Indigo Jelly and Texture Zigzags

Does anyone else have fond memories of playing with the ole' carpenter's folding ruler? I loved making zigzags with one as a kid. You know what? I'm pretty sure they were originally designed for kids, but some adult decided that he wanted to keep using one in his day job. Yeah. That's my story.

Ahem. Let's see, where to begin this nail art post...

Well...I once again joined the fabulous Mani Swap Circle challenge group this month. This round was extra special too! Instead of the whole gang doing re-creations in the same color(s), we were divided up into groups of the colors of the rainbow. Check out this extremely cool collage:

So, as you already guessed, I was in "Team Indigo". Being a pretty specific shade, I have only a half dozen or so polishes in my collection that would work. As a result, the limitation helped me decide what kind of nail art I could make. Argument for more polish? [Sheepish grin]

I was assigned @dolls.and.nails who has a beautiful blog as well as Instagram account. We may not speak the same language, but we both speak nail art -- so that works out just fine!

I was drawn to her Pink Zigzag manicure with that lovely contrast of sheer jelly polish and opaque texture combination.

And as it happened, I had just received my prize package from Ejiubas' giveaway in the mail. Among tons of goodies, were lots of full nail vinyl sheets. I've used smaller ones so far, but this was my first dabble with full-size ones (that cover the whole nail).

While I would have enjoyed this on both of my hands like she did, unfortunately I recently suffered a major nail break on my other hand. It was a nasty one; below the free-edge, not pretty & quite painful so my Cinderella hand is in hiding for now.

Anyway, back to these nails....

The zigzag pattern of the vinyl sheet I used included a diamond shape pattern in the middle of it (see photo further down the post). So, to try and stay within my inspiration source, I used only the zigzag portion on my accent nail (index). It didn't quite cover the whole nail - but I liked the look of it starting just down from the edge. What do you think?

Don't you love how the pink of my skin (under the nail beds) make the jelly polish look more purple than it does over my tips. It almost looks like it was a thermal polish transitioning from purple to blue, but it's not. I just have very pink colored nail beds. Happy accident.

Taking a bit of artistic license, I applied the zigzag pattern on my thumb as well. Okay. You caught me. I wanted two zigzag nails just like my muse! Mine just happen to all be on one hand. Don't sue me.

I went ahead and used the whole vinyl pattern on my thumb. I didn't notice until after peeling up the vinyl that I didn't press one of the zigzags down enough and polish seeped under it. So, I have one very thick zigzag...oops. It didn't look like a mistake to the naked eye, it only stands out in this extra close-up photograph. (100% user error.)

Design Details

I was quite impressed with the quality of these nail vinyls. They are very thin -- great for curvy nails like mine. The included instructions suggest you use tweezers to gently lift and peel them off the clear shiny backing sheet they come on -- and that worked out well for me. Yes, another reason to work out my issues with tweezers. LOL

Products Used:

Indigo jelly polish ~thumb, index & pinky ~ 3 coats 

Point of Blue by Essie from their Silk Watercolor line 

Indigo creme polish ~ middle & ring ~ 2 thin coats as undies

Evening Strolls by Polish My Life 

Indigo glitter polish ~ middle & ring ~ 2 coats, and zigzag patterns 

Sparkle In The Sky by Finger Paints

Nail vinyl 

ES-07 zigzag pattern, by Ejiubas

Shiny top coat ~ thumb, index & pinky ~ only applied over jelly polish 

Le Top Coat by Polish My Life 

***I love this top coat. I only needed to let my nails dry for 45 minutes before being able to use the nail vinyls. Although out of habit from using tape in the old days, I did apply vinyls to my palm first to make them slightly less sticky.

I chose to wear this glitter polish without top coat, but you can see in this bottle shot and in the ring made with the same polishes under the glass dome that the polish looks lovely shiny too.

And a few remaining items to note:

**Ejiubas products can be ordered on Amazon.com. The vinyl sheet I'm using here can be found in this product listing. I had previously purchased stamping plates and you can see they are well loved by the number of posts I've used them in.

**Want more #maniswap goodness? Check out the previous designs I've had the pleasure to re-create

**And, curious to see what my other indigo buddy chose of mine to re-create? It's already posted on the Features page. Ta da!

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It felt great to be doing nail art again. This design was simple to make, but really packed a punch anyway. Those zigzags are darling and the polishes played well together. Phew!

Oh. Did you happen to notice I'm trying to shape my nails? I believe these would be called coffin or ballerina shape -- and maybe when I get better at it they will resemble those namesakes. Heh, heh. It's a work in progress...I'd love to know what you think though...

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you have a great day!!


Till Next Time,
Kimett