Polishment

Half Moon nails are all the rage right now! What's fun about this nail design is that you can mix and match the colors to get all kinds of different looks! This tutorial teaches you how to create a subtle Half Moon manicure using two different shades of gray, one glossy and the other matte.

Step 1: Coat your nails in a base coat. As usual, used Sally Hansen's Double Duty, because it works as a base coat and top coat...and that is just plain efficient! However, any base coat you prefer will do.

Let dry completely.

Step 2: Coat your nails in Essie's Chinchilly. A single, thick coat will do, as we are going to cover 2/3 of our nail with another polish.

Let dry completely.

(You can tell that this is just a single coat because the tips are not completely covered. Do not worry to much about this.)

Step 3: Using Avery Reinforcement Labels (which you can find at any local drug store), place one label onto each finger, making sure the center of the circle is lined up with the center of your cuticles.

Also, I suggest you start with just one hand, as labels on both hands may make the painting process cumbersome.

Remember, this is not an exact science, so just have fun with it. Play around and see what works best for you.

Step 4: Coat the tips of your nails in Zoya's Loredana Mat, which is a matte polish. One coat is plenty here, just make sure to cover tips completely and neatly.

Let dry completely.

Step 5: Once your tips are dry, slowly and carefully pull the reinforcement labels off each of your fingers.

Step 6: Clean up any stray nail polish or smears from your fingers with a bit of polish remover and a flat head makeup brush.

(I pour a small amount of polish remover in the cap of the bottle and dip the brush in the remover as necessary. Use paper towels to blot any excess remover from the brush.)

Step 7: If you have not already done so, repeat step 3-6 on your second hand.

Step 8 (optional): Using the same base/top coat (Sally Hansen Double Duty), polish your nails off with a thick top coat.

This step is optional because once you cover your nails in a top coat you will lose the matte effect of Zoya's Lorendana Mat.

I did use a top coat on my nails as this helps my nail polish to last much longer than without a top coat.

(Look at how Zoya's Loredana Mat sparkles in the sun! All these hidden colors are such a lovely surprise!)

XOXO, Varnish