National Doughnut Day: Rainbow Sprinkles Nail Art Treats For Your Tips

Photos by Jackie Donut

Mmmmmm... Welcome to rainbow sprinkles heaven. National Doughnut Day has arrived!

The appeal of doughnuts goes far beyond a childhood obsession. Kids at heart enjoy them too. In fact, Americans consume approximately 10 billion doughnuts each year, according to estimates. Glazed, powdered or frosted, who can resist these ring-shaped, whimsical wonders?

Rainbow sprinkles turn doughnuts into a festive funhouse of flavor. The colorful confections provide a feast for your eyes, as well as your tummy. They kick up sweet doughy goodness to a whole new level.

In honor of this decadent day for doughnut lovers, we present a sweet treat for your tips--two beautiful rainbow sprinkles manis. These tasty tutorials have been created exclusively for SHINE Beauty Beacon by Jackie Donut, a gifted nail artist and designer. Please feel free to check out her amazing line of handmade accessories on Etsy and Tumblr.

Enjoy these delicious digits. Just make sure you get 'em while they're hot!

WHITE ICING DOUGHNUT WITH RAINBOW SPRINKLES & COFFEE MANI

STEP 1: Begin the mani with a base coat. Next, apply two coats of white lacquer on each nail except your ring finger to mimic the icing on the doughnut. Then layer two coats of pink polish on your accent nail.

STEP 2: Paint rainbow sprinkles over your white nails with shades of red, green, orange and pink. Before you begin, wipe the polish brush along the rim of the bottle to rid yourself of any excess lacquer. Then hold it at an angle by tilting it upward, so only a quarter of the bristles come into contact with your nail, and use short, quick strokes to create bold slivers of color. TIPS: Apply the lightest shades first and then work your way toward the darker ones. In addition, space out the colors to give them enough room to stand on their own.

STEP 3: Position your fingers in a claw pose with the nails pointing downward to begin creating the coffee cup on your ring finger. Paint a small white square with rounded corners using tiny circular motions. Then, for the handle, draw a thin half circle starting from the top and sweeping downward. Using the same technique as you did for the sprinkles, hold the polish brush at an angle by tilting it upward so only a quarter of the bristles come into contact with your nail. Barely touch the surface as you motion across, down and around to connect the handle back to the cup. TIP: You can also use a striper brush for this step.

STEP 4: Use black polish to design the look of coffee inside the cup. Lightly stroke the nail brush in a straight motion and then apply a small amount of pressure in the middle of the coffee line to create an oval shape. This gives the image more dimension.

STEP 5: To create the steam, paint three super thin lines with zig zag strokes using white lacquer. Just as you did when drawing the sprinkles and coffee cup handle, angle the polish brush upward so only a quarter of the bristles come into contact with your nail. Finish the mani with a top coat. 

Voila... the grand finale!

SHINE: Dazzle Dry Nail Lacquer. BEAUTY (top to bottom): Midnight Express (black cream), Oasis (light green shimmer), Citrus Streak (tangerine cream), Linen Lace (white with a yellow undertone cream), Feed m’ Fantasy (bright pink-red cream) and Watermelon Slice (dark pink cream). BEACON: Vegan, and contains no formaldehyde, toluene, dibutyl phthalate, camphor or nitrocellulose. 

WHITE CAKE DOUGHNUT WITH CHOCOLATE ICING & RAINBOW SPRINKLES MANI

STEP 1: Begin the mani with a base coat. Then apply two coats of gold polish to each nail to create the effect of a white cake doughnut.

STEP 2: For the rainbow sprinkles, layer two coats of pink lacquer over the tips of each nail. Stroke the polish brush in a rounded “M” motion to create a puffy cloud look.

STEP 3: Continue the design of the rainbow sprinkles by using white and hot pink polishes. Before you begin, wipe the polish brush along the rim of the bottle to rid yourself of any excess lacquer. Then hold it at an angle by tilting it upward, so only a quarter of the bristles come into contact with your nail, and use short, quick strokes to create bold slivers of color. TIPS: Apply the white lacquer first on each nail before finishing with the hot pink shade. In addition, space out the colors to give them enough room to stand on their own. 

 

STEP 4: To mimic the chocolate icing, outline the rainbow sprinkles area with a wide black ribbon in the same rounded “M” motion. Finish the mani with a top coat. 

Voila... the grand finale!

SHINE: Zoya Nail Polish. BEAUTY (top to bottom): Sweet (bubblegum pink cream), Purity (pure white with a glossy cream finish), Brooklyn (white-gold shimmer metallic), Ali (neon pink cream) and Raven (satiny black with a subtle silver shimmer). BEACON: Vegan and no animal testing. Free of toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and dibutyl phthalate.

Merry Macaron Manis: Start Your Own Nail Art Trend this Holiday Season with Pretty Pastry Party Polishes

Photo by Nurit Gazit

Move aside cupcakes, there's a new sheriff in town. Macaron mania has swept the country--and just in time for the holidays. Call it confection heaven!

Think of these pretty pastries as a somersault for your senses. A generous amount of ganache, buttercream or jam layered between two meringue-based almond biscuits sends your taste buds into a tizzy. Even better, these decadent dessert sandwiches come in several colorful creations--mint, pistachio, coffee, lemon, raspberry, coconut and chocolate.

The festive flavors inspired us to present playful party polishes for one-of-a-kind Merry Macaron Manis. Winter whites, noteworthy neons, mighty mochas and pretty pastels come together to make bold style statements. Alternate the shades on each digit, create a polka dot accent nail, or paint eye-popping half moons or French tips. 

This is the best time of the year to be a beautynista. So have yourself a holly, jolly mani season!

Photo by Louise Docker

SHINE: Color Club Professional Nail Lacquer. BEAUTY: Twiggie (retro green), Warhol (neon pink) and Almost Famous (bright yellow). BEACON: Free of toluene, dibutyl phthalate and formaldehyde. Vegan and no animal testing.

Photo by Louise Docker

SHINE: Dazzle Dry Nail Lacquer. BEAUTY: Cotton Candy (bright pink cream), Broadway Beige (medium tone taupe cream) and Pea Pod (light yellowish green semi sheer shimmer). BEACON: Vegan, and contains no formaldehyde, toluene, dibutyl phthalate, camphor or nitrocellulose. 

Photo by Keven Law

SHINE: Color Club Professional Nail Lacquer. BEAUTY: Age of Aquarius (turquoise), Blushing Rose (pink), Almost Famous (bright yellow) and Killer Curves (daring brown). BEACON: Free of toluene, dibutyl phthalate and formaldehyde. Vegan and no animal testing.

Photo by Nurit Gazit


SHINE: Dazzle Dry Nail Lacquer. BEAUTY: Strawberry Macaron (light pink cream), White Lightning (white cream) and Sahara (bright yellow cream). BEACON: Vegan, and contains no formaldehyde, toluene, dibutyl phthalate, camphor or nitrocellulose. 

Halloween Nail Art: To-Die-For Day of the Dead Digits

Photo by Cody Garcia

Make no bones about it! Gravity star Sandra Bullock recently got into the Halloween spirit with an otherworldy outfit. She and her 3-year-old son Louis wore matching macabre skeleton costumes to his school party. Bullock also completely covered her face with Day of the Dead makeup using white paint accented by black eyes, nose, lips and cheek stitches, and a red flower chin and petal socket eyes. 

Sandra Bullock: Superstar sugar skull look.

This type of face paint honors a holiday celebration in Central and South America called Day of the Dead. Dia de los Muertos, as it's known, takes place on November 1 and 2, and actually brings about joyful rather scary feelings. The tradition remembers deceased friends and family members with special altars that have been lovingly adorned with edible sugar skulls, flowers and other gifts that the departed enjoyed during their lifetime.

Sugar skulls inspire festive nail art designs in a scary good way. Whimsical elements that can be applied with polish include petal socket eyes, cobwebs, stitches and flowers. So, in honor of Halloween and Day of the Dead, my niece, Natalie J. Wilson, and I created several easy patterns using glue-on thumb nails as our canvas. They're drop-dead gorgeous!

Please feel free to share your own Halloween or Day of the Dead nail art ideas. We'd love to hear about them!  

SIMPLIFIED SUGAR SKULL

Nail art by Natalie J. Wilson

SHINE: Karma Organic Nail Polish San Gennaro in September (red), Velvet Night (purple) and Cobblestone Matte (gray). BEAUTY: Start with two coats of gray polish. Then, using purple lacquer, paint two large eye sockets, a triangle nose and a mouth with a long, straight line and several small vertical stitches. Use the tip of your brush or a nail art dotting tool to finish the skull with red flower-like petals around the eyes. BEACON: No animal testing. Free of toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate. 

STYLISH STITCHES

Nail art by Natalie J. Wilson

SHINE: Ruby Wing Color Changing Nail Polish Green Peace (bright to dark green), Summer Love (bright to burnt orange) and Horizon (bright to deep red). BEAUTY: Sugar skull art often features flowers, stitches and geometric shapes. To create a sophisticated stitch-'em-up look, apply two coats of orange polish. Next, paint two layers of green lacquer over the upper half of your nail bed. Where the two colors meet, draw a red line across the entire nail. After it dries, paint small uneven vertical stitches to complete the look. BEACON: Vegan and no animal testing. Supports GLAAD, Autism Speaks and the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

CLASSIC COBWEB

Nail art by Rhonda J. Wilson

SHINE: Dazzle Dry Nail Lacquer Portia's Wit (white), Midnight Express (black) and Oh My! (bright orange). BEAUTY: A spider web design playfully presents a gothic graphic look on a sugar skull--and your nails. Start with two coats of white polish, and then paint fan-shaped straight black lines from the bottom of the nail to the top. To complete the cobweb-like effect, draw arches in between the lines to connect them. Finish by painting orange polish over some of the black lines to create more depth. BEACON: Vegan, and contains no formaldehyde, toluene, dibutyl phthalate, camphor or nitrocellulose. 

FESTIVE FLOWER

Nail art by Natalie J. Wilson

SHINE: Dazzle Dry Nail Lacquer Morning Dew (bright green), Oh My! (bright orange), Rapid Red (crimson), Midnight Express (black) and Strawberry Macaron (pink). BEAUTY: Sugar skulls often get crowned with paper or fresh flowers, such as gladiolas. To recreate one, layer two coats of pink polish over the entire nail. Next, use a nail art brush or the edge of the polish brush to draw a large star-like outline with four pointed corners in black lacquer. Then, begin coloring in the look with green leaves and orange petal polish. Complete the flower by placing a large red dot in the center. BEACON: Vegan, and contains no formaldehyde, toluene, dibutyl phthalate, camphor or nitrocellulose. 

Photo by Shabnam Mogharabi

My Halloween version of Day of the Dead.

Hot Nail Art: Morning Coffee Manis

Java, cup of joe, morning mud, jitter juice... No matter what you call it, coffee serves as the go-to beverage of choice for those looking for a fresh roasted flavor fix each morning. 

Americans drink about 400 million cups of coffee on a daily basis, according to some estimates. Not only does the aroma perk up your senses, but its tasty goodness also warms your body and soul. Many describe the flavor as chocolatey and nutty with hints of citrus and caramel. 

Coffee seems to taste better this time of the year--especially on a cold winter morning. I've been snowed in twice since I arrived in Lake Arrowhead, Calif., on Christmas Eve. My hot steaming cup of java juice became my BFF as I watched the frozen flakes fall. 

The last snow storm inspired me to create several Morning Coffee Manis using Zoya Nail Polish. They're bright and lively just like their namesake, and require no caffeine. 

So rise and shine. You'll be brewing up beautiful nail art for your tips in about as long as it takes to prepare your coffeemaker for the first cup of the day. Enjoy!

LATTE WITH A FOAM MILK HEART

Photo by Nevit Dilmen 

Nail art by Natalie J. Wilson

SHINE: Zoya Nail Polish Helen (latte) and Christinna (foam milk heart). BEAUTY: Apply a base coat and two layers of Helen. Next, paint a heart with Christinna on one accent nail. Finish with a top coat. BEACON: Vegan and no animal testing. Contains no toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin or dibutyl phthalate.

VIETNAMESE ICED COFFEE WITH SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

SHINE: Zoya Nail Polish Gretchen (coffee and condensed milk poured over ice), Angelina (coffee) and Minka (condensed milk). BEAUTY: Apply a base coat and two layers of Minka. Then paint two coats of Angelina over two-thirds of each nail. Complete the mani with two layers of Gretchen over each tip and a top coat. BEACON: Vegan and no animal testing. Contains no toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin or dibutyl phthalate.

COFFEE TOPPED WITH FOAM & CINNAMON

Photo by Lotus Head from Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

SHINE: Zoya Nail Polish Ginessa (foam), Raven (coffee) and Richelle (cinnamon). BEAUTY: Start with a base coat and two layers of Raven. Next, place large dots of Ginessa with the tip of the nail brush. Just before it dries, run a toothpick through the lacquer to add texture. Finish with tiny dots of Richelle and a top coat. BEACON: Vegan and no animal testing. Contains no toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin or dibutyl phthalate.

ESPRESSO WITH FOAM

SHINE: Zoya Nail Polish Raven (espresso) and Austine (foam). BEAUTY: Apply a base coat and two layers of Raven. Then paint two coats of Austine over each tip. Complete the look with a top coat. BEACON: Vegan and no animal testing. Contains no toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin or dibutyl phthalate.

Mandarin Oriental Spa Chinese Zodiac Pedicure

Courtesy Fanghong

Pigs hold a special place in my heart. As a kid, I developed an extreme fondness for these highly social and intelligent creatures when a friend received a pet pot-belly pig as a gift. I was smitten for life! 


So imagine my delight when I found out I was born in the Year of the Pig in the Chinese zodiac. This animal possesses character traits such as diligence, compassion and generosity. Other animals represented in the Chinese zodiac include the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep/goat, monkey, rooster and dog.


The Mandarin Oriental Spa recently developed a service inspired by the philosophy behind this astrological system. On a recent trip to Las Vegas, I experienced a sweet treat for my feet called the Chinese Zodiac Pedicure ($130/60 min.). Therapists customize treatments based on your animal sign and element (earth, fire, wood, metal or water), which are determined by your birth year.


We don't show enough appreciation to our feet. This pedicure represents a unique way to give them the love they deserve as it takes relaxation and rejuvenation to a whole new level. Here's how it works. 

SHINE: Mandarin Oriental Spa Chinese Zodiac Pedicure. BEAUTY: Pick a color from a bounty of SpaRitual bottles. I selected Strawberry Fields Forever, which is a shimmering shade of golden berry swirl. BEACON: These lovely vegan lacquers contain no synthetic dyes, dibutyl phthalate, toluene or formaldehyde.

My nail tech, Sammy, begins the pedicure with a foot bath. She utilizes a soothing signature body wash and sugar scrub.

She then pats my legs and feet dry.

Next, we move to a nearby pedi chair. 

A heated neck wrap and eye pillow help me relax as I settle into the chair.

 Both feet enjoy a foil mask. 

Each foot is then wrapped in a comforting towel.

Next, existing polish is removed and the toenails get clipped.

Sammy also files the toenails. 

After the mask and wrap are removed...

...Sammy gently uses a foot file to slough dead skin.

Another mask is then applied. 

Both feet are completely wrapped in large towels again.

When the mask is removed...

...both feet are soothed with warm towels.

Based on my birth year, a special earth element essential oil is placed on both feet for a healing pressure point massage.

Sammy's massage focused on specific earth element pressure points (spleen and stomach). Other elements represented by the Chinese Zodiac Pedicure include fire (heart and small intestine), wood (liver and gall bladder), metal (lung and large intestine) and water (bladder and kidneys).

Check out this video of my pressure point massage. Common symptoms when the earth element is out of balance include indigestion and a poor appetite. Recommended healing foods: Strawberries, squash and shrimp. 

Lotion is then applied for a final rubdown.

Sammy applies it to both feet and legs.

Polish application begins with a base coat and then a layer of your chosen lacquer. I selected Strawberry Fields Forever.  

The first coat is applied. 

 Next, my toenails enjoy a second coat.

A top coat completes the polish application process. 

Pedicure sandals are then placed on both feet to conclude the pedicure.