The Nail Files - Leopard Print

Today I am launching a new segment called The Nail Files (get it?). I LOVE doing my nails, I love buying nail polish, I love nail art and I love getting manicures. I have a drawer overflowing with nail polishes and still, I keep buying them! I also own a UV lamp and occasionally do my own gel nails at home too. So I thought I would start a series dedicated to my various polishes. This  nail look is inspired by Jessica-Anne from Taken By Surprise and her I Scream Nails Masterclass, enjoy!

The Polishes 

Polished London: Portobello ($7.99)
Sinful Colours: Snow Me White ($4.95)
Sportsgirl: The Polish Pen ($8.95 but mine was on sale for $2.75!) 

Both polishes were actually from subscription boxes and the Polish Pen was a bargain from Sportsgirl on Valentine’s Day, when they had a mega sale! Portobello is a bold purple and I think it’s one of the best nail polishes out there. It’s not too thick or too runny, it applies really well, is perfect in two coats and has a lovely glossy finish. Snow Me White is not as great, the formula is a bit thick and quite hard to get on properly but looks great if you manage it right.

The Polish Pen is a nice glossy black and is an absolute miracle for nail art. It’s as easy to use a normal marker pen and the results are just like a regular nail polish. Steps are as follows:

1. Paint 2 coats of Portobello and Snow Me White – I was very naughty and did not use a base coat for this look, I just painted 2 coats of Snow Me White onto the thumb and third finger for a feature nail and did the other three in Portobello.

 

2. Once dry, apply splotches of Portobello over your feature nails – You can either use the nail brush for this or a dotting tool. I used the largest of my dotting tools from the Born Pretty store. Don’t worry about making perfect circles, these are meant to be irregular in size and shape.

3. Once the splotches are dry, outline with the Polish Pen ­– This is by far the hardest part and even then, it’s pretty easy thanks to the handy Polish Pen. Draw on half circles around some of the splotches, not following any particular pattern. You can also add a few half circles in black on their own too. I find it helps to draw little dots and join them up rather than trying to draw a thick line. This is especially helpful when drawing with your non-dominant hand.

4. Finish with a top coat – Once the black has completely dried, finish with a top coat. I used my favourite top coat, Rimmel Finishing Touch Ultra Shine Topcoat.

5. Accept the multitude of compliments that flow in because of your awesome leopard print mani!

Side note: Snow Me White chipped after 1 day while Portobello lasted a good 4 days.

 

I hope you enjoyed the first instalment of the Nail Files and thanks to Jessica-Anne for the inspiration. If you have anything you would like to see here, please let me know in the comments or at kaboom.cosmetics@gmail.com 

Stay beautiful!

Dani xx