Inktober Day 31: Ripe

It's the last day of Inktober! I successfully completed 31 days of nail art and it was AWESOME! Which day was your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

For day 31, the prompt is "ripe". If you're an avocado lover, you'll understand this look. Avocados have this way of being so delicious, but only for about 1 day. Right before that, they're tasteless and a little too hard to enjoy. Right after that, they just taste rotten. It's sad when either happens, but it's delicious when it's perfectly ripe.

Inktober Day 31 - Ripe

These ripe little buddies were done with a variety of greens and browns, including Black Onyx and A-Piers to Be Tan from OPI, Jace, Arbor, Tracie, and Desiree from Zoya, and Emerald Tower from lakur.

Inktober Day 30: Catch

One of the simplest sports to understand is baseball. Batters hit a ball thrown at them, fielders try to catch the ball that's hit at them, and if the batter gets 3 strikes, they're out. That's pretty much it! So in honor of the game, here's my "1...2...3 strikes you're out" ode to "catch", Inktober's 30th prompt.

Inktober Day 30 - Catch

I used mostly OPI colors for this look: Alpine Snow, Black Onyx, Having a Big Head Day, I Saw...U Saw...We Saw...Warsaw, and Can't Read Without My Lipstick. Then for the base of the strike numbers, I used Genesis from Zoya.

Inktober Day 29: Injured

It was a long day at work, and unfortunately I didn't come out unscathed. The weather was so cold that my cuticles basically just shredded and I think I got an infection?

So I'm sorry for the horrible picture for day 29, but I'm pretty badly "injured".

Inktober Day 29 - Injured

Don't worry, none of this is real. It's all polish!

I used the OPI peel off base coat and some colors to get the infection look (Never a Dulles Moment and and I'm Sooo Swamped!), plus Courtney from Zoya for the blood. I had to gross you out a little for Halloween!

Inktober Day 28: Ride

Yesterday in Boulder it dumped snow. The skies really opened up and let loose, starting with a nice, icy layer of freezing rain that you need to chip through on your car windows and doors. And today, I simply didn't want to chip away at the 10 or so inches of snow and ice on my car, so I took the bus.

The busses in Boulder are pretty nice as far as public transit goes. The people on them mostly keep to themselves, and they're usually clean enough. But just like any bus, I try not to look too closely at the seats. Inevitably, there's a buildup of grime as hundreds of people a day sit and stand on the fabric of the seats. Science has tried to hide this inevitability with colorful geometric patterns to distract your eye from the stains left behind from years of use. And I thought that would be a perfect look for today's Inktober prompt, "ride".

So here's my interpretation of those bus seat patterns.

Inktober Day 28 - Ride

I only used one line of polish for today's nail art: China Glaze. The colors are Wait N' Sea, Papaya Punch, Man Hunt, and Pop the Trunk.

Stay warm today everyone, and if you can, why not hop on a bus to get to work?

Inktober Day 27: Coat

Today's prompt is "coat" and it couldn't be more appropriate as inches of snow continue to pile up outside where I am. So even though on a chilly day like this, I'd probably be wearing a down puffer coat, I can dream about a beautiful wool coat in a pattern I've always loved.

Inktober Day 27 - Coat

Don't you like the effect created that makes it look like real wool? I used all OPI shades for this look: Black Onyx, "Liv" In the Gray, and Never a Dulles Moment.

Inktober Day 26: Dark

I've really been on a gradient kick with this Inktober! So here's a simple dark one for day 26. I blended Zoya colors Courtney and Willa together, then added L.A. Girl's Uninhibited on top for this look. It's so dark it almost doesn't even look like an ombre!

Inktober Day 26 - Dark

Inktober Day 25: Tasty

There are A LOT of options for a prompt like "tasty", especially for someone like me, who has lots of favorite foods.

Pizza.
Ice cream.
Fruit.
Burgers.
Nachos.
Tacos.
Beer.

But probably the most colorful food I consume is in the pastry category. Or the deep-fried category? I'll need to consult my chefing and pastry friends for the distinction. But the prompt asked for tasty, and my answer is "donuts".

Inktober Day 25 - Tasty

There's also A LOT of color options for today's prompt to get the effects I needed for the delicious, delicious nail art, including:

• Zoya: Abby, Lillian, Nyssa, Spencer, Darcy, Ali
• OPI: Alpine Snow, You're So Outta Lime!, Mod About You
• LVX: Icon, Lemondrop, Mink

Inktober Day 24: Dizzy

Round and round and round...just like the wheel of time. Or the Wheel of Fortune. Regardless of the wheel, here's my interpretation for Inktober day 24, "dizzy".

Inktober Day 24 - Dizzy

There were a bunch of colors for this look:

• Misa: Shoot the Chute, Blue Jade Vine, Ripe Rashberry
• essie: On the Roadie
• OPI: My Favorite Ornament, Cajun Shrimp
• INM: Black Hole
• Color Club: Almost Famous
• Kleancolor: Pastel Purple

Inktober Day 23: Ancient

The most perfect gradient, hands down, is what happens in the sky during sunset and sunrise. So to bring life to these ancient pyramids for Inktober day 23, I sponged a perfect gradient for the sky. It's so satisfying when it's all cleaned up, and I may be a little obsessed. It's no small task, and you better be ready to get messy, but it's stunning!

Inktober Day 23 - Ancient

The sky gradient is a mix of 2 OPI colors: Be There in a Prosecco and The I's Have It. Then I did the pyramids with Is Mai Tai Crooked? and A-Piers to be Tan, which gives it a little dimension. I don't want to take these off!

Inktober Day 22: Ghost

Do you believe in ghosts?

If you do, do you think all ghosts are haunting for bad reasons, or do you believe that some are there for other reasons? If so, what are those reasons?

Do you think all ghosts are see-through? Could they be different colors? Is there any visibility to them at all?

The world may never know. Even with all those legitimate ghost hunters out there. We can only keep searching...and watching scary movies. Until then, here are my ghosts.

Inktober Day 22 - Ghost

I used this design as a template for the faces, and a variety of colors including Neon Green (American Apparel), as well as Look, Don't Tusk, Almost Famous, and 2 unnamed colors (purple and orange) from Color Club.

Inktober Day 21: Treasure

Get ready for the most glittering look of this year's Inktober. Last year I did hand-placed glitter for the "expensive" look. I did a little bit of that for "treasure" this year, around the edges of the opal stones. Then I literally put jewelry on my nails...real treasure! I believe the jewelry is from Born Pretty Store.

Inktober Day 21 - Treasure

This look required a lot of layering, mostly of some flakies I still have in my drawers by Finger Paints (Flecked, Asylum, Twisted, and Motley), as well as additional sparkle and color including Sapphire Sparkle (CND), Saint (Zoya), and OPI shades Black Onyx and My Silk Tie. It got THICK and probably would've taken literal hours to come close to drying. Good thing I have another look to complete!

Inktober Day 20: Tread

In the US, there are very certain rules and courtesies of the road that help minimize traffic and accidents. Here are a few that drivers seem to forget:

• Right of Way: Two cars pull up to a 4-way stop at the same time. The driver to the RIGHT goes first.
• Blinkers: Your vehicle is equipped with signals that indicate which direction your vehicle is going when it's no longer going straight. This affords drivers behind your vehicle the chance to break or speed up or change directions appropriately, aiding in the flow of traffic. They're strongly encouraged. 
• Headlights: Not only are these helpful for the driver of the vehicle to properly see at night, they also help other drivers see your vehicle. If the conditions inhibit your vision, it's generally a good idea to turn on your headlights so other vehicles are more aware of your presence. 

Now that we're all on the same page about these guidelines and rules of the road, let's enjoy some vehicular nail art in honor of today's Inktober prompt, "tread".

Inktober Day 20 - Tread

Today's look was made of colors from 5 different polish lines:

• OPI: The "It" Color
• Sally Hansen: Lick-O-Rich
• KB Shimmer: How You Dune?
• INM: Black Hole

Inktober Day 19: Sling

Today's prompt was a tough one! I got stuck on an arm sling, and couldn't get my mind off of it. Unfortunately, an arm sling isn't really that artistic, at least in my mind while I was doing this. BUT...in the spirit of Halloween, I thought about what a sling is for: to support broken bones. And broken bones are very on-trend for the season, so I thought about doing an x-ray look.

Then, I got tired after 3 nails, and added glitter.

Inktober Day 19: Sling

The art was done with all OPI shades: Skull & Glossbones, "Liv" in the Gray, and Black Onyx. The glitter I used is My Three Glitters from Sonoma Nail Art. Thank goodness for that, because my eyelids were way too heavy to do two more nails!

Inktober Day 18: Misfit

Halloween may be THE holiday for misfits, because on that night, no one fits anywhere, and that's why it's beautiful.

But if there were ever Halloween royalty, Wednesday Addams would be its princess. She's the ultimate misfit, and embraces it fully. So from anyone who's ever felt like an outsider, thank Ms. Addams!

Inktober Day 18 - Misfit

I used this design as inspiration for her portrait, and only 3 colors for the look: Black Hole from INM, Sharktooth from Jessica Cosmetics, and Skull & Glossbones from OPI.

Inktober Day 17: Ornament

I don't know what you're trying to pull Jake Parker. Putting a pretty Christmas-y prompt in Inktober just seems cruel. Sure, Halloween decorations have been out since May, but can't we give Halloween its rightful place in the sun? Why you gotta do that Jake?!

Anyway, here's my ornaments. The Whos in Whoville are definitely saying "welcome Christmas" with these.

Inktober Day 17 - Ornament

I decided to open a polish drawer I hadn't visited in a while for this look, so I have colors from Bernadette Thompson (Dirty Diana and Wishful Thinking), lakur (Londoner Love, Emerald Tower, and Britannia), and Tillie Polish (Summer Nights City Lights).

Inktober Day 16: Wild

"Wild" is one of the easiest prompts for me. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. So here is my menagerie of animals for day 16. I've got a zebra, giraffe, tiger, cow, and leopard.

Inktober Day 16 - Wild

I also used a menagerie of polishes for my polishes:

• Zoya: Chantal
• OPI: Get in the Expresso Lane, It's a Piazza Cake, A-Taupe the Space Needle, and Is Mai Tai Crooked?
  LVX: Sienna
  Color Club: Look, Don't Tusk
  INM: Black Hole

Inktober Day 15: Legend

Legend has it, when the full moon is in the sky, certain cursed creatures forego their human form, transforming into horrifying, blood-thirsty animals called werewolves. They howl at the moon, and when it sets, they painfully return to their human form.

We missed the full moon by 2 days, but somehow, a werewolf still emerged...on my nails!

Inktober Day 15 - Legend

The beautiful blue creme is called Simply Fa-Blue-Less, with a moon made of Sun Upon My Skin, both from China Glaze.

Inktober Day 14: Overgrown

I've officially made it 2 weeks into Inktober! To see all the posts from this year, click here.

Today is "overgrown", and while it's not my favorite look, I think it gets the point across, and I like the contrast of the vines against the brick wall.

Inktober Day 14 - Overgrown

The brick background is Sienna (LVX), with accents of McKenna (Zoya) and overgrown with Gravitron (Misa) vines.

Inktober Day 13: Ash

Welcome to another episode of "Katy Takes the Prompt to a Whole New Level," featuring "ash" as the prompt. There's this little bug, called the ash borer. It's named that because it bores into ash trees. In its wake, it leaves these interesting patterns on the wood, all while slowly killing it. Sad, but beautiful.

I took that little pattern and put it on more interesting colors (Neon Heat from ORLY and Black Hole from INM) for my design today. Pretty cool huh?

Inktober Day 13 - Ash

Inktober Day 12: Dragon

I don't usually wear duochrome polishes on my own nails, though I do think they're very pretty to look at! But, when "dragon" showed up as the prompt for day 12 of Inktober, I knew a duochrome would yield itself beautifully for the scales of my dragon look. So with the help of llarowe's polish, Show Me Da' Money!, here's my look for "dragon."

Inktober Day 12 - Dragon

I added to the scales with flames done in Having a Big Head Day, The "It" Color, and Black Onyx (all from OPI), and Paz from Zoya.

Inktober Day 12: Snow

The prompt for day 12 of Inktober is "snow." Whether or not Boulder was ready, snow brought itself in full force to the Front Range, dumping several inches and swinging the temperature from 80 degrees to 18 degrees, with forecasts for tomorrow getting back up to 60. The plants are sad, the animals are confused, and my wardrobe is all over the damn place, but I do love a good Christmas mani, so here are my snowflakes.

Inktober Day 11 - Snow

The base blue is Aruba Blue from essie, and I dipped back into the lovely INM collection for Porcelain White snowflakes.

Inktober Day 10: Pattern

Day 10 of Inktober was made for nail art. I mean, the prompt is simply "pattern". My mind was going nuts with possibilities, but I liked this retro pattern I stumbled across on Pinterest, so this took the cake for the evening.

Inktober Day 10 - Pattern

There's actually 5 colors used for this pattern, include Mezmerised (essie), Shoot the Chute (Misa), Sun Worshipper (China Glaze), Skater Dater (Sation), and My Boyfriend Scales Walls (OPI).

Inktober Day 9: Swing

Yesterday I had lunch with a friend. She rides to work early in the morning on her bike, and in the Halloween season, she's been plagued by a terrifying decoration on her 5AM rides. In the shadows of an autumn tree, hanging quietly from the branches, is a small wooden swing. Sitting on it is an absolutely terrifying figure. Picture the girl from The Ring, just holding onto a swing. Maybe looking at you through her hair, but you can't really tell, because there is no life in her eyes...if she has any eyes at all.

So for "swing" for day 9 of Inktober, I felt...inspired? Here's that creepy figure for you to have nightmares about too!

Inktober Day 9 - Swing

I used all OPI shades for this: Black Onyx, Suzi - First Lady of Nails, Don't Bossa Nova Me Around, A-Taupe the Space Needle, Shh...It's Top Secret!, and Stranger Tides. Then I topped it with the Matte Magic (China Glaze) topcoat.

Inktober Day 8: Frail

Now before someone bites my head off (a la black widows) for using a spider web as the design for the prompt "frail," realize that I do know how strong spider webs actually are. But they're so wispy in the wind and when you walk through one that's strung itself up over night, it shatters and gets caught on every inch of exposed skin. So they're frail in the power.

Inktober Day 8 - Frail

I used Danielle (Zoya) for the pretty purple base, and added a rhinestone to the abdomen of the creepy spider. The detail was all done with INM's Black Hole. That black is quickly becoming my favorite for nail art. It doesn't dry quickly like some other black polishes, so I can dip into the same splotch on my palette a lot longer before it dries up. I recommend it for any newbies who need a good detailing black.

Inktober Day 7: Enchanted

What comes to mind when you hear the word "enchanted"? Is it whimsy? Is it magic?

I certainly thought of pretty things like unicorns and fairy god mothers when I first heard the prompt for Inktober day 7, but then I brainstormed a little outside the box, and realized that something that is enchanted might come from a less positive light, and my mind landed on a poison apple.

Inktober Day 7 - Enchanted

I was also digging through drawers of polish, sorting through unused polishes I could put up as a gift for a non-profit, and came across some glitters I'd long forgotten about, like Frankenstein Spit (from Jindie Nails). That's the glitter on the majority of my nails, laid over Go Overboard (essie). On my poison nail, the base is But of Corpse (China Glaze), and the apple is Sheri and Desiree (Zoya).

I'm glad to bring out the spooky, even with a prompt that initially sounds more whimsical.

Inktober Day 6: Husky

Who doesn't love a good gradient? The seamless blending of one color into another really lended itself nicely for day 6 of Inktober: husky.

Husky dogs are probably one of the most recognizable pups out there, with their dark to light transitional fur. So I went pretty literal with today's design, and emulated that soft fur on my nails!

Inktober Day 6 - Husky

I sponged White Porcelain (INM) and Decoded (ORLY) onto my nails. Then, I painted small, thin, vertical lines of Decoded in the white base, and did the same with white lines in the grey base. It may not read exactly like fur, but I think it's a pretty design nonetheless.

Inktober Day 5: Build

"Build" is the prompt for day 5 of Inktober, and while I could have gone a super punny route and given you nails on nails, or super alliterative and given you hammer hands, I decided on a more colorful, more foundational building block.

Here are my Lego nails!

Inktober Day 5 - Build

I was inspired by a Lego set I saw recently at Costco and nearly bought for myself. However, knowing my cat's tendencies to knock small objects over into some oblivion, never to be found again, I decided against that purchase.

The rainbow of colors I needed for this look came from China Glaze (Summer Reign, Sun Upon My Skin, Emerald Bae, and Sun-Set the Mood) and Misa (Gravitron and Power Surge). Then I either mixed in grey (Decoded by ORLY), white (White Porcelain by INM), or black (Black Onyx by OPI) to get the darker and lighter shades for shadowing and highlights.

Inktober Day 4: Freeze

Brainstorming nail ideas on paper by just writing down things that come to mind with the Inktober prompts has really yielded some interesting ideas. To turn "ring" into wrestling masks for day 1 made me realize that inspiration can come from the least predictable sources. So when I saw that "freeze" was the prompt for day 4, I brainstormed, and an old YouTube video popped right into my head. Anyone else remember Mr. Chi City's guide to impressing a girl who comes over?

"Hit em' with the freeze pop!" (Slightly edited.)

So I'm hitting "freeze" with some popsicle-inspired nail art.

Inktober Day 4 - Freeze

All the colors I used came from my LVX drawer: Porcelaine, Lemondrop, Santal, and Chambord.

Inktober Day 3: Bait

How do you make a word like "bait" into a fun nail art design? I thought about cheese, I thought about traps, but I couldn't get the idea of worms out of my head. But in the spirit of Halloween, I painted some fun candy worms instead of earth worms. After all, I've heard it's pretty common practice to bait your kids to do chores with candy.

Inktober Day 3 - Bait

These gummies were done with a pretty rainbow of polishes, including:

• Essie: Strut Your Stuff
• China Glaze: Shore Enuff and Sultry Solstice 
• OPI: Got Myself Into a Jam-balaya 
• Misa: Tumble Bug
• Sation: Peppermint Pedi

Inktober Day 2: Mindless

Today is day 2 of Inktober and the creative juices are flowing...even when the prompt suggests not using my mind. Here's the design for day 2's prompt, "mindless."

Inktober Day 2 - Mindless

This dizzying, hypnotic design was pretty easy to do once you trace the edges of the nail. I did a base of Neon Green (from American Apparel) and then lined the spiral using INM Black Hole.

Enjoy!

Inktober Day 1: Ring

Well it certainly has been a little hiatus hasn't it? When my operating system decided it didn't like my version of Photoshop anymore, I just sort of quit taking nail pictures without a way to edit them. But, in the spirit of the most jolly holiday, Halloween, I bit the bullet and bought a subscription to the online Photoshop version. So, we'll celebrate Nailed It's return to the blogosphere with my favorite month...Inktober!

Inktober is an online challenge designed for pen and ink artists, but I liked the prompts so much last year, I decided to follow along with nail art. (Check out last year's designs through the "inktober" tag here.) Here are this year's prompts:

Image Source

As it's the first day of October, today's prompt is "ring". I did a brainstorming session, writing down all the words that "ring" reminded me of. One thing I wrote down was "wrestling", and that's ultimately what I decided to run with for my design. So here are my little Mexican wrestling nails!

Inktober Day 1 - Ring

These little masks were partially made up, partially modeled after this Vectorstock image. It's all freehand, with a variety of polishes, including:

• Sation: Strumming My Nails and Super Nail-tural Powers
• Zoya: Cam, Darcy, Dory, Cecilia
• OPI: Coca-Cola Red, Black Onyx

Join me in celebrating Inktober! I promise some good stuff to come, and I'd love to see any creations you come up with!