Nails: Animal print with a spring/summer twist

Hey Beleza Babies! 

So for my first nail post, I thought I'd post an image of a spring/summer inspired look I recently tried out on my nails. I've always been a big fan of animal print nails, but found the usual gold & black colour combination was getting a little bit tired, and dare I say it, a tad tacky. For a cute spring/summer look, I decided to try a pretty pink peach colour with white spot detail. 

 

Rawr! Cute right? These are a little bit messy (I hadn't gotten round to cleaning up when I took this pic, and excuse the camera phone quality) but I loved the overall effect. Plus, it was actually super easy to do. I used two coats of Barry M Nail Paint in Peach Melba (£2.99 from Boots) as a base layer, and then blobbed on random circles of my Boots Natural Collection Nail Tip Whitener (around £2 from Boots). There's really no need to worry about the size or placement of the white blobs, just dot them on randomly. To create the leopard print effect, I used a black liquid eyeliner (any black liquid eyeliner will do, although ones with a fine point will come in particularly handy). This is probably the trickiest part, as it requires a bit of a steady hand, but it only took me a few goes to get it right. Just draw on three or two black lines surrounding the white blobs. Once you're sure the eyeliner has dried, finish with a layer of clear top-coat. I used the Barry M Nail Paint Base & Top Coat Nail Hardener. As you can see, I'm a big fan of Barry M nail polishes - they're super inexpensive and deliver a consistent, thick colour. The top coat is particularly effective, as the product promises to harden nails and encourage growth, and I can honestly say I noticed a real difference in my nails. They didn't chip or break off anywhere near as fast as with a regular top coat. 

Once you've perfected the technique, you can literally use any colour combination you like! Here are a few of my favs: 

  

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With the pastel trend a huge hit for spring/summer fashion this year, I can foresee combinations of pastel pink, lilac and mint green animal print becoming somewhat of a regular appearance on my nails! 

♥ Beleza Baby