Nautical Nails

Hey everybody! I am typing this post from a beach house in Santa Cruz. The beautiful ocean and beach scene is only steps away! Being near the sea has inspired me to do a nautical themed mani.

Now what you have all been waiting for... The nautical nail art! The only thing I would change are the colors- a darker blue, red instead of pink, and no sparkles. But hey, I was on vacation and could only bring so many colors!

The polishes I used were:

• Essie Avenue Maintain (blue)
• Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Debut-tint (sparkle)
• Essie Bachelorette Bash (pink)
• It's So Easy Stripe Rite in white

I think this mani is easy enough that I don't need to show you a step by step tutorial, but some of you might want to know how to make a heart like the pink one. So this is how you do it.

First Method:

1. Using a dotting tool, put two dots next to each other, touching in the middle.
2. Connect the two dots and pull them down into a point.
3. Touch up any imperfections.

Second Method:

1. Use a dotting tool and make two lines angling down towards each other.
2. Make sure you have a defined point at the bottom and rounded tops.

So now, as I promised a few posts ago, I have a swatch of another of my new Essies for you, and it's a really really good one!

Sorry about the weird picture, I forgot to take one and remembered only after I painted all my nails except this one!

This is Essie's Avenue Maintain, a beautiful bright blue. Shown is just one coat! I didn't even need a second coat at all. It's an awesome formula, not streaky at all. This is my new favorite blue and I'll definitely be using it a lot in the future!

Hopefully you guys enjoyed my sea-inspired nails! Follow my blog for cool nail ideas every few days. More Essie swatches are coming soon!