Tutorial Tuesday: Fourth of July/Patriotic Nail Tutorial

Ugh it’s been so long since I’ve done any kind of nail art. Lately I’ve been just slapping on a couple of coats of color and a topcoat and calling it good. It’s kinda nice to be stretching my creative muscles and putting out a tutorial for you guys!

Supplies You’ll Need:

Basecoat of your choice: I’m using LynBDesigns’ BSticky; Topcoat of your choice: I’m using LynBDesigns BShiny (my go-to high shine topcoat right now I LOVE IT!); accent nail color: I’m using Kawaii Nail Lacquer’s Stars and Dots’'; (this item is optional!) a clean up product: I’m using Cinema Swatch Lacquer’s That’s A Wrap!; and a red, white and blue polish each. I’m using Zoya Purity, OPI Color So Hot It Berns and China Glaze’s Frostbite. You’ll also need some foam cosmetic sponges, acetone for cleanup and a pair of tweezers to remove the That’s A Wrap if you use it. Also: Not shown… A sparkly topcoat to give you a little sparkle. I used China Glaze’s Fairy something or another. I can’t remember LOL

Step one: Put down a couple of base coats of your white, plus your accent nail. Let dry.

Step Two: Cover up the skin surrounding your nail with That’s A Wrap. I had to use a regular brush as the brush that is included is a little skinny and it drives me nuts LOL.

Step Three: Using your cosmetic sponge, apply your gradient, making sure to place the paint where you want it on the nail. I started off with blue, then white, then red so the red would be at the end of my nail.

Step Four: Commence making a huge mess all over your nails.

Step Five: Peel off That’s A Wrap and do any spot-cleanup that might be necessary.

Step Six: Add your sparkly topcoat and topcoat and allow to dry.

And BOOM! You’ve got nails ready for a hot night of Fourth of July fun! This will also work on short nails, just be careful not to use huge strokes of color on the sponge!

Playing with my new macro lens… I really need to fuss with it more. Cause I suck at using it LOL.

Polish Review: Kawaii Nail Lacquer’s Stars and Dots

Another polish perfect for the Fourth. I’ve worn this pretty twice since I bought it (which is pretty much unheard of with me LOL I usually wear once and call it good lol) Jamie over at Kawaii Nail Lacquer doesn’t fail to tickle our patriotic fancy with this little gem.

She lists this beauty as a white crème jelly base with tiny red, white and blue hexes, small red and blue stars, and medium red, blue and holo circles. She sells this limited edition polish in her shop on Etsy for a whopping $9.00, which is more than fair for the craftsmanship and customer service that you receive.

What she doesn’t say is how awesome this polish is and how beautifully it translates onto the nail. For being a “crelly” it glides on effortlessly smooth and most of the glitters lay completely flat, except for a stray holo circle that I always have problems with sitting flat on my curved nails.

This is two coats over a naked nail, with a coat of Gelous and a topper of Out the Door. You can see on the pointer fingernail I have a bit of an issue with one of the circles. But that’s my nail’s fault, and my fault for not placing them better.

Here’s a menagerie of stars, circles and stars. And this was just two coats. Perfection! Please excuse the dryness.

A closer shot of the offending circle, which it wasn’t really “raised” as much as it was an optical illusion of sorts.

Here it is the second time I wore it, one thin coat over Zoya Purity. Purity isn’t one of my favorite whites, but it was the easiest to find on short notice. And I got a little over-zealous with my cleanup on a couple nails. Oh, and the poppers that I showed here? They’ll be featured in my next blogpost. They’re freaking awesome.

And the last one with my son’s party popper spoils.

All in all, this polish is fantastic. It’s bright, colorful and full of patriotism. I strongly urge you to get this beauty while you still can! Go stop by Jamie’s Etsy and buy this, and other LE Fourth of July polishes!