One of my favorite hobbies is doing my friends’ (and my own) nails. Nothing quite like a fresh mani-pedi to make you instantly feel pulled together, #amiright ladies? And while I love a classic two coats of pure color, I’m always looking for ways to add more pizzaz to my nails! When I spotted this funky trend of 3D nail art coming out of Asia (check out the ridiculous pics below), I immediately knew I would have to try (a toned down and classier version) for myself!
Super cute and intriguing (don’t you just want to gobble up those treats?!), but not gonna lie…might also be deep within “tacky” territory.
My goal was to do something equally sweet on my nails, but to a more tasteful degree. Here’s my interpretation:
And here’s how you can get this look for yourself!
- Apply one layer of base coat (I like NailTek’s Ridge-Filling Foundation II Base Coat)
- Apply two coats of a light/pastel polish (I’m using Essie’s nail lacquer in Nice is Nice)
- Dip a fine detail brush into an opaque white polish (I used L’Oreal’s Shock Proof nail colour in French Tip White) and paint two ovals near the base of your nail. These will form the bow shape.
- Before the white polish dries, drop a tiny Swarovski crystal onto the center of the bow.
- Optional: using the fine detail brush dipped in the background nail polish color, paint little horizontal lines on the bow to give it a faux 3D look
- Optional: to get the full “buttons & bows” look, use a bobby pin and drop little dots down the nail (I used Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear nail color in Celeb City)
- Finish with a layer of top coat (I’m obsessed with Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat)
Here’s what the manicure looks like without the optional steps (the pale blue color at the bottom is Revlon’s Top Speed nail enamel in Cloud)!