Shellac Layering - Rose Bud and Strawberry Smoothie

One of my clients wanted to try out the layering options with Shellac as she could not decide on what colour she wanted. She has used Strawberry Smoothie and loved it, but wanted something a little different.  We went for one layer of Rosebud and one layer Strawberry SMoothie.

I think this is a great colour combination, and adds some depth to a very light colour!  I am not always good at layering as I find sometimes it can be a little streaky or nails are slightly different colours - this however works very well and very easy to achieve.

How do you get on with your layering?

Claire xxx

Shellac Nail Art Tutorial - Sponging and Free Hand - Silver Chrome & Asphalt

I was bored last Sunday and had a chance to play around with a couple of effects and the new gel paints!! I have been wanting to try using a makeup sponge as i like the fading effect and subtlety.  I used the gel paints the Sam Biddle Gel Paints that are really fantastic to try some free hand lines with a fine brush.

So, this is what I used and how I did these nails:

I used Shellac, Gel Paint and fine nail art brushes

Apply base and colour, curing as directed.

Apply a lighted colour to a makeup sponge.  Here I have cut up a large one but you can get small ones. I actually think something which is not so compact in structure might work better.

Dab on the colour where you want it and cure.

Using a fine brush apply the gel paint as you like.  I found the tip of using a pad moistened with isopropyl alcohol helpful for neatening up the lines.

I found the gel paint really manageable, it did not run, and i did all five nails without needing to cure.  When you are happy with your design, cure.

Apply top coat, remove inhibition layer and apply oil.

I hope that you like these.  Have you tried using a sponge to apply gel polish, or lacquer?

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!!!

Claire xxx