August 25, 2014

Turquoise Talons

Turquoise Nail Art

Born in December, my birthstones are blue topaz and turquoise.  I've seen a few different tutorials on how to create turquoise nails, but I decided to try the salt technique.  I had some technical difficulties, so the end result didn't turn out like a traditional salt nail, but it looks like turquoise so that works for me. :)

This would be better as a video tutorial, but I haven't advanced to that level yet.  Maybe later I might, but buying a tripod and other equipment is not on my list of things to buy while unemployed.  A good video can be found on the Nail It! Magazine website.

I definitely need to try the salt technique again since it didn't work properly this time.

Paint
Polish Used:
  • Wet n Wild - French White Crème
Other Supplies:
  • Liquitex Acrylic Paint - Bright Aqua Green
  • Liquitex Acrylic Paint - Turquoise Deep
  • Liquitex Acrylic Paint - Iridescent Rich Bronze
  • 2-3 Paint brushes
  • Salt
  • Matte top coat
  • Base and top coats

I've heard that a coat of matte top coat helps the paint stick to the nail better.  I did not do this, so the paint kept sliding off my nails, which is why I had to use so much paint and then lost the salt effect.  Here's how to create the look:
  1. Apply a white base coat.  This will make the colors pop more.
  2. If using a matte top coat, apply now before painting.
  3. Water down all three paints so they are a nice liquid consistency.  They'll need to be able to spread when the salt is sprinkled on (see video link above).
  4. Proceed with the remaining steps, one nail at a time.
  5. Apply the Bright Aqua Green to your nail, by dabbing on with a paint brush.
  6. Add tiny droplets of Turquoise Deep.
  7. Brush Iridescent Rich Bronze, along the tip.
  8. Sprinkle salt on the nail.  This will disperse the paint, so you may need to dab on some more for the desired effect.
  9. Let nails dry completely.  The next step requires washing the salt away, so nails must be thoroughly dry so the paint doesn't wash off too.
    Salt nails
  10. To wash off the salt, hold nails under running water.  You can dab the nail to make sure all the salt is gone, but DO NOT rub!
  11. Carefully dry nails, and seal with top coat.
  12. For clean up, use a nail brush or q-tip dipped in acetone to clean around the edges.  A lot of paint will get on your skin.  Acrylic paint comes off skin pretty easily with some water and careful rubbing (use a toothpick or wood stick for more precise paint removal).
Here are some other shots in direct sunlight.
Turquoise Nail Art

Turquoise Nail Art

2 comments :

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...