Today draws us to the conclusion of another Llama Nails Challenge - this being my second completed challenge with the group. The final prompt for the Techniques Challenge was another new technique for me, the splatter technique. I thought briefly about cheating because I own a couple of splatter stamps, but felt it would be wrong to cheat on the final prompt of the challenge when I've been faithful to the original techniques throughout. Besides, if I can make the newsprint technique work, I can do anything! Feeling strong, I created this look, which reminds Mr. Faff and I both of some kind of vein-y mineral rock.
All totaled this look was a fairly simple combination of four blue toned polishes, plus a matte finisher.
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| L-R: Barry M Blue Grape, OPI Into The Night, Sally Hansen Blue-ming Fast, Barry M Huckleberry |
Since I'd started with the palest blue as my base, I thought I would begin by splattering the darkest color on first and go lighter progressively. I'd never done the technique, and I really wish that I'd had a smaller straw to use (perhaps like a coffee stirrer) because my straw collected huge wads of polish that didn't splatter so much as SPLAT. Ultimately I was glad I'd chosen to start dark and move lighter, because it gave me a chance to cover up places where the splats had almost completely covered the nail (see middle and index fingers).
It did get a little easier to control the polish as I went along, and you can see where I ended up doing splatters of the lightest color (which I'd used as my base) again on top of the darker colors. I think those are the veins that really make it look a bit like lapis lazuli or azurite. I think I could use these colors again in a different technique and easily create a blue agate look.
Unfortunately the process was so incredibly messy that the glue I'd used to protect my cuticles was only partially effective, and I did have a bit of staining particularly on my middle finger cuticle, but a bit of scrubbing with acetone managed to remove the blue stains that were ALL. OVER. MY. FINGERS. That's the problem with blue polish, and it's just like me to be drawn to it anyway. *oh well*
I finished these bad boys with a coat of elf Matte Finisher, because it creates an almost waxy finish as opposed to the more pure matte topcoats I own. I have been doing a lot of testing with matte coats lately, and I think you can expect to see a comparison post coming up shortly where I'll break them down for you.
I've been pushing really hard for the first half of 2014, with two weekly nail art challenges that I've been faithfully completing, a third weekly nail art challenge that I've bounced in and out of, and one semi-monthly and one month-long blogging challenge that I've bounced in and out of as well. Then 6 weeks ago I joined another weekly nail art group because apparently I was feeling a bit masochistic. It's a lot and I almost lost my mojo altogether this month, so it may be time to take a bit of a break from the challenges next month.
I'd like to be able to start really playing with some of the supplies I've been stockpiling, and I have been so burnt out trying to finish these weekly challenges that I haven't really had the energy to put into the stuff that I'd rather be doing. I'm not quitting the challenges by any means, but I think I'd like to add them into gaps in my schedule as I see fit rather than arranging my week around them as I've been doing this year. Hopefully this will also allow me to create my best possible work, rather than just posting whatever I slap on my fingers because I feel a deadline breathing on me. Also there have been some short-term challenges that I have wanted to participate in but wasn't able because I was already committed to so many other places, so hopefully freeing myself up a bit will allow me to explore other avenues as well.
I want to thank each and every one of you who has been visiting me and commenting on my work. I genuinely appreciate that you take the time out of your day to come see what I'm doing and leave me feedback. I hope I continue to give you something worth visiting.
As always, the other members of the Llama Nails group would appreciate you taking some time to visit them and see their splatter manis this week, in the inlinkz below.
In the mean time I will see you all tomorrow. Enjoy your hump day!
Also, before you leave... have you entered the giveaway yet?