Although it is the beginning of April and over two weeks into spring, I still find myself grabbing a scarf and throwing on boots in order to stay warm here on the Heights. My manicures have also been experiencing winter for far too long, for each coat I put on them is usually a dark or gray color. Although dark hues were the shade of the snowy season, I am dying to put a pop of color on my nails.
As tempted as I am to go the nearest nail salon and choose a color that is fit for warmer weather, I am nervous I will get a confused look on the manicurist’s face followed by a question along the line of, “Are you sure you want that color?” In order to save myself from the questioning of the usually kind lady who paints my nails, as well as $15, I decided to turn to Pinterest to try and find a manicure that would be able to express my desire for a pop of color or shine, but also be weather appropriate. I fell across a pin someone posted from Flickr and decided to try to it out myself.
I used the last of my Loreal “Breaking Curfew,” which has been my go-to color all winter, and also added a shiny gold polish I snagged at Urban Outfitters during their Black Friday sale. Together I attempted a geometric twist on a French manicure.
As someone who just felt confident to start painting my nails last year (yes, I admit I would ask my roommate to paint my nails when in need of a manicure), this was quite a challenge for me. I must say, however, that I am quite proud of how they turned out and I invite all of you to try it out. Here is my own personal tutorial:
- Paint all nails the gold color. It will ensure that you have an even coat of the gold. I advise doing one hand at a time.
- Once the gold has completely dried, make an upside down ‘U’ shape on each nail with the dark hue so that you have a crescent moon shape at the bottom of the nail.
- Paint in the rest of the nail with the dark hue moving in the upward direction.
- Once one hand has dried completely, switch to the other hand and repeat steps 1-4.
I advise you to do one hand at a time. This helps to make sure that each crescent moon shape looks even on one hand before starting the next. I learned that I need to be patient. It takes time for the nails to dry, but it is worth the wait. Starting to paint the nail with the dark color before the gold has dried will cause both colors to bleed into each other and you will just have to remove the polish to start all over again. So for those days, or weeks, when the weather does not quite feel like spring yet, here is a great manicure to fit the weather. Good luck trying it out!
Photo Sources:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimskie79/6546235679/in/set-72157627826792580/
Meghan Gibbons