Four days ago I went to Cozmo, The School to sign up for beauty school. I plan on getting my cosmetology license. Yeah, I already know how to do nails (7 years of work), but I want to learn more. A cosmetology license is like having three beauty license in one: hair, nails, and skin. That’s my goal! =) I got approved for financial aid, so I’ll be starting school in December.
While I was signing papers that day, I was rocking these nails…

I love this look…and it’s very, very easy to do! I got so many compliments on these ones.
^_^

How to do:

01. File nails to desired shape. I prefer square for this look. Buff nails smooth.

02. Clean nails off with alcohol soaked cotton ball/pad. Make sure there aren’t any fuzzies from the cotton on your nails.

03. Polish on a layer of base coat. From my experience, a base coat helps protect nails from nail color stains and helps your nail color last longer. Also, if you forgot any fuzzies…you’ll catch ‘em here.

04. Polish a matte color on your nails. Two coats. For the second coat, I always paint the tips of my nails.

05. Polish a slighty wide stripe down the side of your nails, but leave a little of your bottom color showing on the side. Since I used a dark color for my base, I chose a lighter, shimmery color of the same family color (blue) for this step.

06. Within the wide stripe you just made, draw a line a shimmery gold or silver line with a nail striper down the side (nail art striping paints…you can find them at beauty supply stores, drugstores, I think Walmarts, and Meijers). Make it how ever long you want.

07. Next to the line you just made, make a longer line with a black nail striper.

08. Apply a top coat. Don’t forget to get the tips. A few days later, you can apply another layer of topcoat to boast the dullness/make your polish last longer.

Tip: The key for having your nail color last longer is to have your nails really clean before polishing. No lotions. No oils. The dryer your nails, the better. To be absolutely sure, you can apply OPI Bond-Aid or a brush of pure acetone to your nails before you apply your base coat. Make sure it’s a pure acetone. You don’t want anything that will moisturize your cuticles/nails in any way. You can moisturize after your nails & hands after your nails are dry.
Another tip for lasting nails is the application of your topcoat. I’ve seen so many people breeze through this step…even nail techs/manicurists. Make sure you paint your entire nails and nail tips.

Products I used:

Base coat: Seche Vite Crystal Clear Base Coat. (I love this brand.)
Base color: China Glaze in Bermuda Breakaway
Wide stripe color: China Glaze in Beauty and the Beach
Striping paints: In Black and Shimmery Gold
Top coat: Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat (the best!)

Note: This looks better when your nails are on the longer side.
And whenever I do nail art, I mirror the design on my other hand. So if my design is on the left side of my right hand, I’ll apply the design on the right side of my left hand.

^_^

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