Show your WILD side

This week, it's time to let your wild side show with animal print nails.

I always thought that cheetah print looked awesome on nails, but it looked too good to be easy. I was so wrong! Cheetah print is one of the simplest ways I've found to accent nails and it's hard to choose wrong colors. I'll be showing you a tutorial on my lovely 12-year-old hand model. (You know it must be a fast and easy session if a 12-year-old sits through it!)

 

I used Sinful Colors (SC) "Tempest," SC "Back on Black," and Sally Hansen Salon "Fairy Teal."

My recommendation is to have a neutral base and bright colors for the print.

Essential Tools: 100% acetone polish remover, filbert tip paint brush (it's rounded), embossing tool. There are "official" nail tools like this embosser and people look at me funny when I tell them I got a nail tool at Michaels... but I like my embossing tool as a dotter because it is much smaller tipped than the ones I've found in beauty supply stores.





Steps:
1. Create a base for your design. I painted the top half of the nail in Tempest. Don't worry about the bottom line being straight yet. Apply two coats and let them dry well (2 min).

 

2. Sculpt your french tip by saturating your filbert paintbrush in acetone (pour a little bit into the cap to use as a stock) and gently brushing along where you want the bottom line. I also take this time to clean up places along the nail where I got "too excited" with the paint.

3. To make the cheetah print, scatter dots across the french tip area using the larger dotter side. 4-5  dots of various sizes and oblong shapes. They don't need to be perfect circles. It actually looks more natural if they are not. Add the occasional base dot off the edge of the french tip for artistic effect.

 

4. Create the real cheetah look by dotting around the outside edges with black polish on your small dotter. I've found that three dots around the edges looks best. Also add stray black dots in empty spaces.



 5. Let dry thoroughly and coat with clear polish or sparkle.

Additional Ideas!
- add a dot of sparkle polish in the center of random spots
- paint your ring fingers in the inverted color scheme (here it would be purple spots on teal)
- use multiple colors for your spots

Other Pictures

 

 

I did mine with lime and coral on brown. (SC Soul Mate, SC Innocent, and SC Nirvana)

 

 

SC Soul Mate on Essie's Mint Candy Apple with pink glitter accents.