You know those girls who always have impeccably manicured nails with a new polish design every week? As much as I've longed to join their ranks, I have never been one of them. I don't have the patience or the budget to hit the salon regularly. And when I do my nails myself, it looks like a two-year-old got ahold of them—but not in that chic modern art kinda way. However I firmly believe that with determination and the right tools, anyone can learn anything. I decided it was long since time to become proficient at painting my own nails.
Though I knew my first foray needed to be an easy design, I still wanted a result that I'd be proud to look at as I type on the computer all day. I immediately thought of Shibori. This Japanese textile dying technique is on everyone's lips lately, so I recreated it on my tips! The rich indigo hue feels fashion-forward, and the patterns are simple enough that even a novice can implement them.
To start, put a layer of base coat on clean, dry nails, then add two coats of deep blue. Onto a flat surface dab a drop of a sheer white. Dip an object with a fine tip into the white—I used the end of an unfolded paper clip!—and apply the Shibori pattern to your nails one dot at a time. Finish with a top coat and you're good to go! For extra help bringing this look to life, you can receive a free Sally Hansen Salon Manicure polish when you buy U by Kotex at Target. Just look for the tampons or pads in the little black box at Target!
The effect I chose is simply a series of circles and lines applied in a radiating flower pattern. Now that I'm comfortable with this process, I'm ready to venture into something more complicated…maybe I'll walk on the wild side with circles and lines in a radiating swirly pattern. There's tons of Shibori inspiration out there just begging for a manicure maverick like yours truly to bring them to life! 😉
Offer available in all Target stores 12/29/13-2/22/14. Thank you to the amazing Celine Kim Photography for shooting this tutorial with me! Disclosure: This post is sponsored by U by Kotex for Style Coalition. I am not an employee of U by Kotex and all opinions are my own.
Did you mention what name was that indigo? It is beautiful.
I’m not one for nail art, but this is the best I’ve seen.