Art Club Nail Polish for DIY Awesome

Happy Friday! Let's get awesome.

Start with a basic at-home manicure. Trim, file, moisturize, push back cuticles, then clean moisturizer from nails with nail polish remover. Polish. (That’s Pah-lish, not Poe-lish.)

I’ve noticed metallic polishes are the most forgiving when it comes to application flaws, which makes them a great choice for DIY manicures. Lighter shades have the added benefit of less obvious chipping. I really think metallics chip less in general, but it could be an illusion. Either way, it adds visual interest, and do I really need to make an argument for sparkles?

That said, our base is going to be a light colored, sparkly metallic. Apply as many coats as it takes to get opaque coverage. In the case of this gold OPI Glitzerland, it takes 3 coats. (Ugh, but worth it.)

Choose 1-4 colors of Art Club, or other skinny-brush polish for your fancy decorations. (They sell it at Duane Reade for $3.99 and Bed, Bath & Beyond for $2.99. I’m sure lots of drugstores carry something similar. Or you can buy sets online.) I used black, white, Technicolor Doll, and Paisley Paradise. I like the darker colors closer to the base of the nail, and the lighter colors toward the tip. It’s not that big of a deal, but when I tried it another way, it didn’t look as good.

With the first color, start drawing a line diagonally from one of the inside corners of your nail toward the opposite outside corner. When you are about half way across, gently flick the brush toward the corner instead of painting the line the whole way. Do this to each nail. If you’re lazy, in a hurry, or just like this look (Rawr!), you can stop here and go straight to the topcoat.

Repeat with the next color, starting at the other inner corner. Paint another flicky line the other way, crossing over the first line. Again, you can stop here or move to the next level of awesome.

Go back to the first side and draw another line about 1/8” away from the first line. Do the same flicky thing, crossing over line #2 a little. Three colors look pretty cool, but you’ve come this far, so you might as well go for it.

If you’re in it to win it, repeat on the other side. 

Tah-Dah!!!

Hit it with topcoat.

Like anything, you’ll get faster and better with a little practice. Don’t worry if your lines are slightly crooked or uneven. There is so much going on with this manicure, no one will even notice. When you show them off, just direct attention to your “good” hand.

I’m naming this the Punkahontas Manicure. When your friends compliment your awesome nails, tell them what it’s called and where they can read all about it.