It Came From the Depths - THE VAMPIRE SQUID!

Hey, everyone!

Is anyone else fascinated by deep sea creatures? If yes, then this post is for you! Keep reading to find out more about one of my favorite creatures on the planet, the vampire squid!

The vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis, which literally means "vampire squid from hell") is such a fascinating animal. They live between 2,000 and 3,000 feet below the ocean's surface, where no light reaches, and they move sooooo slowly. They only get to be about a foot long, which I guess makes sense when you consider the enormous pressure they live at and that they have no skeleton. They're called vampire squids because of their appearance - a "cloak" around their tentacles, reddish color, and spiky-looking extensions on the inner sides of their tentacles. They also have photophores on their tentacles and eyes which glow blue in the dark to confuse predators, since these little squids don't really have enough speed for escapes.

I've been wanting to do some nail art inspired by these mysterious creatures for so long, and I've finally done it! Honestly I was waiting until I had Serum No. 5 Indi-Glo in my hot little hands, because it glows the perfect shade of blue in the dark.

To start off my design, I painted all of my nails with two coats of OPI I Saw... You Saw... We Saw... Warsaw, which might be my favorite navy creme polish ever. When that was dry, I did almost a half-moon of tentacles on all fingers but my thumb. I gotta say, right before I did this mani I got a little plastic palette from Michael's for $0.99, like this one (I couldn't find it on Michael's website though). IT MAKES SUCH A DIFFERENCE! I noticed that my polish doesn't dry out as fast, plus I can add a drop or two of polish thinner and it'll stay there instead of running off a piece of paper. Highly recommend!

To start the tentacles, I used a medium striper brush and OPI Schnapps Out of It to paint the actual tentacles, two on each finger. Then, I mixed a tiny bit of white polish into SOoI on my palette and used a small detail brush to paint the cloak in almost a spiderweb arc. Next, I added another bit of white and mixed to get the color of the spikes. I used my tiniest detail brush to paint these, adding thinner when I needed rather than having to remix the same color and waste polish. Then I added some Indi-Glo on the tips of the tentacles and added topcoat.

Although I got the proportions a bit wrong, I tried to do the squid's head on my thumb. I painted the shape of the head with SOoI, including the little fin on the side of the head. Then I used a dotting tool and Indi-Glo to do the big eye. Next I mixed a little black polish with SOoI and added some details. Sealed with topcoat as usual.

I feel like I'm getting better at glow-in-the-dark pics, although they could still be better I think. Anyway, here's a few glowy shots of this deep sea creature on my nails!

Materials Used

OPI I Saw... You Saw... We Saw... Warsaw

OPI Schnapps Out of It!

Wet n Wild Black Creme

Sally Hansen White On

Serum No. 5 Indi-Glo

 Are you as fascinated by this little animal as I am? This is seriously one of my top five favorite creatures on the entire planet, and I hope one day I can see one in person. Although I'd probably break down crying from being so happy! What's your favorite sea creature? Let me know below! Thanks for stopping by!