So I have a confession to make: I’m not very good at painting my nails. I’m horribly impatient, and a total perfectionist, which makes nail painting of any sort nearly impossible for me, especially when it comes to nail art. Something about painting tiny shapes on my hands while simultaneously not being able to use said hands just doesn’t quite work out for me, and I always end up with smudged polish and a feeling of total disappointment when I try.
A couple months ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Rita Remark backstage at the last World MasterCard Fashion Week, and she gave me a quick tutorial for the camo-inspired nails she created for Hayley Elsaesser‘s Fall 2015 collection. Using only the brush that comes in the nail bottle, she carefully dabbed on two different colours, and I instantly had a fun pattern on my nails! Inspired, and frankly very excited that I’d found nail art I might actually be able to do, I decided to play around and create my own pastel paintbox look using the same application technique.
Somewhere between globs of melting ice cream and abstract watercolour flowers, this mani is perfect for Spring, and oh so simple. Seriously, if I can do it, so can you!
Pastel Paintbox Mani DIY //
1. Paint your nails a simple base colour, preferably a crisp white with good coverage (I used Misslyn “Snow White”). Make sure the base is completely dry before adding any extra colour on top!
2. Using the brush that comes with your polishes, start dabbing little blobs of colour on your nails in whatever formation you prefer. I recommend sticking to 3 pastel colours so your paws don’t end up looking too busy, but it’s really up to you! I used Essie “Bikini So Teeny”, L’Oreal “Butterfly Kisses”, and Revlon “Socialite”.
3. Once you’re happy with the pattern you’ve created, use a topcoat to seal the colour in and protect your work. I used Sally Hansen’s Double Duty base and top coat, and every couple of days I added another coat to keep the mani going for as long as possible.
That’s it! I told you it was foolproof.
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Disclosure: This post was brought to you by Shoppers Drug Mart via Mode Media Canada. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Shoppers Drug Mart.