Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Heart Fishtails

Today I have some easy nail art for you! It's all freehanded with the brush that comes with the polish. Even though it's easy, it still makes a big time statement. I have decided that they are a combination of a heart design and a fishtail braid. So they are now heart fishtails.


I started with a base of China Glaze Wicked Style, which is one of the polishes from the new Electropop collection. Then, using the brush of the polish, I freehanded on two arches that met in the middle of the nail to form the top of a heart (which I call the heart's butt because it looks like one). I repeated this pattern until the nail was all filled up!

The colors I used after the initial base are, in order:

OPI Do You Lilac It?
OPI Sparrow Me the Drama
Sally Hansen Twisted Pink
OPI Manicurist of Seville


I really like this pattern and am excited to reuse it non-seasonally with different color combinations. I feel like it could look sort of like chevrons on a military uniform, if they weren't pink and purple, of course.

But, since it is Valentine's Day soon, it is quite appropriate that these look like hearts! :)


One thing I want to mention though is that the OPI ProWide brush is harder to work with for this particular design. Of course, I then proceeded to use three OPI colors. It turned out fine, but if you are a little apprehensive about trying this technique out, stick to polishes with thinner brushes and it will go a tiny bit more smoothly for you!


What do you guys think about this? Is the name "the fishtail mani" appropriate? Is this something you would feel comfortable trying out, and do you have plans to? I promise it's easier than you think! ;)

Share:

45 comments

  1. I definitely think I'll be giving this a shot! Thanks for the idea and for sharing, Sarah! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is super adorable, I would definitely do something like this and probably will. Fantastic job!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is so cute! I love the colour combo!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love this, I definitely want to try this out some time. Your color combo is so pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  5. so cute! I love it! and if you are using a wide brush, you could just turn it sideways so it isn't as wide :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, you do have to turn it sideways to do the arches. But from experience, the thinner brushes are easier to handle and better for a beginner. :)

      Delete
  6. OMG OMG OMG!!!!! that is too adorable! do mine!! :) i can't believe u freehanded it without using any tape!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I heart! ;) And I love how Wicked Style looks here next to the other colours... it wasn't on my wish list before but I'm considering it now.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I adore this! I'm def gonna try it! Maybe tonight even, My nails are naked right now and I'm too tired to do anything elaborate, so this is perfect :) And a good way to try out new polishes too! that's just awesome :) haha

    ReplyDelete
  9. i love this. you could even do it in more retro colors (avocado, mustard, orange) and it would look so 70s. i may steal this from you lol. great mani.

    ReplyDelete
  10. this is so pretty! <3

    ReplyDelete
  11. cute....but I really don't see fish tales.....its more like layered chevrons that I see......This is going to be my next mani! Thanks for the inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love these. The color combo is gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Love the colours you've used. It looks like my chevrons from a few weeks ago in OPI Russian Navy and Orly Luxe and I had planned on redoing those in a multicoloured scheme but your love heart bums are a great alternative, especially as I have a million untried polish colours and could try out four colours at one time, wohoo! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Really cool! You did an amazing job freehanding :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. This looks awesome! I can't believe you did this freehand. I would be interested in trying it but mine wouldn't turn out this good.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I LOVE it. Did it take forever and a year to dry?? That's a lot of layers... I'm still itching to try this one!

    ReplyDelete
  17. This is super cute! The reds and pinks go together so well!

    ReplyDelete
  18. your nails look awesome !! :P

    ReplyDelete
  19. i'm getting soooo bored of sending you compliments :) what i love most about this is the perfection of the colour combination. It isn't always easy to find the right group of colours, but this is spot on xxx

    ReplyDelete
  20. Such a cute idea! I want to try it! :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. This is so cute! I would love to try this but I know I would end up with a big ol' mess!

    ReplyDelete
  22. love the color combo but i might just try a regular fishtail!

    ReplyDelete
  23. This is just beautiful, I can't wait to try this technique with different colors. Would love a tutorial!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Love this mani! The color combination is so pretty! :D

    ReplyDelete
  25. I have just discovered your blog (thanks to what i wore) and I am blown away with your nail art! I am recently welcoming back nail polish (after years of 'nude-ing' it up) and can't wait to try some of these.

    I just wanted to ask, as it seems you do an amazing mani every day, do you sometimes just want to leave these oh so pretty nails for a week to show them off ~ they are just too gorgeous for one day! Though snaps for commitment to your nail art and blog!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! Make sure to stop by my FB page if you try the designs out and show me how they went! facebook.com/chalkboardnails

      Sometimes it is hard to take the nails off so soon after I do them, but I have so many ideas for things that I want to do that I am usually eager to try something else on my list. Other times, I work ahead and get a few posts ready so that I will have content for a few days and can relax and not have to redo my nails as often.

      Delete
    2. I understand that feeling, I just did a video last night of heart patches for valentines but in the morning I decided I wanted something with polka dots, so I took the polish off & did a completely new design. Sometimes my Hubby makes fun of me because I'll change my polish or my design so often, but there are just so many pretty colors & ideas, so I just bought some false nail art tips so that I can try a bunch of stuff on those & give my nails a break, lol!

      Delete
  26. I "attempt" to do different things when doing my manis but usually end up taking it off the next day. This is definitely one that I think I could actually do and love the look of it. Luckily, just in time for Valentine's day!!! Thanks for sharing all of these wonderful nail creations and I can't wait to give this one a whirl tomorrow!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  27. @chalkboardnails. ... Does the interpretation in @Missjenfabulous latest tutorial for Valentines Day look anything like your design. Specifically the third design with stacked or fishtail on the ring finger?

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hey check this out this is important: http://goo.gl/jL1CkQ :)

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hello, I recreated your design >> http://goo.gl/1h2i6d its not as good as yours, but I'd love to here your opinion about my design :)

    ReplyDelete
  30. Very pretty! I love the colors.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Thank you so much! :)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to comment! Please avoid link dropping and spamming. I reserve the right to remove any comments that I feel violate this policy.

© Chalkboard Nails | Phoenix, Arizona Nail Artist | All rights reserved.
Blog Design Handcrafted by pipdig