{Mad About Nails} Ladybug Nail Art for my NYC Trip!

I've had quite a few people comment on my nails in the past ask what I was using or wish I'd done a close-up so they could see better, etc., etc., and had a realization: Why not do a feature on nail polish? It's not book-related (Unless you're wearing the new HUNGER GAMES-inspired line from China Glaze, but I'm not even going into how wrong that is...), but it's fun. Plus, if I do this feature, I'll be more likely to re-paint my nails this week and less likely to let them chip their way to the bare bones (which would mean that I could see my nails...and if I see them, I want to bite them!).

Welcome back to another edition of Mad About Nails! 

I was lucky enough to spend much of this past week in New York City hanging out with some beloved friends that live in Canada and Washington, D.C.

To celebrate, I wanted to have fun nails!

I decided to go through my Pinterest board for inspiration, and then I remembered that I've been wanting to do lady bug nails for the past couple of summers and never get around to it. AND ladybugs are lucky, so...!

I took the following pictures in Central Park! 

This is the bench we sat on to eat lunch. We chose the bench because we loved the engraved plaque, and I decided to take my nail pictures with said plaque.

(You can also see a little bit of my playful Alice in Wonderland jewelry that I was wearing for the occasion! ^.~)

I took these pictures on Tuesday, and I painted my nails on Saturday before my trip, so there's a little wear and tear, and they're starting to grow out, but...

Here you go!

Left Hand:

Right Hand:

For my Base Coat/Top Coat:

I started off with a basecoat of Sally Hansen "Miracle Cure" Strengthener. My nails are breaking and splitting right now, so I'm trying to strengthen them again!



I finished the base color off with a top coat of HK Girl Fast Drying & Super Shiny Clear Top Coat.  I'm always frustrated when I spend a lot of time on nail art, only to have my top coat smear the design. If I ignore a top coat completely, the polish chips away and doesn't last as long. Lose/Lose. The nail community has been chatting up the HK Girl, so I decided to go ahead and buy a bottle off their website last month. There was no smearing!!! The top coat added great shine, and my nails weren't cheaping even at the end of my trip on Thursday, almost a week after I'd put on the top coat! (Except for the nail I broke, but that's my own fault and not the top coat's!)

For my base color:

First, I painted all of my nails with Wet n Wild Wild Shine "French White Crème." It's a cheap white, so I can use it  without reserve, unlike some of my pricier whites. You don't even see this color on the nail. I used it as a basecoat to make the red that was my REAL base coat brighter! A white base makes a neon color pop more!

For my red base, I chose China Glaze "Igniting Love" from the retired Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away Collection. The red isn't as strong as other reds I own, but it leans brighter/more neon, and a black design stands out better against the color than when I attempt to do the same thing against a dark red.

For my design:

I did the black dots with Sally Hansen "Black" from the i ❤ Nail Art Striper line, available in stores now. I think I got mine at Target or CVS! I used this for my black line, the black ladybug heads, and my black dots. I also did a little touch up at times with a dotting tool. For the eyes, I used a dotting tool and Zoya "Purity" to make two white dots atop each nail, then used the smaller side of the dotting tool and my striper to make a black dot inside each white dot. Voila, eyes!

They were a lot of fun, and I'm glad I did something so playful for my trip!

 Is anyone else obsessed with nail polish? What are you wearing right now?