There weren't any pumpkins left. :(

Happy Halloween everyone!

Yes, I carved a watermelon instead of a pumpkin. I think it's kinda cute. :P

I'll probably post some nail art later, stay safe if you're going out tonight!

Halloween skyline

Today's post is a little later in the week than usual, but I have reason! This week is half term for me and over half term my school runs a program to encourage children to spend the week doing arts and crafts. I decided it might be fun to help out on a few of the days, and to link it back to my Arts Award I'm helping the children to learn how to do nail art. How exciting is that?! Let me know in the comments if you want to hear more about it and I'll do another post. :)

Halloween is a week away now and most of the other bloggers started with Halloween nail art ages ago, so I figure now would be a good time to join in.

I didn't want to do anything too obvious for my Halloween nails (candy corn, pumpkins, etc), so I thought of doing some nighttime nail art. I started with a base of a purple by Stargazer (number 157) then sponged on a gradient with A-England's "Lady of the Lake" at the cuticles. Then, I used a small paint brush and Barry M's "Black" to paint on different sized rectangles for the cityscape. I used Barry M's "Yellow" to dot in some windows and Barry M's "White" for the stars. Finally, I used white and the end of a thick handled paint brush to make a big circle for the moon and added the silhouettes of some bats with black.

Where's Wally nails!

It feels strange to be posting normal nail art whilst everyone else has started posting for Halloween. Then again, Halloween isn't really celebrated as much in the UK so it's not something we build up on for the whole month (except shops trying to sell sweets). Halloween nails will be coming next week though!

A couple of weeks ago I brought a white and red striped jumper, like what Wally (Waldo for the Americans) wears. When my friends saw it, they demanded I do Where's Wally nails to match, as well as a list of other nails I should do. So here they are at last, I found Wally!

I started with a base of Barry M's "Bright Red", then painted the white stripes in with white acrylic paint. This was surprisingly difficult, I'm still not happy with the lines. I wish they were straighter... I guess striping tape will have to be added to my list of nail art wants. Then, I used a small paint brush to paint Wally's skin tone with a mix of acrylic paints and added the hair in with some brown paints. Then I added the hat, jumper and face details in with Barry M's "Bright Red" and "White" and W7's "Black". Unfortunately, I didn't wait long enough before adding a topcoat so his face is a little smudged but it's not too noticeable hopefully.

I'm happy with how these have turned out, I think by doing designs like this it really shows how far I've come ability-wise. Considering I can't draw with paper and pencil to save my life, being able to paint tiny little pictures on my nails is awesome.

Avengers nails!

I don't have a particular reason for doing Avengers nails, other than the fact that I liked the film. I saw it when it was in the cinema and really enjoyed it. But then again, who doesn't love seeing 6 good-looking guys and Scarlett Johansson on screen for 2 and a half hours?

 

Iron Man is my favourite Avenger, mostly because of Robert Downey Jr., so he was the main part of these nails. I started with a base of A-England's "Perceval" and then sponged a gradient with Barry M's "Gold Foil". Then, I painted the Avengers logo with a small paintbrush and Barry M's "Silver Foil" and "Black". Originally I was going to do Iron Man's chest piece but I couldn't get it right. It's so hard to try and paint something as though it's lighting up! I could have tried doing it with jewels or glitter but I didn't have any, oh well.

Oreo nails!

Okay, I'm back. Finally! I think the whole light situation is sorted now (fingers crossed). I brought a light tent and some lamps from Ebay, as well as a super bright bulb which should mean I'll be able to get some half decent pictures now.

Anyway, today's nails kind of have a story behind them. At college I do a subject called Communication and Culture, which we shorten to C&C. One of my friends pointed out that C&C can also stand for Cookies and Cream (aka, Oreos) which we all thought was awesome. So now, instead of saying I have a C&C lesson next, it's officially called Oreos between me and my friends. I suppose it makes school work just a little more fun. Here they are:

 

Sorry for the awkwardness of these pictures, I was too busy concentrating on getting a picture to notice what my hands were doing!

For these, I started with a base of Maybelline My Varnish's "Gemey Paris". Honestly, I've never used that brand before (I stole it from my sister, shh) but I was impressed, it went on amazingly. Especially since it's been lying sideways on a desk for god knows how long. After that, I sponged some of Rimmel's "Aqua Cool" in the middle of the nail. To finish, I added some milk splats to the tips of my nails with the end of a paintbrush and Barry M's "White" then painted in the details with a small brush and Barry M's "Black" and "White", a dark brown by Miss Sporty which doesn't have a name, and Rimmel's "Aqua Cool" mixed with a little of Max Factor's "Candy Blue".

I'm really happy with how these came out, I didn't think I'd be able to paint the logo as neatly as I'd managed to. I think it's definitely helped that I brought some nail art brushes, the long thin ones are so amazing for painting little tiny details!