I’m going to preface this by saying “this is what happens when you spend too much time on Pinterest”. Being eyeballs deep in pretty things for hours on end can give a girl with no discernible design skills quite the complex. Luckily, I spotted some inspiration that I knew I could replicate – a whimsical polka dot DIY manicure.
This manicure allowed me to do my favourite thing, which is to use ALL the colours. You can also spend as much or as little time as you want on this. I decided to do one corner of each nail in dots plus one accent nail on each hand full of polka dots. A triangle shape with both top corners of the nail dotted or a half moon shape filled with dots would also look great!
You’ll need:
- White nail polish (I used Essie Blanc)
- A myriad of coloured polish – I chose 4 of my favourite shades (Essie Mint Candy Apple / Essie Butler, Please! / Essie Tart Deco / Essie Bachelorette Bash)
- A dotting tool (get it at a beauty supply store for a few bucks) OR a blunted toothpick
- A good top & base coat (I love Deborah Lippmann’s Gel Lab set)
- Pointed cotton swabs (white polish can be thin and runny – have these Q-tips around for clean-up!)
- Piece of cardstock or thick paper
- Prep clean, dry nails with a base coat. Once dry, carefully apply your white polish. You may need up to three layers to achieve opacity. Don’t get nervous if it’s streaky – most white polishes are! Just proceed with caution and let the polish dry between coats.
- Once white polish is dry, clean up your cuticles using nail polish remover and a Q-tip.
- On your cardstock, drop small puddles of each polish, being careful not to mix them.
- Dip your dotting tool in a shade and gently press the rounded tip against your nail. Repeat with each polish until you reach the desired effect. Make sure to clean off your tool between shades!
- Let the dots settle for a minute then top with a high-quality topcoat.
- Admire!
