Nail Art Wednesday: Halloween Nails! Ghost, Skull, Frankenstein's Monster, Jack o' Lantern and Mummy

The title is a mouthful, I know. But because I only do nail art posts once a week and with the October Birthdays series, I couldn't do Halloween themed nail art leading up to it. Oh no! There was so much I wanted to try! I wasn't going to make it for Halloween! The solution: cram them all in one post on the first Wednesday in November and call it Halloween Nails. *toothy grin*

Beware the Claw!!!

What I Used and How I Did It:
(I'll do a break down per finger/design so it's easier.)

Thumb: Ghost and Bats
Black base: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out
Silver stamping polish: Rimmel Lasting Finish Pure Silver
Stamps: BM 213 and BM 223
Top coat: China Glaze Ghoulish Glow

First, I painted the base black then stamped the ghost using the silver from BM plate 223 on one side and bats from BM plate 213 on the other. Then, I topped it off with Ghoulish Glow and top coat.

Index: Skull
Grey base: OPI Give Me the Moon!
Black: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out

I first did the the base of grey with blue shimmer. Then I drew the eyes, nose (cavity?) and tried to shape the jaw area. This was a little tricky so I ended up going over the parts I put too much black on with the grey. The grey was a little sheer though so it couldn't cover up the mistakes completely. I was trying to go for the Punisher skull but it ended up looking more alienesque than bad-ass. Don't forget to top with top coat to protect the design.

Middle: Frankenstein's Monster
Green: Revlon Garden (from Spring 2011 mini set)
Black: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out
White: Wet n Wild French Creme White

First, the green base for the skin. Then draw in the hair close to the cuticle with black using a detail paintbrush (or a striper brush, whichever you prefer), as well as the mouth closer to the free edge of your nail. Using the other end of the brush as a dotting tool, I dipped it in the white to make the eyes. Finalize with black dots for pupils using a toothpick  (or your brush if you have a steady hand) and top coat to seal all your hard work.

Ring: Jack o' Lantern
Orange: NYC In a New York Minute Spring Street
Black: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out

This was another easy one. The orange base goes on first. Then using the black and a detail paintbrush, paint on black triangles for eyes and the mouth. I only managed to do the two top teeth but you can do as much detail as you want. I also didn't actually want it to look like it was skewed to the right, but it actually worked out well. The trick is to make sure you get the top part to match where the face is leaning towards and create a round shape with shadow. Black out the area that will be the shadow part accordingly to give you the rounded look and the top part of the pumpkin. Then, apply top coat to finish it off.

Pinky: Mummy
Black: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out
White: Wet n Wild French Creme White
The white base goes on first. Then draw black lines with a striper brush (or a detail paintbrush). These can be crisscrossing but try to mimic the look of bandages. Black out an area for the eyes and using a dotting tool (or the other end of my paintbrush), make two white dots that intersect partly to make something like a horizontal "8". Finish it off with black dots on the white for the pupils and top with top coat.

***Also, one important thing to make sure of is that each layer is dry before proceeding to the next to make sure your design stays intact. Wait a bit in between doing the layers to allow a bit of drying time, especially if it's a particularly thick one.

I like how the ghost and bats on the thumb actually appear..ghostly! Now you see them..

Now you don't! It's all in the angle and I was really surprised how cool it turned out.

With a pirate skull..

Hammie says: Ooooh. Skuuuull.

One last look!

So there you have it: 5 different designs in one post! Whew. That really was a mouthful! I forgot to take a photo of the thumb in the dark though (Hammie says: Booo.). It turned out really cool, too, since the ghost and bats stamps show up dark against the glow in the dark of Ghoulish Glow. Also, the best way to get maximum glow is to place the nail near a bright light before plunging it in darkness, as with most glow in the dark items.

Which one is your favorite design? Would you actually wear a manicure with 5 different designs of the same theme or is it too busy for you? How's the candy haul from Halloween?

Hammie's Note: Kelly from Vampy Varnish was kind enough to feature this mani in a post yesterday along with a whole bunch of other amazing Halloween inspired nails and makeup. (The zombie/skeleton girls were our fave!) Thanks again, Kelly! :D