Being the total nail polish addict that I am, I couldn't resist a little bit of sparkly festive nail art whilst partaking in my weekly Sunday night painting session this week. Rather than plumping for illustrated snowmen or reindeers as I've seen a lot of recently, I've opted for a touch of shimmering glitz with a berry-hued, metallic ombre. Read on to recreate the look for yourself...
1. Paint the nail with two coats of Essie's Bahama Mama, a richly plummy gloss shade from the Autumn 2012 collection (£7.99). Leave to dry.
2. Paint the tip of the nail about half a centimetre deep with a metallic gold colour, I love Diwali by Chanel (£18.00). Don't worry about it being too neat. Whilst still wet (i.e. immediately after painting) use a clear top coat to drag the colour down the nail, creating an ombre effect.
3. Next, repeat step two with Orly's nail polish in On The List (£5.00), a vibrant, raspberry pink shimmer, to create a two tone ombre.
4. Finish off the look with a gold glitter across the ombred part of the nail. I used Fleet Street by Nails Inc (part of the five-piece Stylist set, £15); I love it as it looks more like flecks of gold leaf than fine glitter. Complete your mani with a good top coat - I swear by Seche Vite (£7.19 from www.beautybay.com), widely recognised as the best in the business and dries almost instantly. Ideal.
Tune in next week for another festive nail art special!
Love Laurel x
