Monthly Manicure Challenge 2024

[JoSometimes]

Welcome to the Monthly Manicure Challenge! There’s a lot of great manicure ideas and inspiration here on BIC. I find challenges are a great way to channel that inspiration, push me out of my comfort zone, and try new styles or colours I wouldn’t normally go for. It’s a great way to grow in skill and artistry. I hope you’ll join me on this journey.

All are welcome, whether you’re a pro or a novice like me, or if you have a favourite manicurist that is the only one you trust with your hands. You’re welcome to post as often or as little as you like, post late, or skip challenges completely. And feel free to post them on Show Me Your Nails 2.0 too!

April 2024 - April Showers

I’m sure we all know how the idiom goes: “April showers bring May flowers.” So let’s see your water themed manicures this month!

And it doesn’t have to be typical blues for water either. Feel free to try techniques that involve water in some way! Hydrodipping, water marbling, droplet effects, etc… Feel free to try any of these and show us the results!

See My Original Post That Started This Challenge Here

Spoiler

I’ve been a part of BIC for a while now. I’ve seen makeup, skincare, and photography challenges, which have been great for giving me inspiration, but nothing for mani’s. I love Makeup Challenge of the Week 2021/2022/2023 because it’s given me lots of inspiration, pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me grow in my skills and artistry. I’d probably be stuck doing the same looks if it weren’t for that. I know we have Show Me Your Nails 2.0 which has been a great source of inspiration. I don’t want to take away from it but rather give myself and others a way to narrow down all the great ideas from it and get outside of my comfort zone (which has been bright colours and sparkly toppers lately)

Would there be any interest in starting a challenge for mani’s? We could have a different theme every month or even twice a month so that people can wear their mani’s out without worrying about missing one. People could always revisit themes if they miss them but still want to participate. I’m happy to organize it and if people have ideas for themes, I’m happy to work them in. What do you all think? Let me know if we should go one or twice a month and any themes you might want to see. 

Tagging some people but feel free to tag others who I missed or who you think might be interested.

@RGbrown @Titian06 @itsfi @CynthieLu @ather @jaaayp @Saradestin @Mellmars1185 @WinglessOne @Samtian 

Previous Challenges

Spoiler

May 2023 - May Flowers
June 2023 - Child At Heart
July 2023 - Fireworks/Canada Day/Fourth of July
August 2023 - A Day At The Beach
September 2023 - We Now Return You To Your Regularly Scheduled Program: TV/Movie Inspired Manicures
October 2023 - Trick or Treat! Halloween-Inspired Mani’s
November 2023 - Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice
December 2024 - Happy Holidays: Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, New Years!
January 2024 - New Year Newness
February 2024 - Love and Fortune
March 2024 - Spring Cleaning

Upcoming Challenegs (*Spoiler Alert!* ⚠️ Click at your own risk!)

Spoiler

May 2024 - May Flowers

In Case You’re Interested In Other Challenges

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Makeup Challenge of the Week 2021/2022/2023 
100 Days of Lipstick Challenge 
100 Shades of Eyeshadow Challenge 
A Year of Beauty- Photography Challenge- Year 2 
💕😌 2023 Mask of the Week Challenge 😌💖 
Please let me know if I missed any!

[JoSometimes]

@peculiarzmakeup Yesss to tapping on things. My brain is like “more… so satisfying…”

Your nails are so cute and the colours are so fun! 🩷❤️

[peculiarzmakeup]

Thank you so much! I finally got my blue and green polish gonna post the look for the monthly mani soon! 💚💙 @JoSometimes 

[JoSometimes]

I’ve been shopping my stash a lot more and buying a lot less. (It does help that work is no longer near a Marshall’s/Winners…) This week is just a simple red and white mani. 

Cross-posted the details on Show Me Your Nails 2.0 

[ather]

@JoSometimes  Great mani! 

[CynthieLu]

Beautifully done Mani! @JoSometimes ❤️👌

[JoSometimes]

Thaaank you thank youu @CynthieLu @ather!!!

[peculiarzmakeup]

This is such an amazing thread @JoSometimes

Beautiful Mani! I like the idea of shopping the stash, that is such a great concept! I am just starting out my polish collection! I think keeping things organized is very helpful and planning ahead! 💅

[JoSometimes]

@peculiarzmakeup Please feel free to join in on the fun! 
And storage is definitely helpful if you have a growing collection. Amazon has a few options or you can DIY.

[peculiarzmakeup]

I definatley will! I definatley am gonna pick some up today 😊 @JoSometimes 

[itsfi]

Less spring cleaning and more shopping my stash. I’ve had these Mini Luxe polishes lying around for some time now, just waiting to be used. 

Mini Luxe Plum Pearl

Mini Luxe Plum Pearl as base with Mini Luxe Smokey Topaz and Mini Luxe Lilac for nail art

Base color is Mini Luxe Plum Pearl, a medium purple with a pearlescent finish. This one applies brighter on the nails than it looks in the bottle. 

Nail art was done with 

💅  Mini Luxe Smokey Topaz, a smoky, bronzy brown with a pearlescent shimmer;

💅  Mini Luxe Lilac, a dusty lilac purple creme; 

💅  and a dotting tool. 

💅  Base coat is Canmake Nail Hardener 

💅  Top coat is Glisten & Glow 

[ather]

@itsfi Oooo these are beautiful! 

[CynthieLu]

This is a gorgeous shimmery purple polish @itsfi it almost looks metalic. The pearlescent effect really brings it to life. ✨💜

I'm not familiar with this brand, do you have more by them in your collection?

[peculiarzmakeup]

Your mani turned out beautifully! Great color! I love this idea, and for all makeup. I am getting inspired to go organize and have certain sections like closed unopened products, half used, running low.

this is such a great idea! Looking forward to growing by simplifying 🫶💅 @itsfi 

[itsfi]

Thanks @peculiarzmakeup! This is a brand I'd pick up more polish from, and this is a color that will be a keeper for me as I'm shopping my stash.

Shopping your stash can be such a fun thing to do. For part of last year, I shopped my nail polish stash by taking a portion of the polishes I've never used before (and wanted to work through) and placing them in a bin. For me, there were so many polishes that fit in this category - an eyeopener as I hadn't realized I had so many unused ones - that I had multiple bins. Then I would shop those bins. Some months, I just made it a free for all shopping experience and picked polishes to use for a mani based on what kind of mani I was interested in doing. Other months, I'd fill a smaller tray with the polishes I wanted to try to do mani with. Some months were full-on no buys; other months it was just being mindful of what I bought, and some other months, it was a no buy for certain polish shades or certain things, like stamping plates or nail art stickers.

I've set up a portion of my polishes this way so that I can work on making my stash smaller. It's not for everyone but it's worked out for me. I still buy new polish if I find something that catches my eye, but since I have this group of polishes that I'm intending to work my way through, it makes me rethink whether I really want or need that new polish - sometimes the answer is yes, other times, no; but it makes me think about it instead of just going with my knee jerk reaction of "oh, that's pretty." and buying it. Now, I just need to work on decluttering more polishes and doing my nails more frequently. 

[peculiarzmakeup]

I love your strategy and the techniques you use to sort through. That is very helpful for nails and for makeup too! I like that you break it into sections and still explore new ones that you may love! I only have two polishes, I am looking forward to finding more yet narrowing it down to a monthly goal, on this month I think my goal will be my favorite colors blue and green so trying teal! Very neat! Thank you for your insight! I get so inspired by these threads! @itsfi 💅💙💚

[itsfi]

@peculiarzmakeup, thank you. I've learned the hard way that for me personally, I need some form of structure for a no/low buy or shopping my stash and a way to make it fun. Otherwise, my resolve will weaken and I'll just cave. 

Oooh, teal will be a beautiful shade to explore! That's a color that would look amazing in so many different finishes, formulations and textures - creme, metallic, with glitter, holos, mattes, etc. Endless possibilities. Excited to see your polish choices and mani's! 💅

[peculiarzmakeup]

Thank you so much 💚💙 @itsfi 

[JoSometimes]

Hooray for shopping your stash @itsfi! I have really cut down on buy new polishes lately. (It also helps that Marshall’s/Winners is no longer on the way home…)

That purple is GORGEOUS! 💜💜💜

[itsfi]

@JoSometimes, the purple is very vibrant. It's such a pretty polish!

[JoSometimes]

I’m usually on top of challenges but I was a bit behind this month. I just updated it with this month’s theme in case anyone wants to give it a try!

[happyskincare]

Some Valentines nails!🥰
Did these the other day!🤍  I used the insta dry polishes🤍💅🏼🤍 I was debating between this nudish pink or a hot red but I chose this pink I prefer more light/neutral manis💅🏼✨ plus since this mani was done with Insta dry polish it didn’t take very long at all😅🤍 

(only thing was I had to be quick on the nail hearts and dots😂🩷)

crossed posted on 🩷Show Me Your Nails 2.0 

Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone!🩷🫶🏻🩷