Tuesday 17 December 2013

How To: 7 Steps for a Christmas French Manicure

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With Christmas coming up soon I certainly couldn't resist posting at least 1 Christmas nail art tutorial. I tried out few different designs and this is one I really liked. It's definitely Christmas themed but it still looks delicate and pretty on your nails. I hope you enjoy the tutorial!
You will need:


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From L-R: You usual clear base coat, white polish, a range of silvery/white glitters, green nail art pen, red nail art pen, white nail art pen, your usual top coat

Don't worry if you don't have nail art pens, you can use dotting tools and a fine nail art brush instead!

Step 1: Base Coat


Start with clean, moisturised nails. Apply your usual base coat and wait for it to dry.

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Step 2: French Tip


Using your white polish, paint a french tip on the end of each nail. I chose to do this free hand with a normal brush, but you can use french tip guide stickers or fine brushes if you prefer. Don't worry if you get any on your cuticles, we can clean that up later.

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Step 3: Glitter French Tips


Using any white or silver glitters, paint over the white french tip (once it has dried) for a more wintery look. As you can see, I was indecisive and went for 3 different types of glitter! Make sure you don't use golden glitters as they can make the white look stained.

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Step 4: Red Berries:


Using your red nail art pen (or red polish and a dotting tool) paint on some holly berries just above your french tip. I found I needed 3 berries for my thumbnails and then 2 on every other nail. Make sure you leave some space on both sides for holly leaves.

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Step 5: Holly Leaves


Using the green nail art pen (or green polish and a fine brush) paint on holly leaves either side of the berries. To do this, I paint little C shapes and join them together to form the leaves.

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Step 6: Add Some Depth!


Using the white nail art pen (or white polish and a fine art brush) paint a little curve of light on to each berry, making sure that the angle of the lighting matches on each berry. Only do this once your red berries have dried completely or you'll end up with some pink lines!

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Step 7: Add a Top Coat and Clean Up!


Wait a little while to make sure your nail art is dry enough that a cleat topcoat won't drag the design down as you paint it on. You don't want to ruin all your hard work now! Once that's done, use a cotton bud (or a nail brush) dipped in nail polish remover to gently clean off any excess polish you may have gotten on your cuticles.

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So there you have it, a Christmas french manicure!

Christmas nail art, tutorial, how to, NOTD, holly, winter
Christmas nail art, tutorial, how to, NOTD, holly, winter

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