03 October 2012

Challenge Day #19: GALAXIES

Hallo, meine Freunde! Today is galaxy nails day! This is a deceptively easy look to create, and is so fun :) You pretty much cannot go wrong with the basic 'galaxy' look, although as usual I tried to spice it up a bit. As for the technique, I just went for it based on the many tutorials and pictures I've seen of the method over the years, but this step-by-step over on Beautylish explains it pretty well. I did the basic space/nebula/stars background and then tried to add in our very own spiral galaxy, the Milky Way. What do you think: nailed it or failed it?

Click to enlarge! (outdoors in sunlight)

I really enjoyed creating and wearing this, although I'm not sure if my original vision of having the spiral galaxy clearly showing there in the middle with the arms stretching out really came across. BUT WHATEVER.

I started with two coats of the lovely Blue Year's Eve by China Glaze. This is such a gorgeous polish on its own--I've got to remember to start swatching these alone or taking pics along the way--but you can see it a bit there on the top part of my ring finger. Shimmery deep glowy cerulean-blue. Yummy.

I then used a makeup sponge to dab on random patches of the following colours: China Glaze's Liquid Leather (black), Sinful Colors' #113 Dream On (fuchsia), Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow (creamy yellow) and then near the middle of the galaxy I used Sinful Colors' #56 Neon Melon, a bright highlighter yellow. At this point it was looking pretty messy, but the addition of the glitter polish really brings it together, so I added one coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust--one of my all-time favourite glitters ever. I took one slightly-out-of-focus shot so the rainbowy sparkle was really noticeable:

Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight... probably burned out millions of years ago, and isn't granting any wishes, because it's dead. Oooh, harsh reality. But, uh... still shiny!

After getting the background together, I used a toothpick and a white polish, Ulta's Snow White, to create the basic shape of the galaxy in the middle with dots, and then the spiral arms circling out. As I worked, the polish started to dry and get a bit tacky, and it left a little string between one dot and the next sometimes. I thought it looked like the way constellations are drawn out in the sky in diagrams, so this didn't bother me at all!

Finally, because I'm insane and always have to take it just a little too far, I used some clear polish to stick on a few large pieces of silvery-white glitter here and there--just one or two on each nail. Topped off with two coats of Seche Vite to seal everything in.

Indoors with flash. Sparkly! I really like the depth on my index and pinky fingers, with the blue and black. I kept staring at these and it felt like my fingertips were little round portals of a spaceship, gazing out into infinity. (AND BEYOND.) <3


The token "fun" shot, really just sharing because I love the index finger again in this one.

Well, that wraps it up for today. Do you like these? Would you wear spacey nails?

Join me next time for le water-marbling, which is super fun! Auf wiedersehen! xoxo

2 comments:

  1. Oh i really like this one! (Inter)Stellar artwork! :)

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    Replies
    1. Oh how nice! Thank you :) I really loved them IRL.

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