Sunday 17 October 2010

Blood Splatter Expert

I kind of feel like one after trying do figure out how to actually splatter nail polish so it would replicate blood splatter and become the second look in my Halloween themed nails.  I needed a technique I could do with one hand that had maximum accuracy with minimum mess.  I tried flinging brushes, tools that spun, motorized toothbrushes, blowing polish through straws, dripping polish with different sized brushes--all to no avail to the look I was going for.  I was just about to give up, when my bathroom medicine cabinet showed me the light: floss picks.  I jimmied an angled floss pick on the lip of an upside down disposable Solo cup and used the floss pick as a catalyst to fling polish to my nail below.  It yielded pretty great results.  If you are going to try to replicate this manicure, I will warn you, it was MESSY.  I had a feeling it would be before I started so I put petroleum jelly around the top of my nail bed to help in clean up (as I do in water marbling) and it helped, but I didn't account for all the polish I would be inadvertently rubbing my palm in and the underside of my fingers and hand got pretty messy.  Thank goodness for lots of acetone nail polish remover and patience.

Left Hand

Right Hand Close

Overexposed Flash

The Splatter Contraption
Colors used for this look:  I coated with Essie Naughty N' Nice and splattered China Glaze Foxy for the blood splatter.  I realize that blood is not as beautifully sparkly as this blood-like color, but I went for pretty over reality :)  After the blood splatter dried, I coated once with Seche Vite and got to work on the nail bed, crime scene clean up!

UPDATE:  I added a video for you to watch the contraption in action!  Check it out!

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