Wailea Waves

I LOVE SUMMER!!!  I love the weather, the beach, and all the summer nails.  I wish I could spend the entire summer tanning on the beach, but since I don't live in Hawaii, I have to settle for beach nails.

These nails are inspired by a design by +elleandish // Janelle, but mine are a little different.

I received these starfish charms from Born Pretty Store in exchange for an honest review.  I love them!!!  I love all beach themed charms, so these are no different.  There are five charms in the set, and they come in either gold or silver.  I went with gold because it has a warmer feel for summer manis.  Aside from the cute factor, one of the main things I really like about these charms are that they are curved.  As a result, the starfish lays flat against the nail and the legs don't stick up and get caught on things.  The starfish have a bumpy texture to look like real starfish which is nice.  I highly recommend these charms for any beach themed nail designs.  I think I'll be using these a lot this summer.

For these or other nail art supplies, use coupon code GHLQ10 for 10% off your entire purchase at Born Pretty Store.

Polish Used:

• Sally Hansen Insta-Dri - Express Way
• Sally Hansen Insts-Dri - Re-teal Therapy
• Sally Hansen Extreme Wear - White On
• Base and top coats

Other Supplies:

• Gold starfish charm
• Pearls
• Gold caviar beads
• Krazy Glue
• Hand sanitizer (spray)
• Cup of water
• Makeup sponge

My water spotting came out a bit janky.  My white polish was too thick so it didn't spot as well.  The water spotting on my ring finger is how it should look.  To create this look:

1. Apply a nude/sand colored base color like Express Way by Sally Hansen.
   
2. Use a wet makeup sponge to create a gradient using Express Way and Re-teal Therapy.  This will be the water washing up on the sand.
   
3. Water spot some white polish to represent the foam from the waves.  See my spider web nails for a water spotting tutorial.
   
4. Glue a starfish and some pearls and gold caviar beads on the middle finger.
   

Someone take me to the beach ASAP!

Don't forget to use coupon code GHLQ10 for 10% off.