Nail Art

Cherry Blossom inspired design. Base: shimmery translucent peachy nail bed section, glittery midsection and a turquoise/minty tip. Decoration: cherry blossoms and branches.

Spring is finally here and the sun and warmer weather means lots of fun experimentation with nail art! Winter and autumn are of course also seasons when you can have fun with nail art and experiment, but I feel more people get excited about nail art when the weather gets warm and sunny - at least here where it's super cold half of the year and people sort of come out of hibernation mode in the spring time. 

Translucent pearly base, glittery tips with pink cheetah print design and the double C's on the upper nail.

I've been doing nail art actively for about a year now, before that I would just do a little something now and then (pretty rarely though). However, about a year ago I started getting into it and realized it was really fun and a way to express artistic interests as well. 

Mint colored base, pink and white striped tips and a rose on the upper nail on the index finger, middle finger and pinky. Roses and little white dots on the thumb and ring finger.

Beige base with pale pink and white stripe tips on the index finger, middle finger and pinky, pale pink bow and white dots on the thumb and ring finger.

Ever since I was little I've loved art, both art other people had created and art in everyday things and in nature. I also love drawing and painting and at some point it was a huge part of my life, I could spend hours a day just painting, designing and drawing. Gradually everyday things, school, work and chores started taking up more and more time and eventually I realized I hadn't had the chance or time for pretty much any kind of artistic expression in such a long time and this made me really sad. I tried working it into my life again and gradually found little ways here and there to incorporate art in my life again. Nail art became one of these ways. Now, I'm sure many people think nail art isn't really an artform and at first I was a bit iffy myself, but through experience I've come to realize it can be, it just depends on the artist. 

Turquoise/minty base, roses and white dots on the thumb and ring finger, rose on upper nail and a brown and white striped tip on the index finger, middle finger and ring finger.

Flower designs on the thumb and the ring finger.

For me, doing nail art has been an outlet for artistic expression, at least to some extent. Sure it doesn't replace painting on a canvas or drawing, but I never intended it to do so either, I just wanted to have a little extra something art related in my life. I like seeing beauty in everyday things and I like being able to create beauty in different ways. I taught myself what I know about doing nail extensions and gel nails by reading, watching videos and watching other nail artist work. I'm a quick learner and I like to observe and soak up information where ever I can. The art part just came from within. Inspiration is all around us, you just have to keep your eyes and mind open. I don't claim to be a superb nail artist by any means, there are lots of more experienced and more talented nail artists than me out there, but I do enjoy it and I take pride in what I do. Being a perfectionist I also try my very best at making a design just the way I had envisioned it.

Taupe base with white lace design and baby pink double C's on the thumb and ring finger.

Dark taupe/black/gold cheetah print design base on toes, pink bow on big toe. Dark taupe/black/gold cheetah design taupe tips on fingers, pink bows on the index finger, middle finger and pinky, pink heart with little crystals on the thumb and ring finger. 

I've worked with nail extensions as well and with UV gels, hard gels, soak off gels and soak off gel polishes. Usually when I've done the extensions though I prefer to work with forms instead of with tips. I feel like tips are the simple option, as they're quick and less work-demanding to apply than building the extension using forms. The reason I prefer the more time and work consuming option is that I feel it gives a more natural result. That's just my personal preference though. 

Opaque pearly pale pink base, black glittery tips with a pink ribbon on all nails and a pink ribbon with a bow on the thumb and ring finger.

As you can see I have posted a few pictures of some designs I've done throughout this post and if you guys have any requests on how to do a specific design (either one in one of the pictures or some other design you may have in mind), let me know and I will do my best to create a tutorial for you. These are just a few of the designs I've done, I haven't photographed all and I also have photos that I haven't posted, but I just wanted to post a few to show you some examples. I hope you guys enjoy them! :)

Taupe base with white dots and a pale pink bow on the big toes. Pink base with white dots and a pale pink bow on the big toes.

Happy spring everyone and remember to smile, laugh, love and stay positive!

xoxo,
Tanja