Porcelain Flowers

I'm switching up the post format this week - posting more of a step-by-step tutorial on how I got the nail art look I'm wearing this week. Let me know if it's helpful, or if there's another format you'd like to see, feel free to speak up.

This week's design is inspired by some porcelain rose decals I found at Sally Beauty Supply last weekend. They're 3D roses, and just gorgeous! I picked China Glaze "Cherish" and Zoya "Felicity for the polish colors, and got some gold boullion beads to compliment the little gold beads on the decals.

I started off with 2 coats of Felicity. I should warn you now - I am not a "neat" nail artist...I make a huge mess, and worry about cleaning it up later. Much less stressful for me than trying to focus on working clean throughout. So the photos in this post are true to my working style - messy.

Then I swiped over the bottom corner with Cherish to start creating a "V" at the base of my nail, going the other way to complete it. I don't worry about whether my initial lines are smooth - that's what beads and nail art pens are for.

Then I placed the flower decals in the center of each point. The decals are self-adhesive, but I put them on before the polish is too dry, which helps them adhere strongly. I wear my nail art for 6 days at a time, so I need it to be very strong. After I put the decals on, I went over the whole thing with top coat, paying special attention to the base of the decal.
You'll notice that the decals have little gold balls for accents. I simply extended that with the gold bouillon beads, covering the edges of the green, and then creating little gold "ribbons" hanging from the flowers.

This was my first time working with the bouillon beads. It definitely takes some practice. If the nail is too wet, they'll slip around. If it's too dry, they won't stick. I generally swipe a strip of top coat over a small area, put the beads on, then move to the next area. It's time consuming, but worth it, I think.

After I put the beads on each nail, I used 2 more coats of top coat over the whole design on each nail. Four coats of top coat in all to affix and seal the nail art for a week's worth of wear.

I let them dry overnight, and cleaned up the next morning in a sink of warm, soapy water with an orange stick. And voila - some pretty fancy nail art that reminds me of weddings (or anniversaries - mine is at the end of the week).

So far, they've been wearing well - I did this manicure Saturday night, and all the decals and beads are still very solid. I love the roses, and I'm going to try to get them off the decal backing so I can use them again later. Yes, they do get in the way, and I wore gloves to do some kitchen chores yesterday so they'd be protected. Not something I'd want to wear in sweater weather, but fun for now. I think next time, I'll just do three nails each hand with the flowers.

Pedicure photos on Thursday - until then, Happy Polishing!