Witchy Nails

                  For these fun Halloween nails I used nail tape for the middle finger and the rest is polish and acrylic paint. You can experiment with a different color theme or switch around the different placements. [This post contains a video]

                   These are the tools and polishes that I used for this set: 

                   Orange polish: Sally Hansen "Sun Kissed"

                Purple polish: Ulta "Ultra Violet Femme"

                Green Polish: Sassy+Chic 3N1 "Watermelon" 

TIP: Don't forget to clean your brush in between using it for paints and polish! They will last way longer and will allow you to make cleaner line. For acrylics I keep a little cup with bottled water nearby and constantly clean it off. After dipping in nail polish I clean it with 100% pure acetone. After the polish comes off I dip it in the water so that it does not stay sticky. 

                 I first started out by applying my base coats. When they are completely dry, you can start drawing on them or laying down the tape. 

                   For the witch's hat, you can start out by drawing a triangle in the middle of the finger and fill it in with black polish. When you have your triangle down, you can add the crooked tip or make the brim wider or longer. I then used the "3N" pen to draw the band around the hat and a thin brush with some acrylic paint for the buckle. 

                    On the middle finger, when the base coat is completely dry, add the nail tape to map out the horizontal lines. I used double pieces to make the lines a little thicker and so they stand out a little more. If you don't have nail tape, you can use regular scotch tape. Just cut it out in desired strip length. If you do use scotch tape, and it's super sticky, place the pieces on your skin first then peel them off and put them on your nails. This will keep the tape from pulling on the base coat. Once you have your tape in place, paint over it with your desired polish. You want to take the tape off fairly quickly. If you wait too long, when you take the tape off it will also take off some of the polish you painted and will ruin the straight lines. 

                   For the cat start off by drawing a half circle on the bottom portion of your nail. Then draw two triangle on either side of the top of the circle for ears. Add a squiggle line on the top of the circle for the tail. Trace the outline using a thin brush and white acrylic paint. You can use white nail polish but I find that acrylics are more forgiving and easier to use. If you put polish on a thin brush, it tends to dry quicker and it gets tacky very quickly. With the same brush, use pink acrylic for the inner ears and the nose. I used a dotting tool for the eyes, but you can also use a toothpick or a bobby pin tip. I started with a green dot for the eyes, then a black one on top, then a white one. (To be honest, I think I should have stopped at the black dot) You can give your cat any color eyes you like. 

                    The witch legs were a little more difficult and I tried several different methods. It's easiest if you start out with making a little rooftop shape as the inner legs. (See video below) From there make the lines on the outside. For the boots you can use any shape you'd like. They don't have to be exactly like mine. I probably would have been easier to give her some cute heels instead. ;) I then used a thin brush to color in her leggings and to add the buckle on the boots.