Christmas Ivy Nails

*Nothing to Disclose*

     Hello Everyone, how has December treated you so far? Are you done with your Christmas shopping or still on the hunt for that perfect gift? Perhaps you need a little push to get you into that Christmas spirit? If that's the case have I got the perfect manicure to share with you today! This Christmas Ivy manicure recently popped up in my news feed from Robin Moses and I knew right away that I wanted to try it.  

     I've been wanting to work on my free hand nail art skills for some time and this manicure looked simple enough that I felt it was a good way to practice. Of course, all the great nail artists out there make these manicures look so easy and effortless but to be honest this one was actually pretty easy to do. Now by no means is mine anywhere in the ballpark of being as good as the original but I'm very happy with how it turned out.I even have a new found enthusiasm to keep working on my free hand skills.

      I started out with Sally Hansen Satin from the Smooth and Perfect line. Typically I would use China Glaze Heaven as my naked nail color but I wanted to see if I had other option in my collection already. Turnes out Satin is the better option of the two and has become my go-to polish when I want this effect. 

     I hand painted my french tips with Sally Hansen Wild Strawberry from the Crayola collab earlier this year. I don't know why but I have always been able to do a decent freehand french tip. I wish I could take that skill and transfer it to other aspects of my nail art. Especially when it comes to brush control when hand painting designs. 

     For my Ivy, I used acrylic paint in various shades of copper and gold. I picked a true gold for the vine and a darker bronze for the leaves. Then I went in with a light gold to add some highlighting and try to add depth. Painting curving lines is a huge hurdle for me that I can't quite seem to get over but my hand painted leaves have improved. 

     The glitter on my tips is Fantasy Makers Once Upon a Time. I started off by just brushing it on but noticed that I was getting more of the blackened base than I wanted. To fix that I applied the polish to a sponge and that dabbed it on my nail. I like the sponged option much better, don't you?  I topped everything off with Darling Diva's Preformance Enhancing top coat to give it a super glossy finish.

     Anyone remember the very first mani I tried to recreate from Robin Moses? I had an awful time getting the angles right and things just looked off. I haven't mastered the angles yet but see improvement in those tiny little leaves. It's those little victories that I want to share with others, especially those just starting out with nail art, in hopes that it inspires them to not give up, or try something new.  It's the very reason I started this blog in the first place and I'm glad I'm getting back to that after losing my focus for awhile.

     I hope you enjoyed today's post and maybe were inspired to tackle a nail art technique or look you haven't quite mastered yet. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!