Project Nails

I don't often spend a very long time on my looks. I think I'm about average on the fashionista scale. But, there is something lovely about having my nails decorated that makes me happy. I can be wearing a T-shirt and running shorts with my hair in a sloppy bun, no makeup, and still I feel a little dressed up when my nails are painted well. When I am typing on my Mac or texting, I feel a little fancy with seductive red nails. So I am trying to take time to make my fingernails look presentable. 

I have had some free time lately, so I decided to try out two techniques that I've pinned on Pinterest. I have to admit, they did not come without any issues. I seem to have shaky hands when it comes to painting my nails, even though I love to paint on canvas, go figure. 

 My first experiment was making my own glitter nail polish. I used some fine glitter from a craft store and a spare bottle of clear nail polish. Rolling a peice of paper into a funnel, I simply poured a bit of glitter into the clear polish, put the lid back on and shook. I repeated this step a few times until I felt like there was an adequate amount of glitter mixed in (I put a lot, because I sure do love me some glitter). 

The first nail looked amazing. It looked like I had literally just put a layer of glitter on my nail. The rest began to look like a red polish with some glitter on the side. Not exactly the outcome I wanted, but still fun and glittery. Tip: I painted about 3 or 4 layers. It looks better each time because the glitter is layered. Also, the glitter will begin to settle at the bottom, so make sure to shake the bottle extensively before using.

   

 My second experiment was also from a pin from Pinterest. Basically I just painted my nails pink, and then used a Sharpie to create a design. 

What I learned from this: you might want a friend to Sharpie the design for you. It's pretty easy when you're using your writing hand, but difficult when using the hand that you use the least. Also, after about a day, the Sharpie marks began to smudge and even came off on some clothing. I would suggest applying a clear top coat after creating your Sharpie design. This is a really cool way to have a more edgy look, without needing to be an amazing nail artist.