Nail Art Wednesday: Mountain Dew, Effervescence and Loose Glitter

Nail art is usually a spontaneous event for me. I rarely think too hard about it because I have a bad knack for over-thinking to the point of paralysis. That holds especially true for when I'm coming up with my own take on various designs. I prefer the easiest methodology with the best results. The bad thing about this is that it's a very hit or miss sort of process. But the good thing is that in the event of a miss, it's perfectly okay. It's not like you spent the better part of the day doing it anyway, so a do over is perfectly acceptable. But sometimes, ambivalence kicks in and I can't quite make out how exactly I feel about a certain design. Today's featured nail art fits that to a T. Mr. J speculates that this particular design might have come about through subliminal messages I might have gotten from The Big Bang Theory marathon we did over the long weekend and the one-too-many cappuccinos I had (against my better judgement). Either way, I was eager to play with the loose glitter I got from the Born Pretty Store that I had won from a contest over at Chit Chat Nails (thanks again, Marta!!). Here's the result of all those factors combined:

A certain pop + frothy bubbles = this.

What I Used:
Lime green base: Cult Nails Deal With It (limited edition, so act fast if you want it!)
Gold metallic (for sponging): Color Club Gingerbread
Yellow with gold flecks (for sponging): China Glaze Lighthouse
Born Pretty Store gold hexagonal loose glitter

How I Did It:

Step 1: After applying your favorite base coat, apply an opaque layer of the base color. For our purposes, we'll be using a lime green with heavy gold shimmer. I actually had to use four coats for this jelly shimmer to be completely opaque.

Step 2: Once your base color is dry (adding a layer of fast dry top coat to speed up the process helps), dot some of the metallic gold on to a piece of plastic/foil/paper plate. Using a small sponge (I prefer to use makeup sponge applicators for better color placement control), dip that in the metallic gold and sponge on to the tips. Concentrate it at the nail tip and bring it up just a bit to create a gradient of sorts. Do this for each nail. Using the same procedure, repeat using the yellow with gold flecks.

Step 3: Here's where we finally get to play with glitter! Pick an accent nail or two. I chose my ring finger and thumb. Apply a coat of clear nail polish (make sure it's not a quick dry one). This is what we'll use to keep the glitter in place. Next, take a toothpick (or orange wood stick) and moisten just the tip of the pointy end to make glitter pick up easier. One by one, add a layer of glitter at the free edge of the nail. Do about two to three layers, then place individual glitter pieces progressively farther apart as you go up the nail (to the cuticle). The idea is to make it look like the individual glitter pieces are 'bubbling up' the nail. Repeat for the second accent nail and seal everything with a generous layer of top coat.

Easy peasy, right? Even the glitter placement didn't take more than five minutes. You don't even have to meticulously align all of the hexagonal sides to create the look. It's really more in the spacing. As for the color combination, I'm not entirely sure if I love it. It seemed like a good idea seeing as how the lime green base had a heavy gold shimmer. It looked a lot better in my head, somehow. Mr. J was quick to point out that it reminded him very much of a glass of Mountain Dew (hence the post title), carbonated fizz and all. As far as compliments go, that's probably just as ambivalent as I feel about the color combo, but I'll take what I can get! ;)

 Here's a look at the whole hand.

 An up close and personal look at the thumb.

If you like more bling, you can probably add the loose glitter to all of your nails.

As it is, picking just a couple accent nails is more than enough for lil ol' minimalist me.

 One last look!

I apologize profusely for the lack of posts earlier this week. I've taken to writing my posts on the day of publishing so the past few long weekends have been taking their toll on the Monday posts. I think I'll start going back to my habit of scheduling posts prior to the weekend. (And yes, Hammie approves of this.) Anyway, how was your long weekend? It was so ridiculously hot, wasn't it? If I didn't know better (and I really don't) it was a lot like summer's last hurrah! I've been trying to get more wear out of my brighter shades but I can't help gravitating towards the darker side of the spectrum. (Fighting the inevitable, it seems) Have you given up your brights for the vampier shades of fall? Do you like to plan out your nail art designs? How do you use your loose glitter?