Nail Tutorial with Essie Parka Perfect & Sand Tropez
March 22, 2014
I love using simple scotch tape to create very easy and subtle nail art. Check out this nail look I did last June using scotch tape and some fun, bring pink polish.
I removed my old nail polish, filed my nails into a square-ish shape and buffed the top of them a tad bit since I still have some leftover gel from my gel manicure.
I applied some of Alessandro Cuticle Remover Gel to my cuticles and let that sit for about 3-4 minutes.
I then pushed my cuticles back with the tool pictured above with the angled, rubber tip.
The last step to prepping my nails is to apply one layer of OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener. As soon as the thin gel layer is gone from my nails, I'll be using this religiously. It really works wonders strengthening thin nails and helps your polish stay put for longer.
First step is to apply two coats of Essie Parka Perfect. I know, I know, this is from last winter's collection but I still really like it for this time of year since, for me, it's a subtle, neutral shade. It's described as a "shimmering alpine gray" and has tiny specks of silver sparkle in it. Those specks are barely visible on the nails though.
While painting my nails, if I mess up and get some polish on my cuticles/skin, I love using a nail corrector pen and some nail polish remover. These nail corrector pens are heaven sent. They work so well! They have an angled shape so you can easily get right in there between the nail and skin without ruining the freshly painted nails. I would definitely recommend wiping away any polish on your skin right away and not waiting until you've finished doing your nails. It's easier to wipe it away while it's still wet.
Now, onto the fun part!
I took a small piece of scotch tape and stuck it once to the back of my hand to make it less sticky. Then I taped it to my ring finger vertically, leaving one half of my nail covered with the tape and one half exposed.
Then I applied a generous layer of Essie Sand Tropez to the exposed side of my nail. This is a "soft, sandy beige" and I find it's perfect to pair it with Parka Perfect since it's a great neutral and matches the blue/gray shade.
Tip: Only do the step with the tape when your first layer of polish is totally dry. Otherwise you'll ruin your manicure when you pull the tape away. I did the blue/gray layer the night before and applied a topcoat to it.
Another tip: Make sure the tape is applied smoothly and I always push it down with my finger to be sure there aren't any bumps or bubbles near the edge. If only a small part of the tape is sticking up, your second polish will leak underneath onto the second half of your nail.
Yet another tip: After applying the second polish to half your nail, pull the tape off right away. You don't want the polish to dry at all because then, when you remove the tape, it'll pull the polish away with it and you won't have a nice, straight line.
And there you go! A cute, neutral, subtle nail art look. Sometimes it's nice to do something out of the ordinary without it being crazy or really out there.
Do you like to use scotch tape for nail looks?
Have a great weekend :)
This is NOT a sponsored post.
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