Like water marbling and make-'em-yourself face masks, the splatter nail look is probably best suited to those who like a their beauty with a side order of make and do. It's dead easy to DIY and you can use any combination of colours for this abstract bit of nail art to suit the time of year, complement what you're wearing, or just channel your inner paintball fan.
The end result is pretty cool but won't be for everyone (it's what your ma might politely describe as "eh, different") and just like all the most fun craft projects you enjoyed as a kid, it is super-messy. In tandem with that warning, let me say right now that I'm not going to be held responsible for the destruction of any priceless pieces of furniture or favourite items of clothing as a result of this tutorial.
COVERYOURWORKSURFACEBEFOREYOUBEGIN!
Beaut.ie How To: Art Attack Nails
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Rory McIlroy was really getting into the swing of Lynnie's nail art tutorials
- To minimise the post paint job clean-up, protect your sidewalls (the skin at the sides of your nails) and cuticles with Vaseline or three pieces of tape. Cuticle (or olive/almond/jojoba etc) oil will do the job in a pinch, but as oils are inclined to run down onto the nail plate they may interfere with the polish you're actually trying to get to stay put on the nail.
- Apply a base coat and one-to-two coats of your chosen colour to the nails to achieve an opaque undercoat.
- Let the splattering begin! There are a couple of different techniques you can use: dabbing polish on an old toothbrush and flicking the bristles over the nails is one, or if you've got ancient polishes that have gone stringy you can effectively drape those "strings" across the nails. It's infinitely more fun to use a straw, though. Dip one end of a straw into your polish, position the straw above your nails and BLOW!(Stop laughing down the back.)
- I tried a few different, er, blowing techniques but found that short, very forceful blasts with the business end of the straw about 1 to 2" from the nail worked best (I practiced on some scrap paper beforehand, which was very helpful in figuring out how the splatter would look on my nails and perfecting my technique.)
- When you've finished playing five-year-old painter, carefully peel off the tape and use a Q-tip or small brush dipped in nail polish remover for any clean up.
- Apply top coat (you know by now I'm ALL about Seche Vite) and admire your artistry!
