Nail that Technique: Vertical Stripes Edition

Today's post is about another passion of mine, Nail Art! *crowd cheers

Some of you will already know this but for those who don't- I am obsessed with Nail Art!
 I just love it all; any design, any style, any colour- I have so many different colours of nail varnish that I could open up my own nail bar if I wanted to.
I always have my nails painted and I generally can't remember the last time I didn't have nail varnish on...

Is this bad?

So I thought instead of keeping my tips and techniques to myself, I would share them with you guys so you too can become a 'nail artist' *just said that in a French accent
Don't know why...

Today's lesson is ...
(this is like school- don't worry it won't be that bad!)

Slightly off topic but imagine being able to take a nail art class in school!!!
How cool would that be?!?

(Back to the lesson) 

I thought I'd start off simple and if you guys want me to do more of these then they'll get harder as we go- exciting, isn't it?

'How to do Vertical Stripes on your nails'

Step 1:

This is where we remove any old nail vanish because it's not a good look to have about 10 different layers of nail vanish nor is it good for your nails.

For this stage I usually remove my nail vanish before a shower as I find even if the nail varnish remover doesn't get rid of all the old nail vanish, the shower will especially if you pick at them while your in it.

Plus it gets rid of the horrible smell of the nail varnish remover (always a bonus!)

Once I've took my old nail varnish off, I usually like to file my nails a bit and smooth the surface of the nail down using one of those multiway nail file's- my personal favourite is the 'Model's Own' one. 

Step 2:

This step isn't necessary but if you want to take care of your nails then I would always recommend it. This is where I usually apply a base coat to my nails to prevent them from being stained by the colour of the nail varnish that I use.

It ALWAYS works!

Here I only usually apply one coat which is sufficient and I always find base coat dries in around 10 minutes. (I used a Barry M Base and Top coat one as it's dual purpose)

Step 3:

For this design I am going to use a white nail varnish all over the nail as it's quite a neutral colour compared to the other colours that I will be applying later on.

Here you need to apply 2 coats of any white nail varnish to ensure full coverage (I used a matte Ciate one called paper doll)

I would recommend leaving the nails to dry for at least 15-20 minutes to ensure that they are fully dry.

Step 4:

This is where the fun starts...

Now this step can be quite tricky to do as you do need a steady hand but as I always say practice makes perfect so if you don't get it right the first time then don't worry cause it's not the end of the world if you need to start again... believe me it took me a while to get to this stage.

Here you need to get a black nail art pen (again I used Model's Own) and slowly starting from your cuticles drag the tip of the pen straight up to the end of your nails. Repeat this across your nails vertical as many times as you want- I did three across as that amount suited the width of my nails. But it's up to you.

I left this to dry for 15 minutes to ensure that it was completely dry before I moved on to the next step.

Step 5:
(Your almost done don't worry)

You can leave this nail art design at step 4 if you want but I felt when I was doing it that my nails needed a dash of colour at the tips.

You can pick any colour you want here- you don't have to use the same colour as me but if you want to then I used a Barry M nail varnish in the colour 'Coral'

Here you need a steady hand again but don't worry feel free to take as long or as little amount of time as you want.

Slowly drag the tip of the brush long the edge of your nail- trying to keep it as accurate to the edge of your nail as possible.

I left this to dry for about 15 minutes then I applied a top coat to give my nails extra shine and left them for another 15-20 minutes.

Quick Tip:

When you think your nails have finished drying run them under a cold water tap as it kind of freezes any nail varnish that hasn't completely dried. I find this helps me to stop my nails from smudging.

Now you too have learnt how to do 'Vertical Stripes' Nail Art!

Well done and  why not give yourself a pat on the back!!!
(not until your nails have dried though)

I hope you guys enjoyed this post and found the stages clear and helpful- I'd love to see how your nails went so leave a picture in the comments below or tag me on twitter @gemimalove12

I hope to do more of these Nail Art posts in the future so let me know what designs you'd like to see.

Did you enjoy having a new post on both Saturday and Sunday?
Would you like these to be my regular days?

Take Care & if you want I'll see you next Saturday for another post!

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