31 Day Challenge / Mani Marathon 2014 (#31DC2014)

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This September marked the start of the 31 Day Challenge 2014 for many polish lovers. Last year we had two threads - one for those who aim to do the entire challenge in September, one mani a day; and another for those who take it at a slower pace. I hope that we can share our Challenge manis here no matter the pace. (I know there will be a lot of great images to be posted by those who have already started, yay!) The concept of the Challenge is to encourage us to enjoy and develop our skills by working through 31 themed manis: in colours, patterns, and inspired by specific ideas. I look forward to enjoying the amazing ideas of this group here; and hope we can motivate each other to try it, especially for those for whom it's the first time, and to make it through all 31 manis!:

chalkboard-nails-31-day-challenge-2014-blueberry-blast.jpg

Thanks to Sarah from Chalkboard Nails for this summarizing chart graphic.

I'm really enthusiastic about having those who don't or haven't yet 'done nail art' involved! Why not post the first eight manis and see where it takes you? No experience is required to participate!

 
I've been posting my challenge manicures in the "What are you wearing now" thread and I will update them in here is anyone is interested.  Day 13 is animal print.  Last year I did an awesome caterpillar and this year I found it a bit harder to come up with something.  I settled on the Strawberry Poison Dart Frog.  I used a bunch of OPI textured polishes.  For the "legs" I started off with OPI Wharf! Wharf! Wharf then sponged on Zoya Charla and OPI Alcatraz...Rocks!  I used OPI Magazine Cover Mouse and OPI Jinx sponged on for the "body" and then SInfulShine Dark Room for the dots.

31DC2014Day13.jpg

13884201572_e4d7ec2307_z.jpg

Overall I do like how it turned out. 

 
I've been posting my challenge manicures in the "What are you wearing now" thread and I will update them in here is anyone is interested.  Day 13 is animal print.  Last year I did an awesome caterpillar and this year I found it a bit harder to come up with something.  I settled on the Strawberry Poison Dart Frog.  I used a bunch of OPI textured polishes.  For the "legs" I started off with OPI Wharf! Wharf! Wharf then sponged on Zoya Charla and OPI Alcatraz...Rocks!  I used OPI Magazine Cover Mouse and OPI Jinx sponged on for the "body" and then SInfulShine Dark Room for the dots.

31DC2014Day13.jpg

13884201572_e4d7ec2307_z.jpg

Overall I do like how it turned out. 
What a cute idea! Thanks for the company here. :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 
Colour #1... Red:

Here I have a base of Red Carpet Manicure Camera Shy - much more sheer than I expected for three reasonably generous coats! - with rose and heart lace stamping from image plate Pueen27 in Konad Cool Red.

Roses on Cam lt3.jpgRoses -3 rt1*.jpg

In the first photo you can also see just a bit of staining on Camera Shy as I first did a mani with the teal OPI sheer tint on it. It was very apparent pre-stamping, but the red works really well to distract from it!

 
Colour #1... Red:

Here I have a base of Red Carpet Manicure Camera Shy - much more sheer than I expected for three reasonably generous coats! - with rose and heart lace stamping from image plate Pueen27 in Konad Cool Red.

Roses on Cam lt3.jpg
Roses -3 rt1*.jpg

In the first photo you can also see just a bit of staining on Camera Shy as I first did a mani with the teal OPI sheer tint on it. It was very apparent pre-stamping, but the red works really well to distract from it!
I've always wanted to do lace stamping.  I think your choice of red is phenomenal.  I love this!!

 
Day 14 is flowers.  I am not a flower girl at all.  In fact I am not really girlie and despite admiring other peoples more feminine nail art I don't tend to do it myself.  This made this a challenge for me.  I wanted to do something Guns N' Roses or even the fire flower from Super Mario but I chose to do something that's been on my "want to do" list for a few.  This is OPI Don't Bossa Nova Me Around and stamped Kleancolor Black using Plate Fun 3.  I did a glue base around my nails because I am tired of stamping that black on my fingers and having so much cleanup.  There is a little but not as bad as normal.  I used the leadlight stamping technique and colored in all my flowers.  I used all 4 OPI Sheer Tints and the L'Oreal Miss Candy collection from last year.  (there was too many to list!!)  I really don't like how the OPI sheer tints get gummy and stringy.  The L'Oreal polishes do not.  I much prefer them to be honest.  I don't have any of the Sally Hansen Triple Shine Jellies.  I saw them at Target on clearance but I am on a super no buy for awhile and had to pass. 

floral1.jpg

31DC2014Day14.jpg

 
/monthly_09_2014/post-93517-0-56862200-1410724858_thumb.jpg 

Nailtini in Mai Tai that I received from my awesome FGM @bellatrix42 topped with L'oreal top coat confetti in splash peach.

 
I've always wanted to do lace stamping.  I think your choice of red is phenomenal.  I love this!!
Thank-you! I thought the vnl might bother me, but this pattern is fairly dense, so I ended up really enjoying wearing it too. I think whether I would be happy with vnl could be dependent on placement for me if the stamping pattern was more sparse. I had intended to use the gel base as a way of reducing vnl but it turned out the base was quite sheer. It would work well also with a nude-toned opaque polish base for anyone who avoids vnl, but in this case I actually liked the 'true sheer' effect.

 
Day 14 is flowers.  I am not a flower girl at all.  In fact I am not really girlie and despite admiring other peoples more feminine nail art I don't tend to do it myself.  This made this a challenge for me.  I wanted to do something Guns N' Roses or even the fire flower from Super Mario but I chose to do something that's been on my "want to do" list for a few.  This is OPI Don't Bossa Nova Me Around and stamped Kleancolor Black using Plate Fun 3.  I did a glue base around my nails because I am tired of stamping that black on my fingers and having so much cleanup.  There is a little but not as bad as normal.  I used the leadlight stamping technique and colored in all my flowers.  I used all 4 OPI Sheer Tints and the L'Oreal Miss Candy collection from last year.  (there was too many to list!!)  I really don't like how the OPI sheer tints get gummy and stringy.  The L'Oreal polishes do not.  I much prefer them to be honest.  I don't have any of the Sally Hansen Triple Shine Jellies.  I saw them at Target on clearance but I am on a super no buy for awhile and had to pass. 

floral1.jpg

31DC2014Day14.jpg
I like it! The OPI base is gorgeous, and I also really like the simpler (well not particularly simple, but gorgeous!) look pre-leadlight. It's very elegant that way, and doesn't come across as girlie to me. With the sheer tints, etc. it's very festive (it almost gives me the ethnic Mexican pattern feel), and the alternating of the stamping direction is a great idea. With the variation in colour, and the different strategies for filling the same pattern on different fingers, it ends up looking like you have a whole bunch of different flower stamps that are super-unified in style.

 
Orange nails:

Gradient using L'oreal wishful pinking, L'oreal boozy brunch and topped with Essence sparkle + sand top coat.

First pic before top coat.
/monthly_09_2014/post-93517-0-24766700-1410829885_thumb.jpg

Second pic with top coat.
/monthly_09_2014/post-93517-0-18064300-1410829943_thumb.jpg

 
Colour #2... Orange:

Here are my 'before' and 'after' pics for this mani. The orange colours were so exciting and vibrant I enjoyed wearing them pre-stamping too, and could have very well left it at that. The base colours are Cult Nails Swanbourne; Zoya Myrta, Channing, and Penny; and Nubar Jewel. But I was in an 'owl' mood, and just got the Messy Mansion owl plate. The index finger has the Nfu Oh 59 flakie on it, but the overall effect of it in photos was just to make the colour look more similar to that on the middle finger, oh well (you can see the change from unstamped to stamped). The flakies glittered nicely in the sun. I used China Glaze You're A Hoot on the 'feather' stamped nail. The textured stamping (MM #38) with Zoya Ziv and Penny on CN Swanbourne (thumbs, minus the orange tree) would make a great mani in itself. Too many ideas for the future...
Oranges rt*.jpgOranges lt1*.jpg

Orange Owls rt2*.jpgOrange Owls lt1.jpg

 
Day 15 is delicate nails and just like flowers this really pushed me.  It took all day going back and forth before I decided on using some of my Maybelline Color Show Nail Tattoos I picked up at Dollar Tree.  They are by far the best water decals I have used (having never ordered any from BPS).  I think my favorite is the fortune cookie.  I used them over China Glaze Pelican Gray. 

31DC2014Day15.jpg

 
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Orange nails:

Gradient using L'oreal wishful pinking, L'oreal boozy brunch and topped with Essence sparkle + sand top coat.

First pic before top coat.

/monthly_09_2014/post-93517-0-24766700-1410829885_thumb.jpg

Second pic with top coat.

/monthly_09_2014/post-93517-0-18064300-1410829943_thumb.jpg
Double-duty is exactly what I had in mind too! I think I'll be doing it here and there. :) Wishful Pinking looks really pretty and I enjoy the dramatic gradient. I often think of adding a glitter and second-guess it just because I'm not in the mood to remove it. :blush: Sad reason to miss out on the glitter... I need to find some peel-off stuff!

 
Day 15 is delicate nails and just like flowers this really pushed me.  It took all day going back and forth before I decided on using some of my Maybelline Color Show Nail Tatoos I picked up at Dollar Tree.  They are by far the best water decals I have used (having never ordered any from BPS).  I think my favorite is the fortune cookie.  I used them over China Glaze Pelican Gray. 

31DC2014Day15.jpg
Just amazing! I really like how this looks with the grey. My favourite are the flowers - if pressed, probably the red and white one. This really is a beautiful and delicate success. So sorry you'll take it off soon.

 
Just amazing! I really like how this looks with the grey. My favourite are the flowers - if pressed, probably the red and white one. This really is a beautiful and delicate success. So sorry you'll take it off soon.[/quoteI

Omg me too!!! I did gray because I did the beige-ish color yesterday and I didn't want to do white again. I'm going to Dollar Tree to buy more. These last long. I don't want to take them off!!! There's so many adorable designs on this one sheet too!!!
 
Having a miserable mani day.  I tried to do some creative things and it failed miserably.  I ended up with this design that I am embarrassed to show.  Please excuse the excessively dry cuticles.  I didn't realize they were this bad and I had already taken it off.

31DC2014Day16.jpg

Sally Hansen Insta-Dry in Coastin' By with Konad White stamped with Bundle Monster BM410

 
Glitter day I used Laquerlicious Bling-A-Ling. I got 2 bottles when I ordered since she changed the formula and this one wasn't being continued. I love them both. I used OPI 4 In the Morning then stamped Bundle Monster BM 009 with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Silver Sweep then topped the diamonds in China Glaze Fairy Dust

image.jpg

 
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Having a miserable mani day.  I tried to do some creative things and it failed miserably.  I ended up with this design that I am embarrassed to show.  Please excuse the excessively dry cuticles.  I didn't realize they were this bad and I had already taken it off.

31DC2014Day16.jpg

Sally Hansen Insta-Dry in Coastin' By with Konad White stamped with Bundle Monster BM410
Aww, I wouldn't be so down on this one. It's a nice exploration into the soft effect of white on a grey base, and the photo does fit nine of my nails per single your nail on the pic, so the magnification is working against you vs real life!

 
Glitter day I used Laquerlicious Bling-A-Ling. I got 2 bottles when I ordered since she changed the formula and this one wasn't being continued. I love them both. I used OPI 4 In the Morning then stamped Bundle Monster BM 009 with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Silver Sweep then topped the diamonds in China Glaze Fairy Dust

image.jpg
Multi-way tie-in with the glitter idea.. neat! The textured effect of the Laquerlicious reminds me a bit of Essie Belugaria, which I only bought because you said you loved it. I love it too! I'm really glad I ended up getting that set, actually, and here it's me, the one who said she didn't like glitters much. I think that's changing, though I still use creams the most. I'm amazed by you and others who can post daily with this. That many manis is incredible!

 
Colour #3... Yellow:

Here is my next one for this challenge. It's Nubar Lemon with toppings of Kiwi, Blueberry; China Glaze Sun Worshiper (I just think of that neon cheesy macaroni product!); Cult Nails Time Traveller; and Essie Naughty Nautical.
Speckled Lemon rt1* - Version 3.jpgSpeckled Lemon lt * - Version 3.jpg

I tried to get it true to colour, but the yellow base is much brighter.

 

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