Manicure Mania, Pt. IV: French Tip, Blown to Bits

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The reality of DIY nail art is that sometimes... sometimes... things don't work out. I've attempted works of art that seemed like a genius idea in theory — only to find that, in practice, good ideas don't always equal great nails. For example, I thought this gorgeous Illamasqua nail polish that my friend Alison gave me, Kink, would look awesome with feathers on it.

Feather FAIL.

When I heard that MAC was offering new & improved, on-trend press-on nails (!) I raced to my compy to see what they'd dreamed up. And I saw this:

What beauty! I loved it! So crisp and clean! I thought a pale lavender would suit my wardrobe better, so I grabbed Revlon's Lily and my ol' faithful, Sally Hansen Black Heart, then I set to work.

First, two coats of Revlon Lily. Next, I used french tip tape and gave myself black tips. Easy enough. Then I used ring enforcers to create a black half moon at the cuticle. And here's where I went wrong. Partly an issue of impatience, and partly due to the fact that I was really sick with a sinus infection and in a stage of delirium, the half moons were a mess.

I felt too ill to start again and, so help me GAH, I was not going to let my nails go naked. There was only one product I could turn to; only one polish that could cover oh, so many sins: SHATTER.

My favorite crackle polish is by OPI, who calls it "shatter." If you apply a thin coat, you get tiny little cracks. Apply a thick coat for great, big dramatic fissures.

I thought this mani was dead for sure but, like a phoenix, it rose triumphantly from the ashes of carelessness to emerge as the shiny, eye-catching mani I knew it could be.

shattercracklepop, Francesca

Ombré Uñas — A Gray Gradient Manicure

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What’s a great way to add some D-I-Y artistic flair to your fingers without whittling hours away? An ombré manicure!

Varnish covered this in a post last month, and I’ve been meaning to try it ever since. Not to mention, I see a new variation of the ubiquitous ombré on Pinterest at least once a week, and I can’t take it anymore. Now, it’s my turn.

The key to painting a gradient that makes sense and looks good is access to a good-sized stash of polish. With my collection and my neighbor Celeste’s (hi Celeste!) combined, I was able to come up with an ombré that was not too shabby!

I knew I wanted to create a gray spectrum, but I debated and debated over how much contrast I should aim for. In other words, how stark a gradient should I paint? In the end, I opted for a subtle, charcoal-y spectrum, but I’ll show you my other idea in case you want to try it. I think it would look pretty sweet.

Ombré Tips (pun intended)

  • Try painting on an envelope or index card first, so that you can see how the colors will really look side by side, or see what you're missing (though as you'll see below, that's not a foolproof method)
  • I recommend sticking with one formula throughout your spectrum; I used all crème polishes for a consistent look
  • A little planning beforehand will go a long way; if you’ve got your heart set on a plum to lavender gradient, but are missing that perfect shade of purple, check with your friends to see if they can help you with your missing link before you sacrifice the look by using the wrong shade or, worse, shell out cash on a new bottle that you may not really need

"]Have you done any artsy ombrés? Send them my way and I’ll be sure to post ‘em!

xxo, GLOSS