Pastel Stripes and Flowers

Guys, guess what: My senior thesis is finished! Now I have more time for everything (including finding a job and blogging).

Despite that weird snowstorm on Tuesday (thanks, Pittsburgh), it's spring! To celebrate, here are some pretty springtime nails. Read more after the jump!

Nautical/Patriotic Floral Print

Today, I have some accidentally patriotic nails for you. But they're extra appropriate because:

I'M HOME!

I returned from my semester abroad today, and I'm officially back in the good ol' USA. It's really been such a crazy, wonderful, eye-opening, unforgettable semester. The past four months have really flew by, and I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to study in England and travel throughout Europe. I've grown so much as a person, and I've made so many memories that I'll cherish for the rest of my life. I'm really, really going to miss it, but I'm also so happy to be home. So many emotions!

But anyway, nails:

I've seen a few combinations of stripes and floral that inspired me to do my own. I reached for some colors that I thought would work well together, and they just happened to be red, white, and blue! Nautical or patriotic; either way, it's a good color combo.

For the striped nails, I started with a base of China Glaze White on White. Then I used striper brushes to freehand stripes of First Mate, Hey Sailor, and Sea Spray, all by China Glaze. The lines aren't perfect, but I think they came out pretty well! The topcoat smudged my ring finger a bit, but oh well.

For the floral print nails, I started with a base of First Mate. Then I used a dotting tool to make the flowers using White on White, Sea Spray, and Hey Sailor. I used a smaller dotting tool to make the dots inside the flowers. For the leaves, I used a nail art brush to freehand them using Sea Spray.

I really like how these came out, imperfections and all. And it feels so good to be back in my home country :)

Throwback Thursday: Mint Flowers

I recently discovered a bunch of old nail photos on my computer, so I'm starting a new thing on Tooth and Nails: Throwback Thursday! Every Thursday I'll post an old photo. The photography might not be the best, and the nail art might be a bit messy, but I think they're worth sharing :) Let me know what you guys think!

The first Throwback Thursday will be one of my rare Konad manicures.

I used a base of Sinful Colors Mint Apple, then I used Konad Special Polish in White to stamp on the floral pattern. The pattern comes from one of the Konad image plates, but I can't remember which one.

That concludes my first Throwback Thursday! Hope you enjoyed it :)