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

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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

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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!)

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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!

[CynthieLu]

Totally beachy @JoSometimes 🙂

[JoSometimes]

Thanks @CynthieLu! 🏖️

[CynthieLu]

I was going for sandy beach in the sun with this 🌞 💙

[jaaayp]

@CynthieLu sandy beach! I totally see it!! 👀 🥰

[JoSometimes]

@CynthieLu It’s like where the waves meet the sand. Is that a Clionadh polish?

[CynthieLu]

Essie on my thumb and Clionadh on the others @JoSometimes all with a matte top coat 🙂

[JoSometimes]

Wow @CynthieLu, Essie matches pretty closely with the yellow-tan hues of the Clionadh polish. 

[itsfi]

August 2023 - Day at the Beach b🏖

Summer weather doesn't really come to play until late in the season, sometimes not until after it's officially autumn, with the temperatures generally heating up for a few days at a time, in August, September and October. 

I started with a different idea for this month's beach theme but it didn't quite turn out how I wanted so I made a sight pivot and went with this blue ombre mani that, if you squint just so, can look a little like the water or waves at the beach. 😉 🌊 

Zoya Purity, a white creme with a slight glossy finish, one thin coat as a base color for the ombre

Jin Soon Aero, a bright baby blue creme

OPI Ring in the Blue Year, a pretty cobalt blue creme polish

China Glaze Can You See Me?, a clear base filled with baby blue, navy blue, aqua, white and pink holographic glitters

[jaaayp]

This is so cute @itsfi !!! I actually bought some sponges to create this ombre look as well but I got a little lazy 🤣 how did you get the ombre? 🤔

[itsfi]

Thank you @jaaayp! Ombre nails are fun to do. For this one, I did thin layers of the Jin Soon color and then let that dry. Then on my sponge, I applied a stripe of that same Jin Soon color and the OPI polish, two layers and then dabbed it on the nails - rinse and repeat that process until I go the look I wanted. I ended up just doing 2 layers for most of the nails, 3 for my thumb. Let that dry.

Then I applied the China Glaze - I found it easier to just stipple the polish over parts of the nail, rather than apply it like a regular coat of polish; it let me disperse the glitters more easily and kept all the polish from getting too thick. It sounds like it took longer than it did; this ombre was the fastest one I've done compared to ones in the past. 

[jaaayp]

Whaaaaa @itsfi it sounded like a lot of work! Esp considering the dry time in between?!?! I shall try and let you know if what I'll do is worth 🤣 are you also getting polish everywhere from the sponge and cleaning up the edges?!?!

[itsfi]

@jaaayp, I'm so sorry for the delay; I missed your post and am just now seeing it. The first few times, it took a while for me to do an ombre - that was more to do with the user and it being new to doing an ombre mani. Now, it doesn't take me long at all. Dry time isn't so bad either, depends on the polish. I usually start with my pinky nail and by the time I'm done with a pass on my thumb, I can easily go in for another coat on my pinky nail. 

I've used liquid latex tape before and that helps with the amount of clean up, especially with the first few times I've used it. Now though, I am just more careful with placement and how tightly I hold a wedge sponge - I'll cut the sponge to better fit the shape of my nail, which I found helps with not getting polish all over. I've also cleaned up along the way, which allows more time for the polish on the other nails to dry. 

With this mani, I used a sponge tool, which I've found to provide me better placement of color for the ombre effect; and it's so much easier for cleaning up the edges because the sponge is small enough width-wise and the handle makes it easier to maneuver that I can do an ombre with much clean up, except sometimes along the cuticle if I'm not careful. 

Here's what the sponge tool looks like: 

You can buy the tool and replacement heads on amazon. They do have to be replaced but I can get a couple to a few ombre mani's out of them, if I treat them extra well. 

[JoSometimes]

@itsfi I love this ombré! I get tidal pool vibes from it. I’m half excepting a crab or sea star to peak out somewhere. 

[itsfi]

@JoSometimes, thank you. lol, pretty sure any attempt at a crab design would be more in the vein of abstract nail art. Not sure if I can pull off a sea star free hand, but I may give it a try; it's a fun idea.

[CynthieLu]

Your pivot turned out beautifully @itsfi! You captured the feel of the water with this one. 🩵🤍💙 

[itsfi]

@CynthieLu, thank you! 😀 If my drawing skills and hands are steady enough, I might (and it’s a big night) try drawing a jellyfish or fish onto a nail. Or stamp one, but my stamping efforts have not turned out so well of late, so we shall see. 

[PrettyPaint]

That totally reminds me of the ocean @itsfi. So pretty!

[itsfi]

Awww, thank you so much for those encouraging words, @PrettyPaint! 😃 It turned out better than I hoped. 

[Mellmars1185]

@itsfi Beautiful beach wave 🌊 mani! 

[itsfi]

@Mellmars1185, thank you. I’ll keep working on my original plan to see if I can come up with a better executed version of it. 

[Titian06]

Very pretty, @itsfi ! 🏖🌊