Halloween Nails: Dark & Edgy

The folks at Cina were kind enough to send me a pack of their new Halloween decals to try this month, and share with all of you! Have you noticed that good nail decals are getting harder and harder to find? I have, so I was super-excited to get these, with their edgy not-quite-goth designs. They're available exclusively at Sally Beauty Supply (incidentally, I don't see them in the online store - these may be a retail store only item) and only for the month of October, so run out and get a pack - these are the real deal!

I decided to use the main colors in the decals to create the "canvas", so this week I used China Glaze polishes in "White Out", "Liquid Leather", and "Ruby Pumps". I also used my black & white Migi Nail art pen.
First, I painted every other nail white, then went back and did the rest black. "White Out" has a very thin consistency that I found hard to control - I did three coats of that to get the color even, and two coats of "Liquid Leather" - which is really the perfect glossy black.
Then I took "Ruby Pumps" and accented the base colors with the glittery red. I decided at the last minute to cover my whole pinky nail there, and I also added a horizontal strip across the black index finger, and a red cross over my black middle finger (other hand - not shown).
Time to place the details! I decided on a little ghostly yin-yang on my thumb that ended up looking more like a crest (one of my favorites), and I think the eyes peeking out over the red tip on my index finger are very spooky. A spider, a disturbingly happy skull & crossbones, and a black cat completed this hand. Here's a tip - wait until the polish is pretty well dry before placing the stickers. If you put them in wet polish, the edges will curl up (as did my white ghost there, and my spider on the index finger). These decals do lay perfectly flat when you place them on mostly dry polish.
Next I went back and outlined any color lines with the Migi in black, to smooth them out a bit and give it a more "finished" look. Quick and easy. Two coats of top coat, and some of Zoya's "Hurry Up" drops, and I was ready to clean up my cuticles!
Voila! I think this turned out really well, the first Halloween manicure of the season. It's not just me though - I got compliments already from the lady at the post office, and one at Costco, aside from a few I caught checking them out while trying to be sneaky. These designs are very eye-catching, and people tend to really notice them.
And my right hand too. I adore the spider web & spider on my ring finger, and that screamer skull perfectly accents the long pinky nail.

Next week, more Halloween nails!