I decided to advanced my nail art skill over the long weekend by attempting to raise the bar and try some of the more detailed designs in my book.

I started with this one:

Which I think turned out pretty good

However I was using (what I assume) was low quality polish. The white and black went on a gloopy and thick and I ended up smudging every nail at the gym (even after giving a couple hours to dry).

So I removed that and while contemplating my options I put on some nail stickers so I wouldn’t look like a total scrub.

I am hard on my nails. Most polishes don’t last me more that a week. Even the gel manicures start chipping at around the 7 day mark.  I thought though that with a gel system I could do intricate nail art without it smudging. Looking into that though its an expensive option (it’s on my wishlist though – hint hint).  My next best choice was the CND Vinylux line which drys in about 10 minutes. Its actually pretty great and much cheaper than a full gel system.

After picking a design and ordering the colors I would need (and waiting the 1-2 weeks for shipment, stupid non-prime items) I got my polish and tried my next design

OMG so excited I love strawberries and I thought this would be an awesome design! The Vinylux did a good job although it does dry fast (that’s the whole point) so toward the end the polish got a bit gloopy.  I think working faster is the main key here but overall I am super happy with how they turned out. The only think I want to improve is a thinner brush or maybe a darker green for the leaves – right now they just look like smudges.

The strawberry tips with the Vinylux went so well that I ordered some additional Vinylux colors.  The Vinylux lasted about 5 days for me so while I wait for the items to arrive (stupid non-prime) I decided to attempt a free-hand design with my regular polish.  My idea was to do a V at the tip but I am still getting used to my nail art brushes and the brush I choose was too thick. I turned it into regular french tips to salvage it and I actually love the way it looks.  Bonus – the super sparkly glitter polish hides my smudges!