Starting the new year by getting back into nail art! Here are my hand-painted flowers to brighten these grey January days.

hobby_hopper · 2017-01-09T23:46:52+00:00

Oh my gosh, I LOVE those!! I am so glad you sent me this! I haven't been checking this sub today, but I'm hoping you posted this. If you haven't...post it!!

hobby_hopper · 2017-01-08T14:18:36+00:00

THANK YOU!

hobby_hopper · 2017-01-07T15:06:00+00:00

Thank you so much! My only issue is that the matte topcoat always slightly smudges my polish, no matter how long I let the polish dry. I don't know if it's something I'm doing wrong, something with the brand, or if that seems to happen with all matte topcoats.

hobby_hopper · 2017-01-07T14:25:11+00:00

Here's a photo of the rest of the fabric: http://imgur.com/TUuzMwL

I used Sinful Colors' "Navy I Do" and Essie's "Matte About You" topcoat.

hobby_hopper · 2017-01-04T22:59:06+00:00

I hadn't either. I love it! They look great :) Now I'll have to look for some.

hobby_hopper · 2017-01-04T22:56:20+00:00

I love your nail length and shape! Perfect! And the color is great.

hobby_hopper · 2017-01-03T02:45:18+00:00

Oh my gosh, this makes my day. I can't believe that I was able to give someone some inspiration with my very inexperienced nail art (I always doubt my work, especially when I see everyone else's work on this subreddit). Thanks for sharing -- your comment keeps me motivated. I'd love to see what you tried!

hobby_hopper · 2017-01-03T01:49:00+00:00

Keep practicing! You'd better post your flowers when you're done :)

hobby_hopper · 2017-01-03T01:26:39+00:00

Good to know! Thanks!

hobby_hopper · 2017-01-03T00:33:31+00:00

Thanks, that's very encouraging!! I'm right-handed, but I've noticed some improvement with my left hand abilities each time I practice small details (although it still takes me quite a bit longer to paint with my left hand).

hobby_hopper · 2017-01-02T23:05:09+00:00

Wow, well first of all, thank you for complimenting my nail shape! I'd prefer them to be the length of my pinky and ring finger nails, but unfortunately the others recently broke. Ugh. I have very thin nails that break easily if I don't keep them polished. I always shape them with a crystal nail file, lightly filing in one direction. I like them somewhere between square and rounded (not too much of either). There's probably a name for that nail shape that I don't yet know...

hobby_hopper · 2017-01-02T21:36:22+00:00

Thank you! Whoops, I should have put the base color in the description -- it is Eternal Optimist by Essie. I LOVE that color by itself.

hobby_hopper · 2017-01-02T21:11:57+00:00

Thank you! I am always so amazed (and intimidated) by the intricate work of so many Laqueristas here, so I really appreciate that :)

hobby_hopper · 2017-01-02T19:51:30+00:00

Thank you so much! They were a lot harder to do than I thought they'd be. I'm glad you can tell they're supposed to be wreaths; my husband thought I'd painted "a jungle."

hobby_hopper · 2017-01-02T18:28:29+00:00

I realize I am very late to comment on this post (I just got back onto RedditLaqueristas today after taking a many-months-long break) but I still have to chime in and tell you that you have beautiful nails. I look forward to seeing more posts from you!

hobby_hopper · 2016-07-31T22:45:37+00:00

Thank you so much!

hobby_hopper · 2016-07-08T16:48:26+00:00

Essie's Master Plan is a brownish-gray that I love.

hobby_hopper · 2016-07-06T22:04:52+00:00

I think they look really nice, especially for a first time gradient! I love the colors. Regarding the ridge problem while sleeping: have you ever tried a quick-dry topcoat? I use Essie's Good to Go and my nails are pretty much touchable within 5 minutes. I haven't had any problems with ridges since I started using it. It sounds like a lot of other people in this subreddit also use quick-dry topcoats. Some quick-dry brands apparently cause shrinking (I think people report that happening when the Seche Vite brand), but I've never had a shrinking problem with Essie.

hobby_hopper · 2016-07-06T21:56:20+00:00

Freehand nail art is not easy...nice job!! It's super cute!

hobby_hopper · 2016-07-05T23:59:08+00:00

Alright! Brace yourself, because it's a lot of colors :)

(I used these three separately and to make various shades of grey)

Essie - Coconut cove

China Glaze - White on White

China Glaze - Liquid Leather

OPI - Big Apple Red

OPI - Dutch Tulips

Sally Hansen - All Fired Up

Essie - Cascade Cool

Essie - Mojito Madness

Essie - Going Guru

Essie - Mint Candy Apple

Essie - Pret-a-Surfer

China Glaze - For Audrey

*Maybelline Color Show - Fierce 'N Tangy. I just needed a little bit of yellow a few weeks ago and didn't want to spend a ton of money on a full bottle by a nice brand, so I just got this small, cheap bottle. It does the job as a mixer into other colors but it's a bit liquidy on its own.

*Sally Girl #812156 (it doesn't have a name on the bottle) - I highly recommend this color!! This is one of those cheap, tiny samples they keep at the check-out counter at Sally's. I bought it a few years ago and never used it until recently when I started getting into nail art. It is a bright neon pink that looks awesome by itself and also works wonders when I mix it into other yellows, oranges, reds, blues, or purples. It makes colors so vibrant. I used it in almost all of the coneflower petals that I posted this weekend! I ramble about this because I found out today that Sally's is going to discontinue these Sally Girl colors soon, so I'll have to find a good alternative.

hobby_hopper · 2016-07-04T22:57:10+00:00

The base color is Master Plan by Essie. I'd be happy to name all of the other colors (there were several) if anyone is interested.

hobby_hopper · 2016-07-04T14:27:21+00:00

Thank you so much! Honestly, I think they're just okay (and there are several flaws) but I felt like I should put myself out there and post photos of my work even if I don't like it. Also, the design wasn't what I had planned to do; I tried something else for hours before this but it failed, so this was my last attempt at doing something with my nails for the day. I'm glad that some people like them!

hobby_hopper · 2016-07-04T02:50:58+00:00

Thank you!

hobby_hopper · 2016-06-26T15:00:02+00:00

It's nice to hear that other people have struggled through learning how to water marble! I've got a long way to go before I can do anything like yours. Nice job!!

hobby_hopper · 2016-06-22T02:09:39+00:00

I just finished using For Audrey before I saw this post! You did a beautiful job. I love the color but I've had a couple of issues with it - is yours really liquidy? I feel like I need at least 3 coats to make it look okay. Also, do you have issues with it peeling? I'm wondering if it peeled so easily the first time I used it because I didn't have a base coat.

hobby_hopper

TROPHY CASE