30 March 2012

nailed it!

I have stumbled upon so much crazy-awesome nail art on Pinterest that it astounds me.  I've added many a nail tutorial to my "Try This Out" board on Pinterest and I FINALLY picked one to execute. 

This time around, partially because it was my "virgin" attempt at creative nail art and partially because I simply don't have the most beautiful digits, you don't get pictures of MY hands.  But honestly, they look pretty darn close to the image below from The Dainty Squid.  I used the same color Kaylah did: Essie's "Sew Psyched."  For the nude-ish base, I used Essie's "Sand Tropez."

"Sew Psyched"
I will confess that I had to try this twice -- I am quite impatient and I didn't wait long enough for my "Sand Tropez" coat to dry before I put the reinforcement ring stickers on and painted my half-moon "Sew Psyched."  I ended up with a bit of the nail polish peeled off and a LOT of bubbles after I applied the top coat (though I can't quite explain the mechanics of that).  So, I started over with some nail polish remover, applied two coats of "Sand Tropez" and a couple drops of Nicole drying drops to each nail, and wait a full 24 hours before adding the "Sew Psyched."

Despite the hiccup in my first semi-failed attempt, the second time around worked pretty well!  Like I said, they look just like Kaylah's (photo below).

Here's the original tutorial post; in Kaylah of The Dainty Squid's words, "I'm a little tardy to the party with this whole using paper reinforcement sticker to make perfect little half moons thing."  Better late than never, right?

source: The Dainty Squid

Some other random yet critical (relatively speaking) pieces of advice I've gleaned in my new-found love of creative nail art:
  • Scotch tape works better than other brands of tape (less residue and tacky-ness left over)
  • Reinforcement ring stickers should be staged stuck to your skin before going on the nails to lessen the above-mentioned residue left behind on nails
  • Drying drops are a well-manicured girl's best friend (though from personal experience they're not 100% fool-proof, i.e. they don't make it safe to pull on your jeans right away--you still gotta wait it out!)
  • Confetti nails can be achieved with a nail dotter, which is also helpful for marbled nails -- using the nail dot tool seems easier to me than the whole polish-in-water marbling technique!

Here are a TON of other lovely ideas for you to run with.  Let me know (and share results) if you try any of these!

source: The Cherry Blossom Girl

gold leaf manicure tutorial from The Beauty Department

Essie Marshmallow + Essie Aperitif {A Vain Woman}

nautical nails tutorial, again from The Beauty Department

Accent nail -- from Goose's Glitter

I love this, but pretty sure THIS do-it-yourself is outta my league.

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