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Monday, April 21, 2014

How To: Spring Nails and an Outfit to Match [Guest Post]

While I'm honeymooning in Europe [I just landed!], a few wonderful bloggers will be taking over my blog! I am so excited to be sharing these ladies with you! I can't wait to try this nail polish style - I think I could actually do it! 

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I'm Rania and I blog over at Excuse Denied. I'll be posting for Raewyn today!



Spring is here! Spring is here! And to celebrate I've come up with a simple, Spring manicure that is easy enough for you to do at home. I've also styled an outfit to go with your new nails. Remember, you can change the colors of the manicure to suit you, but I thought pastel purple and peach worked perfectly together for this new season. As for the outfit - this is just something fun I've put together to go with the two colors I wanted to paint my nails. You don't HAVE to purchase these items. You might even have something similar in your own wardrobe. I've just showed you how easy it is to pair two colors that are completely opposite. Ok, enough talking, let's get started. 

This is what you'll need:

You will need the following things, additionally, I added a bobby-pin into the mix, but we'll get to that in a few. If you are skilled at cutting your own cuticles, go with that. I am not that skilled, so a gel cuticle remover is ideal for me and so easy to use. 




Step 1: File your nails down and make them even. When filing, make sure you use long strokes and not short ones. Short strokes make your nails more prone to breaking. Long strokes are a lot more forgiving for your nails and allows you to get a precise and smooth file. 

Step 2: Push back cuticles. Apply the Instant Cuticle Remover and let it sit on your nails for about 5-8 minutes. This softens the cuticles, making them easier to push back. This is where the orange stick comes into play. Use the orange stick to push the cuticles back and shape them. Cutting your cuticles is never the way to go, as that part of your nail is prone to infection. We love cuticles and they love you too, as long as you take care of them properly! 

Step 3: Apply a base coat. This is one thing I hardly ever do (as you can see, my nails are tinted blue from my previous manicure) but it's a super important step. Applying a base coat allows your polish to grip to your nail as well as protect your nails from staining. Only apply 1 coat though, as more coats will make the polish too thick making it dry slower. 

Step 4: Apply the first coat of your desired polish. Yay! Color! Apply this polish thinly, making sure to cover your entire nail. This step can be messy, because you're going to apply another (or more) coat. Try not to be too messy, as cleaning up nail polish around your nail is NEVER fun. 



Step 5: Apply your final coat. This is the coat that needs to be perfect because this is the one everyone will be seeing. Make sure to carefully apply a thin coat covering your entire nail. Don't put too much polish on the brush or else your final coat will be gloomy and dry too slowly. 

Step 6: Design time. I decided to go with a simple design, but I really love it because it's super chic (imagine how this would look with white + black polish!). The design isn't too bold, that's why I think it's so appropriate for Spring. I use a bobby-pin head to apply the little dot. All I did to the bobby-pin was stretch it out so it would be easier to use the head (ball type point) to dot the accent color to the base of the nail. You can either put the dot on the base of the nail, tippy top, or even have then going from the base to the top in a row of dots (that'd be cute!). Allow this to COMPLETELY dry before applying a top coat. 

You're done! After you apply a top-coat (I do two thin layers), you're done. Make sure your nail is completely dried before performing tasks. You can even dip them in freezing cold water to make the drying process go quicker. After the nail is dry, I apply cuticle oil around my cuticles and lotion to make the ashy-ness from the filing disappear. Et voilĂ  - a beautiful and easy Spring manicure. 

Now, what do you wear with your new spring-do? Well, here's an outfit I styled below on Polyvore to help you with just that. If you're feeling adventurous, this outfit is for you. If not, keep it simple with just the top and skirt and some of your favorite shoes. 



Remember, when putting together an outfit with bold colors, make sure your base is neutral. The black and white striped top and grey skirt is a perfect base for the loud shoes, a clutch and fun jewelry. Keep it fun! Fashion and beauty are things that should be light-hearted and fun. And since we've been in this winter stump for so long, I'm craving bold color and brighter days. 

Thank you for reading! If you want more posts like this, head on over to Excuse Denied. :) 

Rania Bolton
Excuse Denied, a style blog 

Thank you so much for taking over my blog as I'm gallivanting [and hopefully not freezing] in Europe!

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4 comments:

  1. I really like this post! I usually just slop paint on my nails..

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  2. I love this I need to look for that cuticle stuff since mine seem to grow super fast and always ruin my nails.

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  3. I do the same thing! But this is super cute!

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  4. But hey at least you have stopped bitting them now!

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