Wednesday, February 22, 2012

BMW Nail Art

I love BMWs.  I have yet to own one, but I do dream of having a BMW M6.  I don't know if it'll ever happen, but I can still wish, right? 
bmw m6
So in honor of that beautiful car...
I'll admit that this is probably my least favorite creation because of how many things that are wrong with it - from the misshapen '6' to the wrong shade of blue.  Gotta keep trying til I get better at it though!    

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Maha Shivratri Nails

Yesterday my parents jokingly said I should do my nails to celebrate Maha Shivratri, which is on Monday...so I did!  
Each nail is a symbol of Shiva: bull (nandi), drum, snake, tiger print, trident.  I'm not a fan of animal print in general, but after seeing how this turned out, I kinda like it.  Maybe I should have tried snake print instead of that odd looking shape..maybe next time...

Friday, February 17, 2012

Mardi Gras Nails

Yesterday I bought a bunch of jewels and I was so excited to start using them in my designs.  Perfect way to incorporate them into a Mardi Gras theme!
Not the neatest design again and picture is slightly blurry, but still loving this new hobby. This might be my favorite design so far =) 

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

I was in a good mood on this post-valentine's cloudy day and this song came to mind...

So here's a design based on it...
B) 



Monday, February 13, 2012

The Big Bang Theory

One of my favorite shows is The Big Bang Theory.  I laugh along every time the laugh track plays and will watch every rerun on tv...so here are my TBBT themed nails! 
I don't think my work is getting any neater, but it's still so much fun.  In case you couldn't tell...
Yellow background - In honor of Penny's blonde hair
Bazinga! - Sheldon
Glasses - Leonard 
Hat - Raj
Plaid - Howard
Atom - The Big Bang Theory! 

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Valentine's Day Nail Art - Gold Hearts

Yet another one for Valentine's Day...
I was in a rush and impatient so it didn't dry properly and of course got messed up.  Lesson learned! 

Friday, February 10, 2012

Valentine's Day Nail Art - Hearts

Another one for Valentine's Day...hearts <3  
This is another free hand one, but ended up not quite as neat as I would like.  I'm still trying to learn! 

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Valentine's Day Nail Art - Puppy Love

Puppy love for Valentine's Day! I tired a free hand design for this and it ended up being easier than I thought it would be.    
Still working on how to take better pictures, suggestions welcome! 

My Dismal Nail Polish Collection

This is it...



No, really, it's a terrible collection - if it can even be called that.  But it's a start.  And thanks to my full collection of acrylic paints, I can make any color I need.  I am working on expanding it, so hopefully I'll have more variety soon! 

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

First Attempts at Nail Art


My first attempt was so lackluster that I didn't even take a picture of it.  Orange nails, ring finger glittery gold with a 50 in orange to celebrate my uncle's 50th birthday at his surprise party.   

So then I thought I would be ambitious and try something for the Superbowl (even though I strongly dislike football) and came up with this...

The picture isn't very good quality and the work is sloppy, but I was proud of my first attempt and surprisingly received positive feedback about it.    

And now I took on a real challenge and wanted a design of something I loved for filler until I did a Valentine's Day look.  So I thought I would do a Google theme (because I love everything about Google) and I found an incredible design at http://foryournailsonly.net/2010/09/what-are-you-searching-for.html. (Thanks for the design!)  I knew I couldn't come up with a simpler or better design than that, so I just replicated it and added a bit for the other hand.

Since my color collection is limited, the colors are all acrylic paints and white is Pure Ice Super Star. 

So It Begins

I am starting this blog to organize and share my new found love for nails and nail art.  I never explored the world of nail art until a friend shared this wonderful site with me: http://fuckyeahnailart.tumblr.com.  I was SO impressed and amazed with how people could create such detailed work on a nail.

My Nail Experience:
- Never have had a professional manicure 
- No nail art/technique training
- Limited set of colors and tools (acrylic paint and toothpicks for now)

Also, I like to play Tabla, which is an Indian drum, and because of how the left hand is used to play, I have to keep those nails shorter.  I am determined to succeed at both nails and tabla without letting either interfere with the other!  
Finally, the name of the blog - Tappin' Tips - comes from the balance I want to keep between these two hobbies because I love both!