Adding a simple metallic stripe to the nails instantly gives your nails a special touch, and it is so easy to do! Today I have three different ways to use a metallic stripe to give yourself a fairly simple manicure. Single StripeFor all three designs, I used the Formula X for Sephora Nail Color in Continuum. To make the stripes look their best, wait for the base color to dry completely. You can use a metallic polish and a thin nail art brush for this look, but I have a fairly large set of metallic nail stripe tape, so that's what I used. I'm not sure exactly which set I have, but it's really cheap and you can find some on Amazon HERE. The tape just sticks onto the nails, so it's super easy to apply. I just put the end of the tape at the base of my nail and laid the stripe flat against the nail and cut it off at the top. To make the tape fit perfectly, just use nail clippers to snip off any excess. Double StripesFor the second design I just added another stripe next to the original one. I did the same application technique as I described earlier. Double Stripes with HexesThe last design, which is the most complex and my favorite, is the same two stripes with yellow and green hexes. I love doing nail art with hexes because it doesn't involve any polish (other than the base color). The hexes I used are from the Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Samba. I just pick up a hex from the polish with a dotting tool and place it on the nails, in between the two stripes. After the clear base has dried, I applied the Out The Door top coat to gives the manicure a smooth look and to make sure the tape and hexes would stay on. XOX ♥
Price: $7.50 * Buy At: Ulta * Size: 0.5 fl oz The China Glaze Nail Lacquer in Well Trained is a blackened teal cream. Well Trained is a part of the All Aboard collection for fall 2014. It has a thin, inky formula and is intensely pigmented. I only needed one coat of Well Trained for it to be completely opaque, and it dried very quickly. If you are looking for a dark polish for winter, I definitely suggest this one! XOX ♥
Price: $8.50 * Buy At: Ulta * Size: 0.46 fl oz / 13.5 mL The Essie Nail Lacquer in Over The Edge is a metal looking dark gunmetal grey with micro shimmer. I absolutley love how this polish looks on the nails and I couldn't stop looking at it while it was on. It is very reflective, and while it's definitly not a foil, it has an almost metal look to it. Over The Edge applied very easily and had a quick dry time. I used two coats of Over The Edge in the swatches. XOX ♥
For this manicure I started off with a dark taupe base, Julie G Stiletto. Once it had completely dried, I applied a stripe of a light peach, Maybelline Color Show Bleached in Peach, down the middle of my ring finger. You could do this on all the nails, but I chose for it to be more of an accent. I also added red hexes down the middle of the peach stripe, as well as three of them at the base of the other nails. I took the red hexes out of the Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Polish in Beach Ball, but you could also use a red polish and a small dotting tool for a similar effect. As always, I sealed in the design with a coat of the Out The Door top coat. XOX ♥
Price: $2.49 * Buy At: Target * Size: 11.8 mL The Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Breezy Blue is a pale blue with very subtle shimmer. Breezy Blue is part of the Xtreme Wear permanent line. One coat of Breezy Blue is quite sheer and gives the nails an icy look. Somehow with two coats it became completely opaque, despite the rather sheer, thin formula. You can really see the frosty micro shimmer in the polish with one coat, but with two it just looks like a creme, with the shimmer no longer visible. Shown on my nails is two coats of Breezy Blue. XOX ♥
Price: $8.50 * Buy At: Ulta * Size: 0.46 fl oz The Essie Nail Lacquer in Watermelon is a bright, medium reddish pink with a cream finish. Watermelon has a quite thin formula, but it still easily covers the nails and was almost opaque in one coat. I used two coats of Watermelon in the swatch photos. XOX ♥
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