Hello again! I got a bit of a late start this week because I decided to go to the movies after work instead of do my nails. But, hopefully you still enjoy my last minute, late night, somewhat dark Valentine’s design. Well I started this week only knowing what nail polish I wanted to use, but no idea what kind of design. I originally thought I wouldn’t do anything for Valentine’s Day, but once I got this red/black/holo polish from Polish Pickup I just knew I had to use it. Unfortunately, using a polish from Polish Pickup means it’s extremely limited edition, but it’s a great place to try new brands.
So I searched for design ideas on Pinterest, and found this beautiful dark heart and red glitter design. And I just knew it was what I wanted to do. I went with a doticure heart based on something I’ve seen recently, but just could not find it again. If it pops back up, I’ll come back on here and give them some credit. (Update: I just found it! It was grouped with some other designs so I kept skipping over it)
What I used:
- Base Coat: Glisten & Glow – Base Coat
- 1st Color: Glisten & Glow – OG Snowman
- 2nd Color: Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear – Black Out
- 3rd Color: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri – ASAP Apple
- Holo: FUN Lacquer – 24 Karat Diamond (H)
- Glitter: LevelUP Lacquer – Infinite Realities
- Top Coat: Glisten & Glow – Top Coat
- nail polish remover
- Twinkled T clean up brush, size #2
- Bundle Monster double sided dotting tool & nail art brush
- small cup
- latex-free cuticle nail tape
I started with the usual base coat, and then two coats of my grey. For some reason though, no matter what lighting I used for my photos, it was coming off a little more blue than what it looks like in real life. And then I added the latex-free cuticle tape. My liquid latex has completely dried up, and I forgot to add it to my list of recent online purchases. I just have to hope that I don’t run out of tape before I finally remember to order some more liquid latex. Anyways, I added the cuticle tape because I did not feel like cleaning up glitter later.
Next, I did a light layer of glitter up to about 3/4 of every nail but my ring fingers. I’m not really attracted to heart designs, but since it’s Valentine’s Day, I felt like I had to add some sort of heart. So, on my ring fingers I started with red dots.
Then, once it all dried, I added a second layer of glitter. But it only went up to about 1/2 the nail. And I added black dots to the fill in more of the hearts.
Finally, I added the last layer of glitter to the bottom 1/4 of my nails. I could’ve used a sponge to have even thicker glitter at the bottom. But I didn’t want the sponge to soak up any of the holo, or the smaller, more subtle glitters. I also added a pure silver holo to fill the last of the hearts. But, after taking a short breather, I decided to add the LevelUP Lacquer – Infinite Realities polish on top of the pure holo in order for it to all match better.
I added two layers of top coat in the hopes that nothing would chip this week. After all, I need it to last until at least Wednesday. But surprisingly, it was all evened out in just one. Even with such a late start, I’m glad that I didn’t rush through anything because it looks great. And it’s not obnoxiously lovey-dovey.
Whether you’re single or taken, I hope this week is filled with everything/everyone you love!
Update:
Well, my nails did not last until Wednesday. It’s not much of a surprise since my nails always chip, but I was really trying to keep them safe. At least, I was until Monday night when I was rushing to make it to a cookie decorating class after work. And somewhere between getting to the class and getting started, my left hand chipped like crazy. I forgot to take a picture before fixing them, but the fix lasted for the rest of the week. And then on Wednesday afternoon, I was doing some filing at work, and my thumb nail chipped pretty badly. Who knew paperwork could be so damaging?
Weekly Nail 