GUEST POST: Mandy From MandysSecrets Shares Her Red Lip Gloss Inspired Nails

 

'Red Lip Gloss' inspired nail art!

 

Hey everyone! I was so incredibly honored when Christina asked me if I would be interested in doing a guest post for her blog. Even though we've only known each other for around six months, she is definitely one of my closest blogging friends and I don't know what I'd do without her. I adore her blog and I'm constantly looking to her for advice and tips. I'm also an unabashed lover of her "DIY Beauty Friday" series!

But enough about how amazing she is.. you already know that. :) My post today is going to be a nail art tutorial for a design inspired by Christina's blog layout. When she asked me to do something nail related, I thought paying homage to her by doing a 'Red Lip Gloss' inspired mani was the perfect idea! 

Now, before I begin, I'd like to preface this with the disclaimer that I'm not a nail blogger. I'm a beauty blogger who dabbles in nail art.. My nails are short and damaged from removing acrylics and my cuticles definitely aren't perfect!

PRODUCTS USED:

Sinful Colors 'Nail Hardener' / China Glaze 'For Audrey' / Sinful Colors 'Snow Me White' / Pure Ice 'Kiss Me  Here' / China Glaze 'Fairy Dust'

'Lipstick Red' Acrylic Paint / 'White' Art Deco Striper / NYC Quick Dry Top Coat /  Clear 1mm Rhinestones / Dotting Tool / Nail Art Brush

HOW I DID IT:

I applied my base coat and allowed it to dry. Then I applied 2 coats of ChG 'For Audrey' to all nails except my right ring finger and thumb. I used 2 coats of Sinful Colors 'Snow Me White' on my ring finger and 2 coats of Pure Ice 'Kiss Me Here' on my right thumb. After my ring finger dried, I applied 1 coat of ChG 'Fairy Dust'.

After my nails had dried, I used my White Art Deco Striper to make the vertical stripes on all of my turquoise nails to replicate Christina's blog background. Then I used 1 coat of top coat on my right ring finger only.. I'll explain why in a minute!

Again taking my White Striper, I used it to plan out where my 'XO' would go. I chose grey for my thumb since the center section of Christina's layout is edged in a dark grey. I decided to put 'XO' on the nail since that's how she signs every post as well as most comments and emails.

To apply the rhinestones, I swiped a layer of top coat over the letters. I applied top coat to one letter at a time, and working quickly, placed my dotting tool in the wet polish so that it would pick up the rhinestones and placed them on the outline of the letters.

Now, remember how I said I applied a layer of top coat to my ring finger? I did this to protect it before I started working on my red lip print. I find it's easier to use acrylic paint for detail work because it dries slower and is generally more forgiving than polish. Another plus to using acrylic paint is that if you make a mistake, you can simply remove it with water before it dries!

I started by drawing the outline of a red football, and then I went back and added the curvature of the top lip and rounded out the bottom. I waited for it to dry, and then applied a layer of top coat to all my nails, paying particular attention to make sure that my rhinestones were completely sealed onto my nail.

And here is the finished design! (Minus the thumb, which you've already seen..) Please excuse the ridiculously long cat hair embedded in my middle finger. One of our cats, Andy, headbutted me before my top coat had dried and I didn't realize he'd donated to my art until it was too late. Oh well..

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Well, thank y'all for reading my post! I hope you've enjoyed my nail art tutorial and that maybe it has inspired you to do some nail art of your own.. or maybe even just paint your nails if it's not something you do regularly!

And again, many many thanks go out to Christina for having such a fabulous blog and allowing me the opportunity to contribute to it.

 ****Thanks again, Mandy, for your amazing post!  I certainly wish I was as talented as you are at doing nails.  By the way, check out her blog here.****

XO