The Floral Mani

Who says florals are only for spring?  This season, I have been captivated by winterized floral patterns--colorful, but juxtaposed against an inky background for more of an edge.

Winterized florals:  Jil Sander F/W 2011, Miu Miu F/W 2011, Celine Resort 2012, Balenciaga F/W 2011

Unless you have a few months of rent to drop on a Miu Miu dress, I've found that these unique florals are hard to come by (although Zara does have an on-point Celine knockoff).  So, I decided to recreate the print on my nails.  It sounds tricky, but it's not!  You need black nail polish for the base, and as many bright colors as you want for the flowers.  I chose green, red, blue, and yellow.  The critical item is a box of toothpicks, for a precise application.  I applied 2 coats of black, and then applied green in sweeping motions with a toothpick to form stems and leaves.  After this dried, I proceeded nail by nail, dotting on each petal with toothpicks.  This technique is pretty foolproof--there's no brushing or blending involved, just dabbing.  The final step is a good topcoat (I like Seche Vite)--I don't want these babies chipping!