Mermaid’s Treasure

When I first bought the nail plate I used (WP-30), I had already half-planned out an entire manicure just with it. I loved the scale pattern on the mermaid’s tail most of all (and totally plan on using it in future manicures when I need an organic-looking scale pattern). Combined with the challenge subject of jewels, I felt like I had a chance to bring something truly tacky to the table. Like any proper magpie, I’ve purchased plenty of sequins and rhinestones over the past lifetime. And I have stubbornly hauled them with me through every move. The little caviar beads I used have been with me for over a decade and this is the first time I used them…

• Base Colors: Sinful Colors in “Blue Sensation” and “Taupe It Off”
• Stamping Polish: Mundo de Unas in “Avocado” and “Dark Green” and Sinful Colors “Tokyo Pearl” (deliberately chosen because it’s not opaque)
• Reverse Stamping Polishes: mix of Sinful Shine’s Kylie “Koko-Nuts” and Essie’s “All Hands On Deck” for the mermaid’s skin; Orly’s “In Summer” and Sinful Color’s “Sky Tree” for her hair; Essie’s “All Hands On Deck” Sinful Color’s “Sky Tree” and “Tokyo Pearl” and Sinful Shine’s Kylie “Koko-Nuts” on the thumb.
• Bling: green caviar beads, dollar store rhinestones, Hobby Lobby hotfix rhinestones, pearl and shell-ish nail charms from ebay.
• Stamping Plate: YZWLE-01

Okay, I’ll confess: I hadn’t meant to put as much bling as I did on my nails. In fact, I started this manicure on Wednesday night. It was 3 AM when I glued on my two big nail charms and stumbled off to bed. When I woke up the next day, the nail art didn’t look complete. I’d accidentally cut off part of the mermaid’s tail and my fingernails were too pale compared to my thumbnail and the charms just looked like they were floating awkwardly in space and something had to be done. And so I did it. To my left hand only (my right still looks like what you see below) because I am very, very tired and I am probably going to be working overtime tomorrow and it’s 1:11 AM right now. Plus, I’m not sure my nails will survive the night with those caviar beads (the only reason I have any is because they came packaged with something else). Do you see how many asides I’ve written in just this paragraph? A clear indicator that I should stop writing now.

30 Days of Color (Jan 2017) – Jewels: