It is surprising to me, that I have never tried to do this plaid design on my nails. It is quite simple, yet it looks very impressive.

My husband even asked me tonight if it was a sticker of some sort. He, of all people, should know that I don’t do “stickers” on my nails. Silly.

 

Step 1: Prep Nails

View my post on Nail Polish Prep.

 

Step 2: Paint Nails

Paint all of the nails, except the middle and ring fingers with two coats of pink polish. I used the Shellac color called, Hot Pink Pop. Now paint the middle and ring fingers with two coats of white polish. I used the Shellac color called, Cream Puff.

Gel Polish: Apply two coats of polish and cure in light (curing after each coat). Cure 2 minutes in the UV light, or 1 minute in an LED light.

 

Step 3: Love & Plaid

Now on the middle fingers I painted the red wide stripes first, in a large “X” across my nails. Then I added red stripes of equal thickness on both sides and in both directions of the “X”. I then used pink to do thin stripes in between all of the red stripes. If you need a visual, I put together a little video below. . .

I began by doing a rough outline of the L V E in red. Once they were evenly spaced I filled them in to be a little thicker. Then I took my pink paint and created a simple heart. If you need a visual, I put together a little video below. . .

This is how to paint a heart when doing nail art.

Note: I did all the nail art with acrylic craft paint. . . Some polishes can dry almost transparent which makes the image hazy and you won’t get the wow factor you are going for.

 

Step 4: Apply Final Top Coat

Now apply your top coat. Make sure the paint is completely dry before adding top coat to help avoid smearing.

Gel Polish: Apply top coat and cure in UV light for 2 minutes or 1 minute in an LED light.

Love PlaidStep 5: Allow to Dry and Apply Cuticle Oil

Allow your polish to dry completely. Apply a cuticle oil just around your nails on the cuticle and rub into the skin.

Gel Polish: Remove sticky residue on top of nails with a little alcohol or polish remover and apply cuticle oil.