french manicure

A new take on the French Manicure My nails are usually bare, but if I do get a manicure, I generally choose a very pale pink or just opt for clear nails. With New Years Eve upon us, I thought it would be fun to add a little sparkle to my nails. Essie has a lot of fun sparkly and glittery polishes. I chose their “peak of chic”, which is a polish with tiny white and silver sparkly strips mixed in a clear base. The polish reminded me of snow and I thought it would make a perfect modern tip for a French manicure. I originally planned to tape my tips and perform a traditional French manicure using the Essie polish, but after testing one nail, I decided to do a more free-form French manicure. From far away, the finished product looks very much like a traditional French manicure. Up close and when the glitter catches the light, the manicure resembles fallen snow in the sunlight. I think this is a perfect New Years Eve and winter look if you want something a bit more subtle but still modern and fun. You'll need: Clear base coat, such as Sally Hansen Pink nail polish, I chose Essie Mademoiselle. Sparkle nail polish, I chose Essie Peak of Chic. Basic manicure tools: cuticle clippers, nail file and nail clippers. Clear top coat, such as Sally Hansen Follow these steps: Prepare nails for manicure: push back or trim cuticles; trim and shape nails Apply 1 layer of base coat Apply 2-3 layers of Essie Mademoiselle (or whichever pink polish you choose) Let Dry Use tip of brush dipped in Essie Peak of Chic (or whichever glittery polish you choose) and gently dab on the tip. Work your way down the nail as desired. Apply 2-3 coats on the tip only to layer on the sparkly white and metallic polish. Let dry Apply 1-2 layers of clear top coat Be sure to let me know how your New Years Eve manicure turned out and if you like this post, please pin it to your Pinterest board!

french manicure

Winter Sparkle French Manicure