Nails and Ales

I love beer and I love nail art. This is where I combine them for a pleasurable experience. Sometimes the beer inspires the nail art, sometimes the nail art inspires the beer.

Disclaimer: I am in no way an expert On either of these subjects. This is strictly for fun so take a deep breath and enjoy!
Jester Mani w/ Brugse Zot Belgian Ale Nails: All I have to say after this one is PHEW. I used an old technique for this design that I learned back in my days working at Jenniffer and Co. and I’ve provided some step-by-step pics so you can see exactly what I did. First, I used Wet ‘n Wild in Red Red (yes, Wet ‘n Wild) as a base color. Then, I cut off 3 strands of hair. My hair is pretty thin so I could’ve used more. Depending on the line thickness you’re looking for and how thick your hair is, use less or more strands. Then, I taped them to the non-bristle end of a paintbrush. Trim the hairs so that they are all the same length and they are about 3/4 in. long.  This is an awesome way to draw extremely thin, straight lines on your nails. Super simple too. Next, I dipped the hairs into Color Club’s Disco Nap polish (which I received in my Birchbox this month! It’s a REALLY great gold color). Make sure the polish is evenly distributed on your “brush”. Then, place the tip of the hair where you want your line to begin and lay the hair onto your nail in the direction you want your line to go. Just drag the brush along your nail as you roll your nail is the opposite direction of your brush. Let the hair and polish do the work here. Here’s my outlined checkerboard:  Next, I colored in the boxes using a nice small paintbrush. Topped with Seche Vite and viola! Easy, right? Riiiight.  Ale: Ah Belgian Ales…never been a huge fan. I only drink them when I’m sitting in a German beer hall and I can find nothing other than wheat beer to drink. But alas, I was looking through the beer selection at Bierkraft last night and the jester stood out amongst the sea of brown and black labels surrounding it. This beer comes from De Halve Maan Brewery in Bruges, Belgium and the bottle states that the people of Bruges are known as “Brugse Zotten” (Bruges fools”) I hope these nails don’t make me look like one too.  As soon as I cracked this one open I was a bit concerned, as the bottlecap had rusted to the top of the bottle. Then I poured it into my glass the glass immediately swelled with head, like I have never seen before. See exhibit A:  (yes, the beer was poured properly) Again, I became a bit concerned. I’m going to go ahead and guess that I wasn’t drinking the freshest beer…hey, it did travel quite a way to get here. Eh, I drank it anyway. Initial tastes are not that pleasant. When the beer is nice and cold it has a really harsh metallic flavor, along with all the wheat beer characteristics that I don’t like anyway. BUT, once it’s been out for about 10 minutes the flavors become quite pleasant. I actually find most beers to be at their peak flavor about 7-10 minutes out of the fridge. (Exceptions: Bud Light, Miller Lite, Nattie, Molson, you get what I’m saying. These beers are best drunk upside-down anyway).  Once warmed a bit, Brugse Zot became a lot softer. The initial taste still had a bit of a spicy kick to it, but the aftertaste melted on the tongue and left a lingering smooth flavor, as opposed to the initial metallic aftertaste.  I give it 7 out of 10 nails, mostly because it pleasantly surprised me. 

Jester Mani w/ Brugse Zot Belgian Ale

Nails: All I have to say after this one is PHEW. I used an old technique for this design that I learned back in my days working at Jenniffer and Co. and I’ve provided some step-by-step pics so you can see exactly what I did. First, I used Wet ‘n Wild in Red Red (yes, Wet ‘n Wild) as a base color. Then, I cut off 3 strands of hair. My hair is pretty thin so I could’ve used more. Depending on the line thickness you’re looking for and how thick your hair is, use less or more strands. Then, I taped them to the non-bristle end of a paintbrush. Trim the hairs so that they are all the same length and they are about 3/4 in. long. 
hairbrush
This is an awesome way to draw extremely thin, straight lines on your nails. Super simple too. Next, I dipped the hairs into Color Club’s Disco Nap polish (which I received in my Birchbox this month! It’s a REALLY great gold color). Make sure the polish is evenly distributed on your “brush”. Then, place the tip of the hair where you want your line to begin and lay the hair onto your nail in the direction you want your line to go. Just drag the brush along your nail as you roll your nail is the opposite direction of your brush. Let the hair and polish do the work here. Here’s my outlined checkerboard: 
checkerboard
Next, I colored in the boxes using a nice small paintbrush. Topped with Seche Vite and viola! Easy, right? Riiiight. 
Ale: Ah Belgian Ales…never been a huge fan. I only drink them when I’m sitting in a German beer hall and I can find nothing other than wheat beer to drink. But alas, I was looking through the beer selection at Bierkraft last night and the jester stood out amongst the sea of brown and black labels surrounding it. This beer comes from De Halve Maan Brewery in Bruges, Belgium and the bottle states that the people of Bruges are known as “Brugse Zotten” (Bruges fools”) I hope these nails don’t make me look like one too. 
As soon as I cracked this one open I was a bit concerned, as the bottlecap had rusted to the top of the bottle. Then I poured it into my glass the glass immediately swelled with head, like I have never seen before. See exhibit A:
beer
 (yes, the beer was poured properly)
Again, I became a bit concerned. I’m going to go ahead and guess that I wasn’t drinking the freshest beer…hey, it did travel quite a way to get here. Eh, I drank it anyway. Initial tastes are not that pleasant. When the beer is nice and cold it has a really harsh metallic flavor, along with all the wheat beer characteristics that I don’t like anyway. BUT, once it’s been out for about 10 minutes the flavors become quite pleasant. I actually find most beers to be at their peak flavor about 7-10 minutes out of the fridge. (Exceptions: Bud Light, Miller Lite, Nattie, Molson, you get what I’m saying. These beers are best drunk upside-down anyway). 
Once warmed a bit, Brugse Zot became a lot softer. The initial taste still had a bit of a spicy kick to it, but the aftertaste melted on the tongue and left a lingering smooth flavor, as opposed to the initial metallic aftertaste.  I give it 7 out of 10 nails, mostly because it pleasantly surprised me. 
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Sister Mani w/ Big Boss Brewing’s Bad Penny Brown Ale Mani: The first guest appearance on Nails and Ales: my sister Chrissy! She’s a chef, so she normally has short nails and NEVER wears polish, but she’s in the process of moving and starting a new job so she has another 2 weeks to have pretty nails. Of course I took advantage of this. As you saw earlier, the awesome folks at 5W PR sent me a TON of great DesignFX nail decals from Dashing Diva Pro so I took these with me last weekend to Charlotte and we had a lil mani-party in our hotel room. Stay classy. I have used nail decals before and they have proved to be nothing but a pain in the ass and did not adhere very well. Not so with DesignFX. I simply cleaned the oils off her nails with remover and slapped the accent decals on her ring and pinky fingers, painted a topcoat over them and voila! Easy peasy. They are very pliable, which I did not find with other decals AND if you mess up, you can easily remove them and reposition. They also didn’t show any signs of pealing or lifting after 2 days wear.  We used OPI’s Mod About You for the rest of the fingers, which we both agreed would be an awesome color with some tan skin. All-in-all, I can’t wait to play around more with these appliques. (They sent me a bunch that are being released this summer so I’ll give you a sneak peak!) Beer: Well, we were in North Carolina, so we decided to stick with a NC brew. Chrissy had already picked out the decals she wanted to use so we went to the store with that in mind and found this gem! The flowers in the hair were a perfect match. The beer was a nice deep red-amber color which is what you would expect from a brown ale. It had a great initial taste that was tangy and smooth, but that quickly faded and the aftertaste was bitter and dull and left a rough feeling on your tongue. Again, these are things one would expect from a brown ale I guess (remember, I am no expert here), but the aftertaste was a bit more intense than other brown ales I’ve had. I think this beer would make an ok pairing with a lovely breakfast, whether it be sweet or savory. Maybe I’m just saying this because I drank the beer WELL before noon so I had breakfast on the mind…don’t judge, we only had so much time to do the manicure and in keeping with the tradition of the blog, I had to drink it while I painted. I did this for YOU. I’d give it 6 nails out of 10. Chrissy’s thoughts: “It tastes like a bad penny.” (Apparently she used to put a lot of pennies in her mouth as a child…and is not a fan of brown ales.)

Sister Mani w/ Big Boss Brewing’s Bad Penny Brown Ale

Mani: The first guest appearance on Nails and Ales: my sister Chrissy! She’s a chef, so she normally has short nails and NEVER wears polish, but she’s in the process of moving and starting a new job so she has another 2 weeks to have pretty nails. Of course I took advantage of this. As you saw earlier, the awesome folks at 5W PR sent me a TON of great DesignFX nail decals from Dashing Diva Pro so I took these with me last weekend to Charlotte and we had a lil mani-party in our hotel room. Stay classy. I have used nail decals before and they have proved to be nothing but a pain in the ass and did not adhere very well. Not so with DesignFX. I simply cleaned the oils off her nails with remover and slapped the accent decals on her ring and pinky fingers, painted a topcoat over them and voila! Easy peasy. They are very pliable, which I did not find with other decals AND if you mess up, you can easily remove them and reposition. They also didn’t show any signs of pealing or lifting after 2 days wear.  We used OPI’s Mod About You for the rest of the fingers, which we both agreed would be an awesome color with some tan skin. All-in-all, I can’t wait to play around more with these appliques. (They sent me a bunch that are being released this summer so I’ll give you a sneak peak!)

Beer: Well, we were in North Carolina, so we decided to stick with a NC brew. Chrissy had already picked out the decals she wanted to use so we went to the store with that in mind and found this gem! The flowers in the hair were a perfect match. The beer was a nice deep red-amber color which is what you would expect from a brown ale. It had a great initial taste that was tangy and smooth, but that quickly faded and the aftertaste was bitter and dull and left a rough feeling on your tongue. Again, these are things one would expect from a brown ale I guess (remember, I am no expert here), but the aftertaste was a bit more intense than other brown ales I’ve had. I think this beer would make an ok pairing with a lovely breakfast, whether it be sweet or savory. Maybe I’m just saying this because I drank the beer WELL before noon so I had breakfast on the mind…don’t judge, we only had so much time to do the manicure and in keeping with the tradition of the blog, I had to drink it while I painted. I did this for YOU. I’d give it 6 nails out of 10.

Chrissy’s thoughts: “It tastes like a bad penny.” (Apparently she used to put a lot of pennies in her mouth as a child…and is not a fan of brown ales.)

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Katie H. @5W_PR sent me all of these goodies to pair with my ales! Thanks to her and @dashingdivapro! Can’t wait to use them!

Katie H. @5W_PR sent me all of these goodies to pair with my ales! Thanks to her and @dashingdivapro! Can’t wait to use them!

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2-Swipe mani w/ The Porterhouse Brewing Co.’s Oyster StoutNails: I used White On by Sally Hansen for the base and then I took a 12/0 size fan brush and and swiped Sally Hansen in Mellow Yellow from the inner bottom corner to the top outer corner of each nail. After doing this on both hands I swiped Sally Hansen in The Real Teal from the outer bottom to the inner top corner of each nail. To top it off and tie it into the Oyster Stout, I applied Sally Hansen in South Sea Pearl over every nail (Sally Hansen, you need a spokesperson? geez) Overall, this was easier than I expected and I plan to do this again with a black/white/red color scheme. This mani is SUPER tropical, which is perfect because I’m heading down to the Carolinas this weekend. If you’re trying this out and you’re not very ambidextrous, I’d practice your work before committing!Beer: Stouts are something I’m getting more and more into (I thought about brewing one this winter but was lazy and never got around to it…next year!), but this one just didn’t sit well. In the 14th century, “stout” took on the connotation of “strong” but this beer is definitely not that. It was thin and the head was not frothy and thick (it dissipated pretty quickly). If you threw some ice into my glass, it could pass as Coca Cola. Maybe I just like stouts that are thicker than this with more of a coffee or chocolate flavor. The flavor (which did not taste of oysters very much, if at all) was very harsh and almost burnt-tasting. Overall, I give it 4 nails out of 10. 

2-Swipe mani w/ The Porterhouse Brewing Co.’s Oyster Stout

Nails: I used White On by Sally Hansen for the base and then I took a 12/0 size fan brush and and swiped Sally Hansen in Mellow Yellow from the inner bottom corner to the top outer corner of each nail. After doing this on both hands I swiped Sally Hansen in The Real Teal from the outer bottom to the inner top corner of each nail. To top it off and tie it into the Oyster Stout, I applied Sally Hansen in South Sea Pearl over every nail (Sally Hansen, you need a spokesperson? geez) Overall, this was easier than I expected and I plan to do this again with a black/white/red color scheme. This mani is SUPER tropical, which is perfect because I’m heading down to the Carolinas this weekend. If you’re trying this out and you’re not very ambidextrous, I’d practice your work before committing!

Beer: Stouts are something I’m getting more and more into (I thought about brewing one this winter but was lazy and never got around to it…next year!), but this one just didn’t sit well. In the 14th century, “stout” took on the connotation of “strong” but this beer is definitely not that. It was thin and the head was not frothy and thick (it dissipated pretty quickly). If you threw some ice into my glass, it could pass as Coca Cola. Maybe I just like stouts that are thicker than this with more of a coffee or chocolate flavor. The flavor (which did not taste of oysters very much, if at all) was very harsh and almost burnt-tasting. Overall, I give it 4 nails out of 10. 

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Anonymous asked: Where's the bacon and the cat face nail art?

I was just thinking of a Chuck mock-up on the train this morning! I have a beer in mind to match it too. I’m sure bacon will be in my future as well…I just need to get my hands on Rogue’s Voodoo Doughnuts Bacon Maple Ale! 

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Testing out the next nailsandales.tumblr.com (Taken with instagram)

Testing out the next nailsandales.tumblr.com (Taken with instagram)

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BnB #4: Feather Mani with Nectar Ales IPA.  The Nails: I was at an arts ‘n crafts store on FIT’s campus picking up some brushes when I found their feather section. Yes, their feather section. I hadn’t really decided on my design for this beer yet, but I figured since there’s a hummingbird on the label some color-coordinated feathers would do just fine! I used So Laque in Rose Vamp and Sally Hansen Hard As Nails in Mellow Yellow under the ring and pinky fingers and then I placed opposite colored feathers over each (pink feather over the yellow nail and yellow feather over the pink.) Finished the mani with Sally Hansen Hard As Nails in White On (I don’t think I’ve ever had all-white nails before, so this is interesting). I thought the white nails would help draw attention to the feather ones. People better look at those feathers…they were a bit of a pain to slap on. And I’m sure they’re going to catch on something tomorrow and rip off. I put 2 coats Seche Vite top coat over them and I’ll probably keep doing that every morning until next week just to keep them alive. I think I’d like this mani a bit more if I covered every nail with a feather, but that would mean that I wouldn’t get sleep tonight. Overall, it was fun to add something other than polish to my nails. You’ll probs be seeing something like this again because I am now the proud owner of a bag of red, green, yellow and pink feathers… The Brew: Well, it tastes exactly like what one would think a beer with the word “nectar” in the title would taste like…except it’s not overpowering. I am not a sweets person, especially when it comes to my IPAs, but this isn’t bad at all. It’s actually a perfect IPA for the spring/summer seasons. It has an unmistakable fruity/sweet flavor to it, but it’s just the right amount and it finishes with that classic IPA hoppy sting on your tongue despite the sweetness. I’d probably pick up a 6 of this again and drink it at dusk on a porch…I just need to find a porch in Brooklyn and I’ll be all set. Dedicated to Grandma D. 

BnB #4: Feather Mani with Nectar Ales IPA. 

The Nails: I was at an arts ‘n crafts store on FIT’s campus picking up some brushes when I found their feather section. Yes, their feather section. I hadn’t really decided on my design for this beer yet, but I figured since there’s a hummingbird on the label some color-coordinated feathers would do just fine!

I used So Laque in Rose Vamp and Sally Hansen Hard As Nails in Mellow Yellow under the ring and pinky fingers and then I placed opposite colored feathers over each (pink feather over the yellow nail and yellow feather over the pink.) Finished the mani with Sally Hansen Hard As Nails in White On (I don’t think I’ve ever had all-white nails before, so this is interesting). I thought the white nails would help draw attention to the feather ones. People better look at those feathers…they were a bit of a pain to slap on. And I’m sure they’re going to catch on something tomorrow and rip off. I put 2 coats Seche Vite top coat over them and I’ll probably keep doing that every morning until next week just to keep them alive. I think I’d like this mani a bit more if I covered every nail with a feather, but that would mean that I wouldn’t get sleep tonight.

Overall, it was fun to add something other than polish to my nails. You’ll probs be seeing something like this again because I am now the proud owner of a bag of red, green, yellow and pink feathers…

The Brew: Well, it tastes exactly like what one would think a beer with the word “nectar” in the title would taste like…except it’s not overpowering. I am not a sweets person, especially when it comes to my IPAs, but this isn’t bad at all. It’s actually a perfect IPA for the spring/summer seasons. It has an unmistakable fruity/sweet flavor to it, but it’s just the right amount and it finishes with that classic IPA hoppy sting on your tongue despite the sweetness. I’d probably pick up a 6 of this again and drink it at dusk on a porch…I just need to find a porch in Brooklyn and I’ll be all set.

Dedicated to Grandma D. 

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Beer ‘n beauty #3: lightning bolt mani. Base color: Breezy by Milani. Tips: Black Out by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear. Beer: Electrostatic Ale by Lightning Brewery.  Have to tell you that I own about 6 of Sally’s Xtreme polishes and I enjoy them every time. Nice and thick and long-lasting. The Milani polish I used here was VERY thin. I used 2 coats and it still didn’t cover completely but I was too lazy to paint a 3rd coat tonight, so give me a break! However, I did just buy Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. Holy shit. This is my new favorite thing. Whenever people say polishes dry quick, I’m skeptical. eh, I  bought this one anyway cuz it was pricey and I figured it might work. I took a chance, which I’m not prone to doing. It was the best (nail-centric) decision I’ve ever made (or non nail-centric decision…whatever, don’t judge). This shit dries fast, leaves a super glossy finish, and makes your nails feel nice and thick. A+ Seche Vite, A+. Sorry if I’m late to the Seche Vite party, but late is better than never, right? Beer: Gotta say, I had already picked out this nail design and painted my base color BEFORE I found this beer. The label is a nice silver with blue outline and black accents. PERF combo, if I do say so myself. And the fact that it’s made by Lightning Brewery, I mean, come on. Anyway, I’m writing this after I drank the whole bottle (22 oz.) and after doing that I realized it was 10% Alc. That’s barley wine level, people. Oops. The taste: first sip right out of the fridge was iffy. I find that most ales need to sit for at least 5 minutes and warm up before they taste their best. Very rust-y at cold temps. Thick head on this one. It’s actually quite beautiful. I showed it to my roommate…it was that magical. Looks like a muffin top after I over-poured and held it’s shape so well. Anywho, back to the taste: after it warmed, the flavor was still metallic, but was much smoother. Citrus through the nose just a tad. Very sharp, spicy hops. Overall, I’d drink it again, but only if someone gave it to me for free. 

Beer ‘n beauty #3: lightning bolt mani. Base color: Breezy by Milani. Tips: Black Out by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear. Beer: Electrostatic Ale by Lightning Brewery. 

Have to tell you that I own about 6 of Sally’s Xtreme polishes and I enjoy them every time. Nice and thick and long-lasting. The Milani polish I used here was VERY thin. I used 2 coats and it still didn’t cover completely but I was too lazy to paint a 3rd coat tonight, so give me a break! However, I did just buy Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. Holy shit. This is my new favorite thing. Whenever people say polishes dry quick, I’m skeptical. eh, I  bought this one anyway cuz it was pricey and I figured it might work. I took a chance, which I’m not prone to doing. It was the best (nail-centric) decision I’ve ever made (or non nail-centric decision…whatever, don’t judge). This shit dries fast, leaves a super glossy finish, and makes your nails feel nice and thick. A+ Seche Vite, A+. Sorry if I’m late to the Seche Vite party, but late is better than never, right?

Beer: Gotta say, I had already picked out this nail design and painted my base color BEFORE I found this beer. The label is a nice silver with blue outline and black accents. PERF combo, if I do say so myself. And the fact that it’s made by Lightning Brewery, I mean, come on. Anyway, I’m writing this after I drank the whole bottle (22 oz.) and after doing that I realized it was 10% Alc. That’s barley wine level, people. Oops.

The taste: first sip right out of the fridge was iffy. I find that most ales need to sit for at least 5 minutes and warm up before they taste their best. Very rust-y at cold temps. Thick head on this one. It’s actually quite beautiful. I showed it to my roommate…it was that magical. Looks like a muffin top after I over-poured and held it’s shape so well. Anywho, back to the taste: after it warmed, the flavor was still metallic, but was much smoother. Citrus through the nose just a tad. Very sharp, spicy hops. Overall, I’d drink it again, but only if someone gave it to me for free. 

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Beer ‘n beauty #2: posey pink with gold french mani and a Yuengling (sorry for the lack of exciting beer…this is all I had in my fridge). Base color: Rose corset by So Laque! Tips: #s123 by Soo Colors. 

Beer ‘n beauty #2: posey pink with gold french mani and a Yuengling (sorry for the lack of exciting beer…this is all I had in my fridge). Base color: Rose corset by So Laque! Tips: #s123 by Soo Colors. 

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Beer ‘n beauty #1: polka dot fade french mani w/ Brooklyn Brewery’s East India Pale Ale. Base color: Peachy keen by China Glaze. Dots: Times Square Tangerine Creme by New York Color. 

Beer ‘n beauty #1: polka dot fade french mani w/ Brooklyn Brewery’s East India Pale Ale. Base color: Peachy keen by China Glaze. Dots: Times Square Tangerine Creme by New York Color. 

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