Kiss Your Basic Pink Mani Goodbye
Valentine’s Day…Galentine’s Day…whatever floats your boat– we’ve got the perfect manicure to get you through boxes of chocolate and candy hearts. Neroli Salon & Spa Nail Designer, Lisa is back with a tutorial that is anything but plain. This design works great for an accent nail or if you want to just go for it and decorate each finger.
Nail Prep:
• Orangewood Stick
• Yellow Block Buffer
• Nail File
• Cuticle Oil (Aveda’s Beautifying Composition)
• Cuticle Softener (Aveda’s Cuticle Control)
• Cotton Rounds
• Nail Polish Remover (Zoya’s “Remove +” is my fav!)
Polish Application:
• Base & Top Coat (Zoya’s “Anchor” & “Armor”)
• Nail Polish Colors
* For this design, I used the following colors:
OPI’s Mod About You
Art Supplies:
– Acrylic paint or nail polish colors
– Gems in a few different sizes
– Nail glue
Prep time: 10 min
Polish time: 15 min
Art design: 20-30 min
Drying time: 30-45 min
Step 1: File nails with your nail file. When finished, apply cuticle softener (I use Aveda’s Cuticle Control) to your cuticles. Let sit on for 5 minutes, then rinse off. Push back cuticles with an orangewood stick.
Step 2: Apply cuticle oil (like Aveda’s Beautifying Composition) to cuticles and massage into nail beds to add hydration. Buff nails with your yellow block buffer as this will allow for a smooth surface.
Step 3: Prep nails for polish with nail polish remover. This step is really important because any oil or lotion that is on your nail won’t allow the polish to adhere and dry properly. Next, apply a thin base coat.
Step 4: Apply 2 color coats to nails, giving about 10 seconds to dry in between each layer. Applying thin coats is important so it can drop properly and evenly. Let nails dry for 10 minutes before starting art.
Step 5: Nail Art Time!
Full Lip: Start close to the center of the nail. Make the top of the lip by creating a small waved line. To add the bottom of the lip, paint a small curved line.
Adding More Lips: Depending on the size of your nail, you can either draw another full lip, or creatbits of the lip by painting just the top or a side of the tiop and bottom, etc. (see what i did below)
Lip Lines: Once you have given your lip designs time to dry (you don’t want to smudge your designs with this final step). Take the smallest brush you have and use the white color to paint on lip lines. This finishes off the look and make it complete.
Step 6: Once your art has set for about 5 minutes, apply a thin top coat. Make sure to cap the edges of your nails to seal everything in, too! This step helps your polish application to last a lot longer. If you did use the Zoya system, Finish with Zoya’s drying drops to help speed up drying time. Give nail polish about 30 minutes to fully dry, though Zoya sets in about 10 minutes.
