Good news, Rooks: Spring is here! Let’s celebrate the end of cacadoody winter with a butterfly wing manicure that pays tribute to this glorious season AND is surprisingly easy to do! Just make sure you have a good nail art striper and Mariah Carey’s Butterfly album playing in the background. I know, you’re like, “How many times will Marie make us listen to Mariah Carey while we do our nails???” The answer is ONE MILLION! ::witch’s cackle:: Ready babes?
What you’ll need:
- A clear base coat. I used Crystal Clear Base Coat by Seche Clear.
- A clear top coat. Mine is Glisten & Glow’s HK Girl Super Shiny & Fast Drying Top Coat.
- Two nail polishes in the colors of your choice! I used a pretty plum shade called Flowerista by Essie and a berry-hued glitter polish called Second Base by Floss Gloss.
- A black nail striper like Milani’s Nail Art With Precision Brush in Black Sketch.
- A white nail striper. I used Milani’s Nail Art With Precision Brush in White Canvas.
- Polish remover and cotton swabs or a nail art brush to clean up mistakes.
How to do it:
Step One:
Apply clear base coat to every fingernail, which will help protect your nails from discoloration from the polish. Wait about a minute, then paint your nails with the base color of your choosing. I started with Essie’s Flowerista, then put Floss Gloss’s Second Base glitter polish over it to give it a li’l pizzaz.
Step Two:
Let your base color/s dry for a couple of minutes, then use your black striper to draw and color in an arch on the top of each fingernail.
Step Three:
With your black striper, draw a slanted line near the base of each nail.
Step Four:
Still using the black striper, draw four lines connecting the top arch to the slanted line near the base of the nail. Repeat on all fingers.
Step Five:
Using your white striper, lightly dab polka dots over the top arch of each nail. Let the polishes set for a couple minutes, then paint every nail with clear top coat. Clean up any polish that may have gotten on your fingers with a cotton swab or nail art brush dipped in polish remover.
Now you have butterfly wings on your nails! LOOK AT U, NATURE GODDESS OF SPRING! ♦