Halloween Art and Tutorial

I love love the nail art!  Halloween is one of my favorite times to do holiday nails and they can get pretry elaborate. It doesn't have too!

I have had a pretty good last few weeks with some of my fun clients who love the art too.  Here are a few pictures from my clients who don't mind being models!

S. HAD A GREAT IDEA FOR PUMPKINS IN HALLOWEEN COLORS

         

           A KNEW SHE WANTED MONSTERs

Start with a solid black or the darkest solid purple creme.

Use your dotter's largest and medium balls to make sets of eye whites in a white, glow in the dark or milk green.

Take your medium and small dotter balls and make pupils with your black or purple base color.....and voila!

You can do variations with red and yellow or green pupils to make all kinds of Monsters in the Dark!

Have fun and post pictures here or on my facebook page with you Halloween nails.

Valentine's Nail Art Challenge

Please join me for In Love and Lacquer's Valentines Nail Art Challenge this week!!

I am pretty excited about this Challenge.  I love doing nail art and I love seeing other peoples work. And I love Valentines Day.

*When customers come in and have a little something on their nails they did at home they always apologize and put their work down. That kills me. Usually it's pretty cute and I love that they are trying it for themselves. Some times it gives me inspiration. I love it. I want to be inspired by you and hopefully inspire you a little too, In Love and Lacquer's Nail Art Challenges.

**For my nail art challenges I will give a theme, and through the week post my interpretations of the theme in nail art designs. The Challenge is for you, my lovely readers, to use the theme yourselves to create your own nail art designs on your hands or a friends, take a quick picture of the nails and message it to me on Facebook or email it to me at shihlove@gmail.com. I will post all the art on our Facebook page in an Album for our Challenges. I will then pick my 3 favorites and a Facebook follower favorite(chosen my our fans) and feature them in a blog post and on Facebook.
Please email or message me your pictues by Thursday Feb 13th before midnight.

Without further ado, Our Second In Love and Lacquer Nail Art Challenge Theme is............................

To Heart or not to Heart! 

This Week The Challenge is to make two different Valentines Manicures, One with Heart, and One with heart on it at all.
Please send pictures of both manicures at the same time. I can't wait to see what you come up with.

3D Nail ART

3D Nail ART

Sculpted nails used to be synonymous with Acrylic nails. Now it's a whole new world or nail art that can start with you sculpting acrylic but not just into pretty natural looking nail shapes. Sculpted nails are now taking Nail Art to the next level. Acrylic manufacturers have developed slower setting acyclic products with lower viscosity to allow nail artists to sculpt beautiful creation on the nail bed.

 

 Flowers to pop art, you can find all kinds of amazing examples. Some are just subtle and surprising when your realize the design is in 3D. Some are stunning and wild, and hard to believe people can function with them on. 

But in the ever more elaborate nail art world,  Dhemere Ford and Sarah C. Awad, two NYU art students, calling themselves The Laser Girls are producing the easiest and coolest sculpted nail art in a press-on. Yes! A press on! "It seemed like every aspect of fashion was being 3D printing is being used in anything, and now thanks to these brilliant young women it's come to our world!!  Celebrities and fashion designer have using over the top 3D nail art to make a statement on the runways for a while. These girls are making the big statement available to everyone, everywhere. 

 

 I am out of my mind enthralled with this idea. Check them out on tumblr or at their shop!

 

 

 

Challenge Giveaway Form

Have you joined In Love and Lacquers first ever Nail Art Challenge?

If not Click here and find out how. It's open to everyone. I really would love to see as many takes on this weeks theme, "BOOKS", as possible. I will also feature the most Liked entry on Facebook.

Once you create and take picture of your manicure and send it to me then enter the Giveaway below.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Nail Art Challenge #1

Nail Art Challenge

Do you do a little dabbling in Nail Art on yourself or friends?  I hope so.  I love doing nail art and I love seeing other peoples work.

When customers come in and have a little something on their nails they did at home they always apologize and put their work down.  That kills me.  Usually it's pretty cute and I love that they are trying it for themselves.  Some times it gives me inspiration.   I love it.  I want to be inspired by you and hopefully inspire you a little too, In Love and Lacquer's Nail Art Challenges. 

For my nail art challenges I will give a theme, and through the week post my interpretations of the theme in nail art designs.  The Challenge is for you, my lovely readers, to use the theme yourselves to create your own nail art designs on your hands or a friends, take a quick picture of the nails and message it to me on Facebook or email it to me at shihlove@gmail.com. I will post all the art on our Facebook page in an Album for our Challenges. I will then pick my 3 favorites and a Facebook follower favorite(chosen my our fans) and feature them in a blog post and on Facebook.* Pictures will be posted on Facebook starting Monday January 27th, 2014 and Follower Favorite will be voted on Until Midnight Friday January 31, 2014.

Everyone who excepts the Challenge and creates and sends me a picture will be eligible for a rafflecopter drawing at the end of the challenge for a nail art set. *

Without further ado, Our First In Love and Lacquer Nail Art Challenge Theme is............................

 My Challenge themed manicures can be seen HERE!

*This challenge is for original, and inspired interpretations. If you are consciously copying someone else nail art you must credit the original designer if at all possible. If some is found to be claiming another's work as their own, they will be disqualified. (I will contact your first to ask about the conflict) .
*I will have prizes up for drawing beginning on  Monday, and will have rafflecopter giveaway live at the same time.

Who gets nail art done, really?- Nail ART 101 For clients

Nail ART 101-For clients

Every so often I have a client in the chair that asks me, "Do people really get nail art done?".  My first thought to that is, "Are all my clients hermits??".  I look over at my coworker and wonder if she knows hers are all gloving up as they leave.....

I know that's not the case but I think when I ask people if they want nail art, they immediately think of the long bright nails on our salon magazine covers with 3D bows and dangling Navy anchors or pearl strands.  For example:

January 2014 Nailpro Cover by Max Estrada

 

That's a lot to take in, and it's not even one the more out there designs we see on our industries magazines and even shows.  But that's not all nail art is.

 

Nail art runs that gamete from crazy sculpted creations like Max Estrada's design on this month's cover of Nailpro Magazine to the simple pink and white French manicure that your sweet Mimi has worn since your mom was little.   Most people think of the Frenchie as less done then polish but it is in fact nail art. Some of my favorite nail art manicures are different French designs.

 

  Web Image search of 'Nail Art' produced these and hundreds more.*

 

There is so much and so little you can do to spice of your nails a bit.  They don't have to be all over the place and catching your clothing.  They can be! And I'd LOVE to plan something out with someone! =))

If you are interested in the bolder stuff but hesitant to do your whole hand, find as wild an design as you could wear and do it on one finger or two and match a solid color polish to the other nails.  A bold design on the index and ring fingers only is my current favorite format.

If you want something simple start with a single swirl or stripe on all 10 nails.  Really simple on 1 nails seems like a safe idea, but usually look like you thought about it and quit.

While writing this I decided I should do a quick little project of my own for the post, on my winter wrecked nails.  What do you think? Simple and I loved it because it was quickly done while I was finding images and writing this post.

 

If your curious at all about having some nail art done, ask you nail tech to show you her designs.  If you like her skills, ask her to try a couple ideas, you two come up with, and have them on swatch for you to see next time you come in.  I'd be glad to plan ahead so much, so my client leaves in love with her nails and I am sure your girl would too.

*None of these nail art images are from my clients or myself. You will find them in the top 100 images on bing images if you search Nail Art, January 9th 2014.



12 Manis of Christmas: Day 4 My Holly and me

Day 4: 12 Manicures of Christmas

 

 

My Holly and Me

Today's 12 Manicures of Christmas manicure is a really simple clean single finger nail art design. I wanted to use some more traditional colors in some of these manicure so I went with a OPI Classic Color.

I don't wear a lot of reds because of my pasty coloring but for you.....drum roll, please......is the gorgeous deep OPI Chick Flick Cherry!

 

 

For My Holly and Me I did all but my ring finger in very winter/ Christmasy Chick Flick Cherry Red from OPI.  I used the bright white OPI Alpine Snow for my ring finger. I added 3 tiny holly berries in Chick Flick Cherry in the left corner of the tip of my nail and added the 2 holly leaves with a green glitter nail art pen. I used Seche Top Coat to seal and show it off in high gloss finish.

 

 

 

I would like to do this on a client with all white nails, or red with white holly berries and a holly bunch on the corner of all ten nail tips.

 

If you are doing some cute holiday nail art post it on the In Love and Lacquer Facebook Page and I'll add it to our Album.

Day 3 : 12 manicures of Christmas Oh Christmas Tree

3rd Manicure of Christmas.

 

 

Oh Christmas Tree

 

This, Oh Christmas Tree, Mani was done with full color on all 5 nails of OPI Funny Bunny. It's a nice opaque soft whit I really like for full set of solid white.

 I actually used a dotting pen and 3 different greens  Jade is the new Black from OPI, This is Tree-mendous from China Glaze, and Jaded Jack from Butter London for the tree I added a gold glitter start with a nail art pen.

I didn't want to do just the ring finger and felt like it was too much for all five. This was my practice hand.  Can't wait to do it again and on a client, now that I know what to fix.

 

I really love this design even though the execution isn't quite what I had hoped.

Is one tree design enough or should I come up with another?

To each their own

Do you like clean classic lines, and simple accented frenchies?  Or do you love funky bright patterns and hand painted scenes of a unique one of a kind mani?

I admit, I am easy to please.  I love simple color blocking or designs of all 10 or with a single variation on one nail on myself.  Honestly, I will lean this way with most consultations too.

I don't get paid to do my nails though and I kept that mind when I did a set of nails the other night and was allowed to experiment a little with the art. I asked if I could do a little something bright and pretty but clean and and not to crazy for work.

 

She's 20, attached and on a job hunt.  I thought this was just funky enough with the purple tips and gold lining. It wasn't distracting and the colors looked beautiful together.  I loved it, and I thought she would too. 

 

She hated it! Like seriously hated it. I was thing it looked a bit Pleasant Hill Rooster (close high school), but she saw Blue Springs Wildcats. Her high schools rivals and she wasn't about to wear those colors. She wanted something brighter and more out there, and she had a design and colors in

mind.

 

Here is her own creative idea.

A diagonal manicure in alternation bright pink and blue with black lining.

 

She loved them. I said, "They look a kind of late 80's early 90's.".  She said, "Exactly!". She knew exactly what she wanted. They weren't anything I would sport but they weren't my nails and this girl rocked them. She got what she wanted and I was more thrilled she was happy then I cared if I loved the work. They made her feel good, and I was did them. That's what mattered to me. To each their own, especially if they are going to own it like her. And she did, 'keep it clean', even her language.

What are your favorite nail designs? And does your nail tech do a good job of listening to what you want?

Hello and Welcome to my World!

Welcome to my blog, In Love and Lacquer!

This is my first official post on this blog, that I have created to share my love of all things nails, polish and art with the rest of the world as I rediscover the craft, career and art of manicuring.

I thought I'd start off with a bit about myself.  My name is Jennifer Love K. and I got my manicuring license in 1995.  I started cosmetology school, but realized I was a 'natural' at nails, and they became my obsession.  I loved doing sculptured names, nail art, and finding ways to beautify and correct problems with natural nails.  I've done competitions at shows, and peer pressured almost all of my clients into art of some type.

My husband and I have 5 children in our blended family and 2 boys at home.  I am pretty spoiled by them and you'll see some little and big boy hands every now and again, as these guys will do anything for me!

My hands and nails won't always be in awesome shape and never hand model shape, but I'll try to hide the cuts and bruises!  I do other peoples nails, throw pottery, and clean a house full guys, dogs, and other pets and do a lot of volunteer work.   Most pictures will be of either my nails, clients, or friends.

                                       The normal me, not poking fun at swatches, just myself!

I am in love with color and sculpture and indulge in both though my work and play with natural and sculptured nails.
I will be indulging myself in the artist aspect of nail design, with posts on polish color, nail art styles and tutorials, sculptured nail design, but also in the professional aspects of my career and technical subjects like sanitation safety and product review.  I will also be posting color swatches weekly as I buy and try new lacquers obsessively.  And believe me, this is all coming off a lot fancier the it will be!

　
Hopefully you will find my blog entertaining and informative.  I'm new to this so bare with my pictures, grammer, and rambling.  I would love feedback of all sorts, comments, suggestions, and sharing! I am also setting up a Facebook page so you can follow me there and here on blogspot and not miss a thing.