Viva Adonis - Irish Beauty Blog: Newsprint Nails

Friday, 1 April 2011

Newsprint Nails

I saw this tutorial on a blog ages ago and I can't, for the life of me, remember which one it was. I thought it was a really cute idea and looked really good on the nails.

I also thought it was kind of appropriate since I'm studying journalism!

And, if you're like me, and don't have a steady enough hand to do some really good nail art, it's pretty fool proof!

What you need:

A cream, beige or other pale colour nail polish as a base.
Strips of newsprint big enough to cover your nail. Make sure the type is black as it will be faded upon transferral.
A glass or, in my case, egg cup of vodka or some other spirit.
Tissues and Q-Tips
A topcoat

Step 1: Paint your nails with the pale base colour until opaque.

I used Catrice's Mona Lisa is Staring Back which is a creamy beige with some very slight gold shimmer. The more matte the better for this look but this was all I had.

Allow this to dry fully. And don't do as I did and watch the new episode of Grey's Anatomy while trying to get this base on as neatly as possible- it's impossible to paint your nails through teary eyes!

Step 2: Dip your nail in the vodka and let it sit for a minute or two.

I'm not sure of the theory behind putting the vodka directly on the nail as opposed to soaking the newsprint in it but, I'm just following instructions!

Step 3: Place your vodkafied finger on some tissues and place a strip of newsprint on top, wrapping it around the finger to hold it in place.

Press down gently over the nail to make sure it is in contact with the print. Having tried the first nail and seeing that the transferral was quite faint, I decided to dip my pressing finger in the vodka so that the print was soaked through from both sides. This intensified the print on the nail.

After pressing down for about a minute, gently peel back the newspaper.

You may have some print on your finger surrounding the nail but that can be cleaned up once finished.

Step 4: Apply a clear topcoat so that the newsprint doesn't rub off. I did this at the very end in case one nail was a fail so I could just wipe the print off with my finger and go again.

If you have print on your skin, dip a Q-Tip in the vodka and just run it over, it should come right off!

Love,

S x