Jefferson the Betta Fish Inspired Manicure

I finally found my camera cord. So here he is: JEFFERSON!

Jeff is a crowntail betta fish. He wasn't the most colorful, or most active, but he kept calling me so I took him home. Poor Jeff looked so sickly, but now he's all better! He's a little skittish, but his color has brightened up and he's swimming around more. So, I made a little Jefferson inspired manicure in his honor. :)

First I started off with a clear base coat. Next, I used a sheer french manicure nail polish; Any nude polish will do.



After letting that dry, I used a blue Sally Hansen nail art pen to draw wavy strings that resemble Jeff's fins. Like I've said before, a nail art pen is not necessary, a blue polish with a nail art brush or even a sharpie will work. If you do use a sharpie, make sure the nude polish is completely dry; otherwise the sharpie will drag the nail polish and ruin your manicure.




After that dried, I went over the tips of the blue "fins" with a red Sally Hansen nail art pen. It was my first time using the red and clue, and I was a little disappointed that the red was sparkly. I was expecting a solid red. And I certainly didn't expect the blue to be so matte! I do like it though...



Anyway, finish with a clear top coat and clean up stray polish. Viola!

Zebra Print Manicure

Well I got a new betta fish last night! He's still looking a little sickly, but he seems to be getting better now that he's all settled in his new tank. It was so sad going to Petsmart... all those poor mistreated betta fish... :(

Well, at least this little guy's got a nice caring home now. I did a special manicure inspired by his fins! Unfortunately, I can't seem to find the cord that plugs my camera into the computer. I just had it yesterday, dangit!

So in the mean time, let's tide you over with another animal!

Just a simple zebra print. I appologize for the crappy photo quality. Not to mention my cheap clear coat smeared the black a bit... :(

This one is really easy to make. All you need is black and white. Clear base coat, then a coat of white. You may need more than one coat if it's not opaque enough. Paint in random black stripes and top it off with a clear coat
I used a nail art brush to paint in the black stripes. If you don't have one, a thin paint brush or black nail art pen will work just as good. Sharpies also work as well. Be careful though if you use a sharpie. The polish must be completely dry or the sharpie will drag the polish and ruin your manicure. Also, you may need to go over the stripes more than once to make it completely black. Normal nail polish is always a better choice; use sharpies only if you don't have the necessary supplies.

Just a few more tips. If you don't have a nice clear polish, like Seche Vite, you run the risk of smearing detailed designs like this. However, Seche Vite is a tad expensive. If you're using a cheaper clear coat, paint it on thick and it will be far less likely to smear.

Remember to vary the thickness of each stripe. It will help you make a more realistic pattern. Also, if you're uncomfortable painting on your own, google up a zebra print to use as a reference.

(Phew! that was a long one! Sorry about the text intensive post!)

Blue Snowflake Pedicure

Oops! I forgot to mention that I'll also be showing pedicures! Pedicure designs are especially great for girls with broad finger nails!

This is the current pedicure I'm wearing! All you need is a blue, white and a clear coat to make the polish last longer. I also used a coat of a glitter nailpolish, but this is optional.



Start off your pedicure with a base coat polish. I simply used a clear top coat for my base. It works just as well as a special base polish. Then I painted several coats of blue



Using a nail art brush, I painted a large white snowflake on my big toe. If you don't have a nail art brush, a skinny paint brush or a nail art pen will work just as well. If you don't have either, just use a tooth pick. I find tooth picks hard to draw clean straight lines with, but it can be done. You'll just have to be a bit more patient with it.



Paint small white dots randomly scattered on the other toes. I used a dotting tool, but toothpicks are WONDERFUL for this. I painted a coat of glitter polish on my toes, but that is optional for you. For me, it made the blue look a bit more frosty. Finish with a clear top coat!