Metallic Lace Manicure Tutorial

I'm in the middle of working on a pair of decoupage shoes using images from one of my favorite comics when I was a child.  Since they're not done yet, it's nail art time!

This was the manicure that I had for SoonerCon, so since I was doing the steampunk thing, I thought I'd go with a nice metallic nail and I'm a sucker for "complicated" nail designs.

This one is a pretty easy one once it's broken down step-by-step.  It looks best with contrast between the colors.  You could do a contrast with light and dark, or even actual contrasting colors on the color wheel.  If you're not familiar with the color wheel or color theory, it's a very useful tool for helping to pick out colors for many arts and crafts.  

This technique isn't mine.  I can't remember where I ran across it the first time as it was several months ago. It's a variation on the no-tools cloud manicure, which is also an adorable look without all the extra dots.

However, dots make your nail art look much more complicated than it actually is.  

Tools 

• Base coat
• Nail polish colors:  Shown here is Pure Ice in "Silver Mercedes", "Magic", and "Bite Me" and Maybelline Color Show in "Bold Gold"
• Dotting tool: I used both a large and small diameter dotting tool.  If you don't have this particular tool, a toothpick will make the small dots and an old ballpoint pen will do for the larger dots.
• Palette
• Top coat

Nail Prep

Take off all old polish and file nails into your desired shape.  Once done, paint your nails with your base coat to protect them.  Let the base coat dry.

Base Color

Paint all of your nails with 2 coats of a coppery red color (Pure Ice "Magic") Let dry 5 minutes more than you think you need to.

No Tools Cloud

Take the silver color  (Pure Ice "Silver Mercedes") and wipe off the excess polish from the brush.  Paint a stripe on the side of your nail a few millimeters below your cuticle.  Continue to paint stripes that are shorter than the previous to create a rounded stair step design.  This will take around 3-4 stripes, depending on the brush and your nails.  Let dry completely.

Repeat the same steps with the antique gold color (Pure Ice "Bite Me") a few millimeters down from the top of the silver color.  You can stop here for the cloud manicure and add a top coat.  

I don't recommend this particular color because it's a little thin.  To get this sort of opacity from the color, I had to go over the stripes again with a thicker glob of polish, which increases the chances of ruining it.  It's best to have a nice, pigmented shade.  Maybelline's "Bold Gold" would be a good choice.

Getting dotty with it

Put a dollop of "Bold Gold" on a palette and dip the small end of your dotting tool or your toothpick into the color and then gently tap the color onto your nails above the silver.  Wipe your tool off frequently to keep the size of your dots consistent.

Switch to the larger end of the dotting tool or pen and put a dollop of "Magic" on the palette.  Carefully put dots in the silver portion of your clouds in the middle of each stripe.

Finally, put a dollop of "Silver Mercedes" on your palette and repeat the last step in the gold portion of your nails.  Finish off with a top coat and you're done!