I had quite a few requests for a tutorial of the heart on my middle finger in this mani. It's fairly simple in design, though the way I've done it requires a somewhat steady hand and perhaps a little bit of patience ;)
You're going to need 4 different colors for this, as well as a small brush capable of intricate detail work. You'll also want a surface to dap out your colors onto (your palette), as well as some acetone handy for easy brush cleaning.
After applying your favorite base coat, start with with step 1.
1. Apply your lightest color over your entire nail and wait (or use a fast dry top coat) for it to dry completely.
2. Dab out your additional polishes onto your palette surface. Using the brush, create a box in one quarter of your nail with one of your colors (not the base color).
3. Using the two final colors, create your final two boxes.
4. Carefully fill in each box, making sure to keep your line work as straight as possible.
5. Apply your favorite top coat so that you have an even surface to work on for the next steps.
6. Determine which box you're going to be working in first. In my case, I started in the red box. Using the color diagonal of your starting box color (in my case white) draw your first lines to create this section of the heart.
7. Carefully and steadily create a small triangle in the corner of your first box. The first quarter of your heart is complete!
8. Moving to the right, determine the correct color to use and repeat steps 6 & 7. This is intricate work so take it slow. If your lines aren't perfect, don't sweat it. You can always go back later.
9. To create the upper portion of the heart, select your color and carefully draw the arch of the heart. Make sure the lines match up as best as possible with the triangles you've already made.
10. Fill in the outline of this section of the heart.
11. Complete steps 9 & 10 on the final square.
12. Wait a few minutes (to avoid streaking) and add your favorite top coat. You can repeat these steps on your other nails, or mix things up with a simpler design or solid color.
If you're not comfortable with freehand work and don't have a small brush for detail work, you can easily complete this using tape. This will take longer since you'll have to wait for each color to dry before you can move on, but it's definitely doable.
And that's it! It may seem complicated, but if you sit down and give it a go, it's doable for any skill level :) Let me know if you have questions or need clarification! I'd be happy to help!
Happy Polishing :)
