Hi friends! Just a quick post from me tonight - some Scottish-y themed nail art for Burns' Night and a wee review of this striping tape from Born Pretty Store. (Discount code at the bottom of the post, too!)
I was aiming for a tartan-esque design on my index finger - which could have gone better, haha - and an Argyle-inspired pattern on my ring finger. Both fabrics which are closely associated with Scotland, of course. I kept the other nails pretty simple, with a colour block, glitter gradient and some rhinestones (from a 1.5mm Born Pretty Store wheel). The polishes I used are as follows:
- Red - Color Club 'Mamba' (from the Fiesta Collection)
- Navy - Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure 'Thinking of Blue'
- Blue - Kiko 385
- Silver - Color Club 'On the Rocks' (also Fiesta Collection - I looove this silver)
- Glitter - piCture pOlish 'Ruby Blou'
I used the striping tape for this 'Argyle' nail. I started with three coats of PP Ruby Blou, plus quick-dry top coat. Once dry, I marked out a diamond pattern using the tape, added one (generous) coat of Thinking of Blue and removed the tape; I did have to fill in one or two little bits with a brush, mostly because I forgot which order I'd added the tape strips in so they got a bit tangled when I was removing them...oops! The silver lines were painted free-hand over the top.
I've been pretty impressed with Born Pretty's striping tape so far. It's a really good width and I love being able to get such crisp lines. I also think it's pretty handy that it comes in such a broad variety of colours, since you'll always be able to pick one that stands out from your base, so you can see what you're doing! I tend to place the tape with my fingers and have found you can take it off and move it quite easily if you don't get it perfect first time - I also found lifting one end with tweezers quite handy for minor adjustments, especially since the tape has a little bit of flexibility in it. I definitely think it will take a bit of practice for me to get used to the technique, though - although simple, it's a bit fiddly and I found it could be somewhat time-consuming. That's not at all a criticism of the tape itself, of course! One thing I still need to get down is the best way to remove the tape - I like to do it with tweezers for a bit more precision, but the tape seems to stick really easily to tools and fingers so I frequently ended up with wet polish on my skin when trying to remove the strips from the tweezers! Maybe some of you have some tips for me?!
If you'd like to try out some nail art supplies from Born Pretty, feel free to use my discount code:
I think this is quite a fun mix, but I don't quite love it and I'm a bit disappointed with the lines in my tartan. Practice makes perfect, though, right?
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| Sorry about the hideous cuticle shrinkage on my thumb! |
So, what do you think? Are you a striping tape aficionado? Do you have any tips for me?!
BREAKING NEWS: I started writing this post before dinner...I was super excited for HAGGIS! Our haggis burst in the pan and we couldn't eat it. I am devastated. :(
