Snowflake Nail Art Tutorial
First, you need to get all your supplies together: nail polishes, base/top coat, and a dotting tool. You can choose any color you would like, but I went with a light pink Essie called "muchi, muchi" and a black Salon Perfect nail art polish. Lastly, any base or top coat will work.
You will want to start off with completely manicured nails with no polish at all. I have a blog post on how to quickly manicure nails on the Instagram/blog tab of this website. Its super easy and it just helps the polish glide on smoother than rough nails.
Start with a thick base coat to protect the nail. This coat keeps the chemicals of the polish from entering the nail cuticle, which if left too long will cause yellowing and weaken the nail. The base coat will dry within a matter of seconds, so you won't have to wait long for the next step.
Apply two to three coats of your desired nail color. Allow each coat to dry completely before applying the next coat. This will be the longest step because proper drying times are extremely important. It could be 25-30 mins for all the coats to dry. If the coats are applied too quickly, the nail polish will become gooey and peel or smudge off. Also, don't worry if the polish gets on your skin. We will have a final step to clean around the nails.
Once your nails are dry, put a small dot of the black polish on a paper plate or towel. Don't allow to dry so work quickly!
With the dotting tool, place a small dot on the upper right side of your nail. This will serve as the center of the snowflake. If you don't have a dotting tool, you can use a toothpick. Just be careful not to poke a hole in the pink layer of nail polish while dotting.
With a nail art brush or a thin paintbrush, paint five thin lines around the center dot of the snowflake. It's ok if your lines aren't completely straight or even because snowflakes aren't perfect either!
Finish the design by painting two diagonal lines AWAY from the center. Apply this to every line for every snowflake.
Clean up the edges by dipping Q-tips in nail polish remover. Rub the Q-tip over any stray polish, making sure not to take off the polish on the nail. I prefer the Precision tip Q-tips, but regular ones work also.
Enjoy your holiday themed nails, and show them off to all your friends!!