Indian Flag Nail Art Tutorial!

You may know that I've been living in India for the past 9 months, and today is India's Independence Day! I could hardly do this Flags of the World tour and not include my current home, right? I figured that today of all days would be the perfect day to post it, too.

There's more to India than curry, saris, and Hinduism. I'll be the first to admit that this country is sometimes maddening, but to balance out the madness are some of the most kind, generous, and generally selfless people I've ever met.

In addition to my Indian flag, nail art tutorial, I wore a saree/sari to work yesterday! (We didn't have work today) I felt awkward and exposed all day, and have a whole new respect for the Indian women that choose to wear saris on a regular basis. I rewarded myself with wearing jeans today. :D My friend Sheba was an absolute godsend, since there was no way I could wrap this thing alone- every time I tried, it looked like a giant slate blue diaper.

At the beginning of the day- Jasmine flowers in my hair, bindi on, all put together. :D

My friend Diana fussing over my pleats to make sure they looked right :D

My friend Sheba fussing over my pleats at the end of the day before having pic taken again. Stupid things kept coming untucked.

The back view. I love the pallu (the hanging piece) of this sari- all gold and copper metallic threads. so pretty!

Spotted!

After some of the recent designs I've done, I wanted to keep it simple today. Super simple. This design was inspired by an interesting invitation fold where 4 semi-circles come together to make a cool looking center. The best part about this design is that is entirely done with a dotting tool! But wait–you don't have a dotting tool? How about a toothpick? Maybe a pin? A nail? Anything with a small, round tip can work! Easy stuff.

Another thing that is nice about this design is that it can be done in a zillion different color combinations if you don't like grey, purple, lime, hot pink, and turquoise! :D (But, let's be realistic- who doesn't like those colors?! Maybe not necessarily in this combination, but still! :-D)

I used:

Grey: Nubar Stronghold

Purple: American Apparel Imperial Purple

Lime Green: Sally Hansen Grass Slipper

Hot Pink: Zoya Lara

Turquoise: Zoya Robyn

Topcoat: Seche Vite

Disclosure: All Zoya links in this post are Zoya Love links, and points earned when you click on them, start an account, and make a purchase go directly back to you— as Giveaways!! :)

A Rebel and His Bike

Whenever I hear a certain song by The Champs, I can't help but think of one of the coolest guys from my youth. I think you ALL know who I'm talking about...a certain white-shoed, grey-suit, red bow tie wearing man who ALWAYS knew the secret word of the day.

Did you know that on this day in 1985 was the release of the Pee Wee's Big Adventure movie? How could I let that one slide by without a little nail art love? It's not perfect, the eyes ended up a tad wonky, but all in all, I totally dig the effect. I even like the suit pattern texture on the 'plain' nails!

I hope you guys like this one as much as I do! Sorry for all the pics. :) I got excited.

Who was your favorite Pee Wee's Playhouse or Pee Wee movie character?

I used:

Light Grey - Orly Mirror, Mirror
Medium Grey - Finger Paints Stunning Stilettos
Dark Grey - Nubar Stronghold
Brown - Zoya Codie
Flesh - Zoya Avery
Flesh Shading - Zoya Avery + China Glaze Mahogany Magic
Flesh Highlighting - Zoya Avery + Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On
Cheeks - Zoya Avery + China Glaze Life Preserver
Lips - Barielle Unraveled Rust + Zoya Avery + China Glaze Hey Sailor
Black - American Apparel Hassid
Topcoat - Seche Vite

Tequila!

Jamaican Flag Nail Art Tutorial, mon.

Feel the Rhythm!
Feel the Rhyme!
Get on up,
it's NAIL ART TIME!

Ha ha, how could I do a post about Jamaica and not include a Cool Runnings reference?! I freakin' love that movie. lol

Of course, lots of good things are related to Jamaica... Marley, reggae, ska, amazing athletes, the movie Cocktail (Champagne- perfume going in, sewage coming out), Ian Fleming (he lived there), jerk chicken, Red Stripe... need I go on? No? Ok. Well in that case, here's my Jamaican Flag Nail Art Tutorial for your viewing enjoyment. (I hope?)

You want to kiss my egg?
I'm not kissing no egg.
Suit yourself.

That's a Wrap!

First off, thanks for the suggestions (and compliments) for my tutorials! I'm glad that you guys are liking them. I'll do everything I can to take your suggestions and use them to influence my future tutorials! Keep those suggestions coming though- don't be shy, I can take it! Don't forget- there's something in it for YOU too! :)

I work in an office, and our dress code by U.S. standards is pretty casual. Common attire is polo shirts and jeans, though the women usually wear kurtas (a type of tunic) with leggings or salwar (loose, pajama-y pants). I often wear kurtas with jeans, but when I don't, I wear cute, work-appropriate tops. Today my top, though bright-colored, felt a little plain, so I threw on one of my favorite scarves...I've had it for years, and it made the trip to India with me. I initially bought it because of the bold graphic print and the color combination, but it's grown to be somewhat of a frequent accessory in my wardrobe. Anyway, when looking at it today, I felt the desire to do a nail art design inspired by the print of the fabric. It's not the same, but it uses similar colors and patterns. The best part about this design? It almost exclusively uses a dotting tool to make the design, I only used the nail art brush in a few places!

I used:

Brown: Zoya Codie
White: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On
Pink: Zoya Lara
Turquoise: butter LONDON Artful Dodger
Green: Sally Hansen Grass Slipper
Topcoat: Seche Vite

Make me better!

I'm sure that you've noticed that I've been posting tutorials lately. Since I'm sort of new to this whole 'tutorial' thing, I'd love to know what you guys think I'm doing right, and what I'm doing wrong.

To get a better understanding of what is currently out there, I've been perusing YouTube myself, watching tutorials here and there, and there are YouTubers that make really great tutorials, some that are fun/perky, and some that make me want to sleep.

This inspires the question...

What nail art YouTubers do you currently love to watch? Why? What/who DON'T you care for? Why? I know what I like/dislike might be totally different than some, or even most of you.

Since I don't make these videos for me, I want to hear what YOU want and like!

Leave a reply in the comments- don't be shy! The more information you give ME, the better I can make these video tutorials for YOU!

Rumor has it that I'll select one commenter at random (using a random number generator) who will get their choice of one bottle of Zoya nail polish. (sorry, I can't afford a lot right now, I'm saving up for a big expense.)

Pirate Flag Nail Art Tutorial! YARRRR!

Yarrrrr!! As ye might be havin' noticed, I`ve been postin' nail art tutorials fer Jolly rogers o' th' World... thanks t' a fun suggestion (I think she be joking) from Chalkboard Nails, I decided t' do th' real Jolly Roger!

Hope ye enjoy 't! :)

Ok, that's about all the pirate talk I can handle... unless Johnny Depp is involved, savvy?