small step that really made a big difference in the finished look!

Here are my green manicures from the past four years of the challenge.

• China Glaze Ghoulish Glow
• Bulbasaur Nail Art
• Green Jade Nail Art
• Blocked green plant tendrils

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We All Know the Sharks In Katy Perry's Halftime Show Were the Real Super Bowl MVPs

Look, I enjoy football and all, but I think we can all agree that the dancing sharks in Katy Perry's halftime show were the true stars of the game. Their enthusiasm, their gaping jaws, their flailing limbs (including legs)...they just couldn't be beat. Every time the camera cut away from them, our entire family screamed at the TV to put the sharks back on. Who needs beach ball boobs?

Of course, I had to do some nail art honoring their majesty.

View image | gettyimages.com

Polishes used:
LVX Lemondrop
OPI Good Grief!
JINsoon Cool Blue
Salon Perfect Sugar Cube
Formula X Dark Matter

I began by sponging on a subtle gradient base of pale yellow to bright yellow. I wanted something bright and cheerful, like the sharks, that wouldn't distract from their perfection.

Then, I painted the sharks freehand over the base. I was giggling the whole time I was painting these, truly! They are just so full of joy!

Do you agree with me that the dancing sharks were the best part of the game? I need a good shot of them to use as my computer wallpaper!

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Dragon Scale Nail Art with Chloe & Bella

There are some new polishes on the block and they are gor-geous! You may have tried ultrachrome flakies, but you haven't lived till you've tried them infused with platinum-silver reflective flakes. Indie brand Chloe & Bella has two variations on this formula, inspired by Dragon's Skin Ammolite and Dragon's Breath Opals. I've created some nail art with both lacquers, as well as swatched them individually for your viewing pleasure.

Seeing as both lacquers were inspired by dragon-related gems, it was only natural that I created a dragon scale pattern for my nail art!

I began by creating a full coverage gradient as my base. I've got Dragon's Skin closest to my cuticles, and Dragon's Breath on my free edge.

Then, I grabbed Chloe & Bella's black nail polish, Black Out. I painted black dragon scales, one by one, beginning at the cuticle and working my way to the tips.

While I'll never say no to nail art, these polishes can definitely stand on their own, as well.

Here is three coats of Dragon's Breath. You an see the ultra chrome flakies shift from pink to purple to gold to olive, while the silver flakes shine throughout. This polish is completely smooth and sits flat on the nail (I'm not even wearing topcoat here)!

Dragon's Skin tells the same tale: three easy, smooth coats. This one shifts from copper to gold to green.

So, I'm dying to know - are these your jam? Cause I sure enjoyed playing with them! Dragon's Breath has particularly captivated me. Swoon city.

These two shades are available from Chloe & Bella for $11.95 per polish. You can also keep up with the brand on Facebook and Instagram for more information.

P.S. If you are into bottle porn, be sure to check out the Chloe & Bella website, and if you wanna see more, check out additional swatches via Allie's Blog.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Chloe & Bella. All opinions are my own. 

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All #HailTheNail With a Twitter Party For the Premiere of Nail'd It!

As I'm sure you guys know, there's a new TV show on the horizon and it's all about nail art. Nail'd It! is premiering at 9pm EST, Tuesday October 7th, on Oxygen, and you KNOW I'm gonna be all over that.

But that's not all!

To celebrate the premiere, I'll be joining a fabulous group of influencers to host a Twitter party leading up to the first episode! Join the conversation by following and tweeting with #HailTheNail, Tuesday October 7th, beginning at 8pm EST.

I'll be cohosting alongside All Lacquered Up, Julie G. Beauty, From Head to Toe, and Wet Paint. Judges Jan Arnold, Elaine Watson, and Tom Bachik will be joining in as well! We'll have tutorials, Q&As, and giveaways.

Giveaways? Oh yeah.

Throughout the hourlong chat, you'll have opportunities to win a prize package that contains:

• The 5 Borough Package from Fingertip Fetish by Adrienne Bailon
• A CND hand care set including Almond Hydrating Lotion and Citrus Nail Soothing Creme
• Oxygen goodies like a nail mat, mirrored nail files, pens, and a noteboook

When the chat comes to an end, I invite you to stick around and live tweet the first episode with me! I hope we'll see you there for the party, don't forget to mark your calendars! And if you haven't watched it yet, be sure to check out an exclusive first look at one of the Quick Dry Challenges from the show.

Disclosure: This post and my participation as a cohost of #HailTheNail has been sponsored by reps for Oxygen.

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Raava and Vaatu - The Legend of Korra Nail Art

It's day two of my Avatar double feature! Yesterday I shared my flag nail art inspired by the nations in the Avatar universe, today I have some supernatural nail art inspired by Raava and Vaatu, the spirits of good and evil, from The Legend of Korra. I painted their markings on my middle nails, and then added their matching tail ribbons on the outer nails.

Nail polishes used:
Polish My Life Stripped
China Glaze Too Yacht to Handle
Michael Kors Impulse
American Apparel Hassid
Polish My Life Don't Snap My Dragon
Misa Peach Passion

These nails were painted freehand. The pattern was pretty fun to paint, actually! I'm not sure what it was, but I just really liked assembling the pieces of their markings.

When the story first introduces these ancient spirits, they are entangled in a battle of good vs. evil. I tangled their ribbons on my thumb to represent that.

On a related note, if you are a Korra fan and haven't seen the trailer for the final season yet -- WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!? It's epic. Check it out! (Spoilers, obviously.)

Not (yet) a Legend of Korra fan? All of the episodes are available for watching on Nick.com!

See more of my supernatural nail art:

• Glow in the dark ghosties
• Glittering Edward nail art
• Phoenix feather nail art

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National Flags of Avatar: The Last Airbender

Today's 31 Day Challenge prompt is "inspired by a flag," a prompt that no one seems to really care for. It's not my favorite either, but it does often get me thinking outside of the box!

I chose to do nail art inspired by one of my favorite cartoons, Avatar: The Last Airbender. For those of you unfamiliar with the show, there are four nations in the Avatar world: the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, and the Air Nomads. I represented each nation's flag on my nails, and put the flag of the Order of the White Lotus on my thumb.

Nail polishes used:
Misa Blueberry Blast
JINsoon Cool Blue
OPI Jade is the New Black
LVX Midori
OPI All I Want for Christmas (Is OPI)
American Apparel Hassid
Misa Great Grape
Polish My Life Stripped

All elements of this manicure were painted freehand. I have the Water Tribes symbol on my pointer, the Earth Kingdom symbol on my middle finger, the Fire Nation flag on my ring, and the Air Nomad insignia on my pinky.

I needed a fifth finger design, and the Order of the White Lotus seemed like a perfect choice! They transcend the four nations, and are good guys in the series. And um, hello, who doesn't love Iroh?

If you are a fan of the Avatar universe, be sure to check back in tomorrow! I've done some Legend of Korra nail art for "inspired by the supernatural." Consider it a double feature!

Previous "inspired by a flag" manicures:

• Racing checkered flag
• Arizona state flag nail art
• Textured American flag nail art

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Nail Art Is Dead - Barbara Kruger Inspired Nail Art

This year, for "inspired by artwork" day of the 31 Day Challenge, I tackled an idea that I've contemplated in the past. My nails are inspired by the work of Barbara Kruger, a conceptual artist who often addresses how words and images, particularly in the media, can affect our identities and assumptions about truth.

Her signature style features black and white photographs overlaid with declarative text, often accentuated inside red rectangles. Notable Kruger pieces include "I shop therefore I am," "Your body is a battleground," and "No." I got a little cheeky with my interpretation and chose "Nail art is dead," a sensationalist idea that I occasionally see pop up on my feeds. Clearly I disagree!

Nail polishes used:
Polish My Life Storm Clouds
Polish My Life Saint
American Apparel 7th and Alameda
American Apparel Hassid
INM White Porcelain
OPI Coca Cola Red

I'll tell you what, this was horrifyingly time consuming. The letters are freaking tiny and I needed them to look a certain way to match the font that Kruger uses. The base was easy -- I used a square nail art brush to paint on some brushy marks in the style of the Nailasaurus streaky watercolor nail art.

Then I freehanded the red rectangles and text, which took me a good hour and a half to two hours. I was constantly refining the shape of the letters and had to re-do one of the nails once. Still, I think it is a huge success! Except now I'm blind from the tininess of the letters.

Previous nail art inspired by artwork:

• Jackson Pollock's One: Number 31
• Warhol drip nail art
• Kaws' Kawsbob

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Nail'd It! Extended First Look - Watch a Full Quick Dry Challenge!

We are getting so very close to the premiere of Nail'd It, the nail art competition show! Can you feel my excitement? It combines two of my favorite things: nail art and television. If they could find a way to work my pup Chowder into it, I'd be set...

The premiere is less than two weeks away, but I know you just can't wait until then. Never fear - I've got nearly 15 minutes of an actual episode ready for your consumption!


Don't forget to set your alarms, DVRs, calendars, and post it notes to catch the premiere on October 7th at 9/8c, only on Oxygen!

Still want more Nail'd It? Be sure to check out the the recap of my on-set visit for thoughts from judges Jan Arnold and Terrance Terry, and the host, Adrienne Bailon.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by reps for Oxygen.

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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Nail Art Blocking

In the 31 Day Challenge, some days you win, some days you lose. And you probably won't have the time or the energy to scrap a mani that you may not be crazy about! So here we are.

It's inspired by a book day, and I decided to get creative and try doing three distinct segments of nail art, all related to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. From top to bottom, we've got the Emerald City, the yellow brick road, and the poppy fields. I love the idea in theory, but my execution leaves a bit to be desired.

Nail polishes and products used:
China Glaze Happy Go Lucky
Dermelect Belle Epoque
Polish My Life Birthday Suit
OPI Coca Cola Red
Sally Hansen Going Green
Formula X Dark Matter
China Glaze Running In Circles
Painter's tape

So I'm calling this one "nail art blocking" vs. "blocking nail art" because I am actually making blocks of different nail art looks. Blocking nail art, to me, is when the blocking is the essence of the nail art. How's that for logic?

I started by painting my nails yellow and adding the yellow brick road detailing. Then, I added a coat of quick dry topcoat and waited for it to dry completely. I taped off the triangles with painters tape, and then added the Emerald City and poppy fields blocks. A final swipe of topcoat and the mani was done!

If I were to do this again, I think I'd try freehanding the sections instead of taping them. I'd also use a lighter color for the brick outlining.

Previous literary manicures include:

• Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk
• The Missing Piece by Shel Silverstein
• 1984 by George Orwell

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Anna Inspired Frozen Nail Art

It's "inspired by a movie" day in the 31 Day Challenge and I've done some nail art inspired by a movie that is sure to be a popular choice among other participants this year: Frozen! These tips are inspired by Anna's dress, which itself drew inspiration from a traditional piece of Norwegian clothing called a bunad. Her look features a black bodice, gold lacings, and flower details.

Nail polishes used:
Formula X Dark Matter (black)
Deborah Lippmann Autumn In New York (gold)
Essie Mojito Madness (green)
China Glaze Happy Go Lucky (yellow)
Misa Loveliest of Lilacs (purple)
Misa Lovely Lychee (pink)

I painted my nails black and then added the gold tips using the fishtail technique. The flowers and stems were painted freehand using my Edinburgh Realism #4 brush, and I used a pinpoint and small dotting tool to add the decorative dots. Everything is sealed in with two coats of Glisten and Glow HK Girl.

I have done quite a few movie manicures in the past! Check out what I've done previously for the challenge:

• Star Wars inspired nail art
• Eye of Sauron nail art from the Lord of the Rings trilogy
• Titan nail art from the movie Hercules

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Stylized Goldfish Scales Nail Art

It's animal print day of the 31 Day Challenge! This is always one of my favorite days. I do a lot of animal print in my regular nail art work, so I like to take the challenge as an opportunity to get inspired by some unusual animals. This year, I've gone with a freehand stylized goldfish scale print, inspired by Queen Otohime from the One Piece anime. Does anyone else watch?

Nail polishes used:
OPI My Paprika Is Hotter Than Yours
China Glaze Happy Go Lucky
American Apparel Hassid

Without giving too much about the story away, Otohime wears a kimono with this stylized fish scale print on it. I tried to directly mimic the way it looks in the anime, and I think I did a nice job! I painted my nails with the red-orange first, then added the yellow detailing, and finally finished it off with the black lines.

I'm pretty enamored with this pattern. It definitely looks like fish scales, though I can also see phoenix feathers or dragon scales. Very bold and cool.

Animal print from years past:

• Blue poison dart frog nail art
• Manta ray patterned nail art
• Nudibranch sea slug nail art

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The Disney Diva - Ursula Nail Art

The Lacquer Legion's theme this month is "Fandom." Where do you even start with that one? There are SO MANY POSSIBILITIES! I've actually done quite a few fanicures in my day. Mythbusters, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Adventure Time...the list goes on. This time, I chose to do more Disney villain nail art. You may recall the Queen of Hearts mani I did recently, and here's another powerful baddie: Ursula from The Little Mermaid!

Here's a fun fact: did you know that Ursula's design was inspired by the drag queen Divine? Makes sense to me. Ursula is a pretty fabulous diva, despite being evil and all. There are some pretty diva-licious Disney characters, but for me, she takes the cake.

For my nail art, I've painted her tentacles on my four fingers and her *ahem* bust and necklace on my thumb.

Polishes used in this nail art include:
Floss Gloss Moon Baby (grey base)
LVX Aster (light purple)
OPI Do You Have This Color In Stock-holm? (dark purple)
Nicole by OPI Hit the Lights (yellow)
American Apparel Hassid (black)

I started each tentacle by painting a dark purple spiral and outlining it with black. Then, I filled the spirals with light purple dots, and stacked a smaller dark purple dot inside it.

Though the process for Ursula's tentacles seems simple enough, they took a while to complete. The hypnotizing spirals really demanded a lot of precision, so I tried to take it slow.

Follow The Lacquer Legion on Facebook or Instagram for once monthly nail art prompts aimed at bringing together the nail polish community!

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Sunset On Tatooine - Star Wars Nail Art

Today I have a bit of geeky nail art to share with you! If you are a fan of Star Wars, I'm sure you know about Tatooine. The planet was both Anakin's and Luke's home and is where Luke first meets C-3PO and R2-D2 in A New Hope. This nail art shows Luke with the two droids as the planet's twin suns set on the horizon.

The background of this nail art is an incredibly subtle gradient of OPI Going My Way or Norway? and OPI Ice-bergers and Fries. The silhouettes of Luke, C-3PO, R2-D2, and the Lars homestead were painted with OPI How Great Is Your Dane?. All three of those shades are from the new OPI Nordic Collection. I am loving the two caramel shades, in particular.

The ground is painted with OPI I Sing In Color, while the suns are done with Lime Crime Milky Ways and Lime Crime Peaches <3 Cream.

The manicure is finished off with OPI Matte Topcoat.

This nail art ended up being pretty timely. A few days after I finished it, a group of us watched A New Hope! If only I'd still been wearing it that day.

Are you a fan of Star Wars? Which one is your favorite?

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Off With Their Heads! Queen of Hearts Nail Art

Who can resist a bit of villain nail art? This design is inspired by The Queen of Hearts from Disney's Alice in Wonderland. While she's not my favorite Disney villain (that honor would probably go to Jafar, or Hades), I do like her and have an appreciation for her one-strike ruling style.

Off with their heads!

The thumb is inspired by the front of The Queen's dress. I started with a base of OPI Alpine Snow. Once that had dried completely, I blocked off two large stripes stripes using straight Nail Vinyls. Then, I filled in the left side with American Apparel Hassid, the right side with OPI Coca Cola Red, and the center with OPI In My Back Pocket. I freehanded on the black details in the center with my nail art brush, and removed the vinyls to reveal the white stripes.

The playing card nails are inspired by her card guards, of course! The heart and diamond cards were painted freehand with OPI Coca Cola Red, while the spade and club nails were done with American Apparel Hassid.

The entire manicure is finished with a coat of Seche Vite.

An added bonus... If you remove the thumb from this equation, you have a sweet Las Vegas playing card manicure!

Who's your favorite Disney villain? There are so many great ones to choose from!

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Visit Lumpy Space: Whatevers2009

This month's Lacquer Legion theme is "On Holiday." As it is summer and not December, this is obviously referring to the British (read: fancy) definition of holiday, commonly called vacation. Now, I could have done something a little more summery, but I decided to stretch the theme a bit and do a manicure I've wanted to do for a while now: a lumpy space landscape! Given the choice, this is where I would go on vacation if I could.

Confused? Don't be! This is another Adventure Time nail art manicure, inspired by the crazy Cartoon Network show. You may recall my character manicure or my Lady Rainicorn nails; these are the third addition to the group.

My favorite Adventure Time character, Lumpy Space Princess, is from Lumpy Space (go figure), a spacey world with pastel clouds and soft stars. I chose to paint a landscape spanning over my four nails with some additional clouds on my thumb.

Polishes used:
OPI Push and Pur-pull
OPI Vant to Bite My Neck?
Sally Hansen Pacific Blue (old version)
LVX Aster & Misa Loveliest of Lilacs (mixed)
Misa Ripe Raspberry
China Glaze Too Yacht to Handle
Finger Paints Lemon Sour
Nicole by OPI Matte Topcoat

While I didn't do a full tutorial, I did take some informal phone snaps of the nails along the way! You can see how you have to build up the clouds in layers: first blue, then purple, then aqua. The final steps include adding some soft yellow stars and a matte topcoat for that cartoon effect.

Follow The Lacquer Legion on Facebook or Instagram for once monthly nail art prompts aimed at bringing together the nail polish community!

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