I normally tend to gravitate towards muted colors and Maximillian Strasse-her from the 2013 Essie Spring Collection was no exception. I have a few other similar colors (Mermaid Tears & Thanks A Windmillion by OPI), but this one has greyish undertones that sets it apart. I'm not the biggest Essie fan (fiercely loyal to OPI), but this is quickly becoming a spring favorite. In honor of Spring/Summer (Sacramento is 90 DEGREES tomorrow), I wanted to share a little tutorial for simple flowers that are easily customizable. And although dated and often tacky, I'm still a sucker for cutsey accent nails for those days where I just need a little something more and can't be bothered with glitter.
No Brand White Nail Polish // Essie Maximillian Strasse-her // OPI - Glitzerland //
Nail Tek Intensive Therapy Top & Base Coat // No Brand Nail Dot Pen
You can find the nail dotting tool shown above in most beauty supply stores, but this deal on Amazon is hard to beat at 95 cents (a set of 5 & double ended). It takes a bit of time getting used to, but I find them super helpful because they create much more precise and uniform patterns. Once you get some practice in, you'll be able to do flowers, polka dots, etc in no time at all. Of course, you can always cleanly cut the top of a toothpick and that will work just fine as well. Oh and bobbypins, can't forget how useful bobbypins are when it comes to nail art.
1. Start with base coat and 2 coats of nail polish in your choice of color.
2. Dab the nail art tool (small end of the two sides) in preferred flower nail color to coat the entirety of the ball point of the tool. I usually dab the tool on the brush of the polish. I seem to get more even results/reduce waste this way.
3. Start creating uniform flowers clockwise (5 dots!) at the center of the nail (or whichever point you'd like).
4. Repeat Step 3 as many times as needed, depending on how many flowers you'd like.
5. After wiping down the tool to prevent clumping, dab the tool in preferred color that will be the eye of the flower and dot each center accordingly. Finish off with base coat after a few minutes of drying time.
I hope this tutorial serves as an easy approach to simple nail art! I wanted to make it as quick and painless as possible while allowing options for customization through size and colors of the flowers. If you have any questions, I'll do my best to explain further and if you've attempted this, we'd love to see your results!
