Halloween will be here before we know it, and even if you don't feel like dressing up in a costume, you can get into the ghoulish spirit early with some fun nail art.
I'm already counting down the days to Halloween, but not a day goes by that I'm not finding some inspiring, fun DIY nail art to keep my fingers looking their best. My friends always look to me for the coolest nail art — and no holiday inspires it more than Halloween
I'm a big fan of using household items like tape to add some extra flair to my manicures, but recently started experimenting with dental floss and sewing pins as nail art tools. Today, I'm going to show you how to incorporate these items to make flawless nail art at home.
These simple, spooky nail art designs will get you into the spirit in no time.
What you need:
-Dental floss
-Premium cotton rounds
-Scotch tape
-Straight pins
-Essie "Good To Go" Top Coat
-Essie "Over The Edge" Black Nail Polish
-Essie "Blanc" White Nail Polish
-OPI "Juice Bar Hopping" Orange Nail Polish
Now let's get started!
Spiderweb Nail Art: Start out with two coats of a light-colored base coat in a shade of your choice. (I used Essie "Blanc" White Nail Polish.)
Dip the end of a straight pin in a dark, contrasting color for the web. (We used Essie "Over The Edge.")
Draw three or four straight lines diagonally across the nail to meet in one of the bottom corners. Let dry.
Using the same straight pin, draw curved lines bridging each of the diagonal lines together to form a "web." If you like, you can add a second row of curved lines above the first to enhance the effect. Let dry. Add clear top coat to finish.
Jack-O'-Lantern Nails: Start out with two coats of a dark base. (We used Essie "Over The Edge" again.) This will be your contrasting color for the jack o'lantern's mouth. Let dry.
Place a piece of Scotch tape about 2/3 of the way down the nail, forming a straight line across the top. Make sure it is firmly sealed across the nail.
Paint two coats of orange paint (OPI "Juice Bar Hopping") on the top 2/3 of the nail.
Let nail dry for minimum of 15 minutes. Next, gently peel off the scotch tape. You should have a half-moon "smile" left behind.
We wanted to clean up the edges of the smile, so we swept a white coat of polish (Essie "Blanc") along the bottom rim of the nail, around the cuticle, and then painted with our orange color on top. This gets messy, so keep some cotton swabs and nail poli
Optional If you want your jack-o'-lantern to have a tooth, dab a little white polish into the smile where you want the tooth to be. Allow to dry and then cover with orange polish.
Add the eyes by dripping two small dots of dark paint in the top third of the nail. Use the pointed end of a straight pin or safety pin to pull the polish into a triangular shape. Let dry, then wipe away the access paint with nail polish remover and a cotton round.
Top with clear polish to seal.
Ghost Nail: Start with two coats of your base color. We used (OPI "Juice Bar Hopping.") Let dry.
Next, drip a small blob of dark polish on the top third of your nail and spread down into a slightly oblong shape with your brush.
Use the point of a straight pin to drag the polish into three or four points, so you end with a ghost shape: round at the top, and jagged at the bottom.
Dip the round head of a straight pin in white polish and make a small blob to make a round ghost mouth. Dip the sharp end in white polish and make two tiny pinpricks for eyes. Inline image 15 Let dry, then seal with clear polish.
French Mani With A Twist: Start with two coats of a base color, preferably lighter than your contrasting color. (We used Essie "Blanc.")
Dip a dental floss brush in a contrasting color (we chose orange) and press it against the nail to create the line for a French tip.
Fill in the tip. You can do this freehand, but if you want it to be extra tidy, you can use a strip of Scotch tape. Make sure the base coat has dried at least 15 minutes before trying this.
Allow another 15 min. of drying time, then carefully remove tape for perfect French tips.
Seal with a coat of clear polish and you're done!
These manicure designs are boo–tiful for Halloween. Don't you agree?
Which design is your favorite?! Let us know in the comments!
