Golden Diagonal/Arrow Manicure

Hey Everyone!

I did my mother's nails the other day, and they didn't really turn out the way I wanted them to.  I didn't have the right nail polish, I think.  So in the end, they look a little messier than I'd like, but oh well!  I'll probably redo them really soon!

The original look I was going for is pictured here to the right.  It's a nice simple diagonal/arrow manicure using white and gold.  This picture was sent in by Elaine Lemay from QC, Canada, to a nail design website I explored.

That website is: http://www.nailsmag.com and they have tons of designs, and even some "how-to's" on their site.  I looked through them trying to get some ideas, but most are complicated or pretty difficult (aka meant for experts!).  I think these designs were posted more of an advertisement for these nail artists, but they were really fun to check out.

What I Used:

NailTek

Orly French Manicure: Softest White

Aphrodite: 102

China Glaze: Cleopatra

Art Club Nail Art Lacquer: Red Glitter

What I Did:

Like I said above, this turned out really messy, but I can tell you where I went wrong!

First, I did a basecoat with NailTek.  Personally, I believe NailTek works great...I can see the difference it made on my own nails.  They are definitely stronger and they aren't peeling(?).

Next, I used the Softest White and did a diagonal French at the tip (2 coats).

Third, I tried to use just the Cleopatra for the diagonal from the opposite side, but it was too sheer.  I searched far and wide from my tiny nail polish collection, and came across the Aphrodite 102.  I'm fairly certain you can't find this outside of Myanmar, but any gold polish should do.  I did a diagonal French from the other side (also 2 coats).

Fourth, I tried the Cleopatra only over the gold part (I should've stuck to that!!!), and thought it still was too sheer, so I put it on top of everything.  Big mistake!  The gold and the white just kind of run into each other.  I tried to fix that by using my red glitter thin brush to outline the white and gold, but as you can tell, it looks a little funny.

So the overall effect I was going for did not turn out right.  The original look is definitely classier.  I intend to look for a better gold polish when I head out to the beauty supply store!

I probably will try to get another black polish and do some type of cute design using black for Halloween as well.  I've seen some pretty cute cat ones. =)  EasyNails did a spiderweb design that seemed pretty cool too, with a cute black rhinestone spider.  Decisions decisions!!!