Starry Night Manicure

My fellow blogger Kit found this awesome galaxy nail photo that I was dying to duplicate myself. I didn’t quite understand the directions until way later and hope the next time around will look just like it.

How awesome is that, guys? I mean, really. I didn’t quite understand how you could spatter such small specks but I now realize this is done with a brush being bent over ( kinda like how you would feel one in the store to feel the bristles). The bigger “stars” are done

with a stippling brush and a steady hand.

So instead of galaxy nails I ended up with starry night nails that I think turned out just as well. Mine have more sparkle to them since I used some glitters and holo’s.

Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Nail Hardener, Sinful Colors Midnight Blue, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out, Essie Mezmerised
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Celeb City, OPI Teenage Dream, INM Northern Lights Silver Holo, Orly French tip White, Seche Vite Top Coat

Before starting this design, it’s best to have your cuticles and fingers moisturized so they don’t pick up excess (dark) polish. The more moisturized they are, the better the final outcome. To begin, I first used nail hardener, and did my base color as Midnight Blue. I then took a bit of makeup sponge (a piece clipped off from a wedge) and tweezers and used Black Out to create a darker gradation in different areas on the nail. Yes, you will get it all over your finger as well, just leave it for now. I then used Mezmerised to create a lighter blue gradation on the other side of the nail so it went from bright to dark.

Because this was intended to look like a galaxy, you need to create star-dust. I did this by using Teenage Dream and Northern lights in different areas of the nail. I then added Celeb City near the edge of my nails. I used a nail art brush to draw bigger “stars” with the Orly French Tip White.

Clean up the nail with a q-tip and nail polish remover or nail art brush. Finish with a shiny top coat.