If you want to explore outer space, you better have the nails to match. For today’s mani tutorial, I’m going to show you how you can express your love for the cosmos by wearing it right on your fingertips. What’s cool about this manicure is that you can do a million design/color combinations because there are endless possibilities for BEAUTY—just like in real outer space! Take a look at NASA’s Hubblesite gallery for inspiration.

You’ll need:

  • Dark nail polish as your base coat, like black or dark blue. I used China Glaze’s Up All Night.
  • White nail polish. I used Milani’s White Canvas, which was technically their nail art lacquer, but any white will do.
  • Green or yellow nail polish with a shimmery finish. My pick was Milani’s Green Glow.
  • Pink or peach nail polish with a shimmery finish, like Milani’s La Vie En Rose.
  • Shimmery sapphire nail polish (optional), like Milani’s Bolting Blue.
  • Holographic glitter nail polish. My favorite is China Glaze’s Fairy Dust.
  • Top coat (optional)
  • A palette for your polish. This can be a paper plate or a glossy flyer you got in the mail. I used a blank, heart-shaped card left over from Valentine’s Day.
  • Foundation sponges
  • Scissors
  • Tweezers (optional, but recommended)
  • Toothpicks
  • A corrector pen or nail polish remover with cotton swabs/a brush to clean up any mistakes. (I opted to use a brush like the PROFESSIONALZ do.)
  • An inspirational, space-themed photo. Mine is of Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise. I also recommend Barf from Spaceballs.

Step One

Start by cutting up a foundation sponge with your scissors. At first, I just tore off little pieces, but the SPONGE LINT was getting all up on my nails, making lumps in the polish. So it is best to cut them.

Step Two

Paint all of your nails with the dark base color. Don’t worry if it gets a little messy—we can fix that later. Make sure your nail is fully covered with polish and that there are no thin areas. I was able to use just one coat of Up All Night.

Step Three

Next, put a dollop of white nail polish on your palette. Using your tweezer to pick up a piece of sponge, lightly dab it in the white nail polish, and then lightly dab it across your nail in a diagonal direction. This white is going to be the base for your nebula. You don’t have to do it in the same direction on each nail. You will want the design to vary, so play around with it!

Step Four

Now you will do the same thing with the green polish. Using the tweezer to dip a piece of sponge in it, lightly dab the green on the white area only.

Step Five

Do the same thing with the pink polish! If you want, you can also dab the edges of your nebula with the sapphire blue. This is totally optional, but you just want to make sure the white nail polish is covered by all of the other colors.

Step Six

Here is the tricky part. You are going to make scattered stars. Dip your toothpick into the white nail polish. Before applying to your nail, gently press the toothpick down on the palette to dull the point a bit so that it isn’t as fine. Make sure you don’t have gobs of polish on the toothpick, because you want your stars to be subtle (at first). Lightly dot the area around your nebula with the toothpick. This part will take a bit of practice, but don’t fret! It is going to look RULL GOOD IN A MOME…

Step Seven

…and now, GLITTER TIME! Once the white stars aren’t as wet, apply a coat of the holographic glitter. This will bring the whole starry look together, and you’ll find yourself tripping out! Clean up any messy edges, and you’ll be READY2GO.

Live long and prosper, dudettes! ♦