Black & White

For spring break this year, we went to SeaWorld in San Diego for the first time. So, for my nails I thought it would be fun to do some black and white simple nail art patterns to represent the Orca’s we would be seeing. Here is my tutorial on how I did these nail art patterns.

So here is what I did . . .

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 black polish. I used the Shellac color called, Black Pool. 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: Stripes

Now on the ring finger I painted three black stripes, I just freehanded these.

Note: I did the stripes 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: Polka Dots

Now on my middle finger. I painted large black polka-dots, similar to the image below, but make the polka dots a little larger. I have a video on my Easter Bunny post that you can view to see how I paint polka-dots.

Note: I did the dots 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. Here is a tutorial on how to paint perfect polka-dots.

Step 5: 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.

Step 6: 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.

Remove gel polish after 2-3 weeks, check out Gel Polish Removal for the quickest, easiest and best way to remove gels.