One Of These Nails Is Not Like the Others...

Alrighty! So, here's the deal with yesterday. A while back, I came across this article on TotalBeauty about nail art after thirty. Seeing how I am *cough, cough* in my *cough* thirties *cough*, it seemed like something I should check out. Of course, this is the one that caught my attention:

Photo Credit: TotalBeauty

Besides the obvious glitter attraction, this look was also one of the easiest looks in the article. How hard could it be to just glitter one or two nails? I had a concert performance coming up, so I thought I'd try a little subtle sparkle for the occasion. The article mentioned highlighting your texting fingers, so I painted all of my nails a creamy nude, then topped off my pointer fingers and thumbs with gold micro-glitter. In theory, a lovely combination. In practice...well...



Yeah...it just looks like I got bored and stopped glittering halfway through...



It's a little too subtle methinks. Plus, by painting two adjacent nails, the look is less "highlighted" and more "did you forget to do the rest?" It's not bad, and I wasn't embarrassed to wear the polish for a few days. In fact, if you're interested in the colors I used, they're Finger Paints' Natural Talent (nude cream) and Clear Top Coat, with Sephora by O.P.I. in Wild About Shimmer as the highlight.

 

As I said, not terrible. Also, I am not a hand model.

I might add that I'm not a fan of the Finger Paints polishes. Natural Talent streaked like crazy and required several coats to even out, and the clear top coat was so liquid that I had almost zero control over it.

Left to Right: Finger Paints Clear Top Coat, Finger Paints Natural Talent, and Sephora by O.P.I. Wild About Shimmer

So, after a few days, I decided that I could do better. This time, I went in the complete opposite direction, and opted for a bright, chunky glitter to accent pale, barely there nails. I also picked only one nail per hand to highlight--in this case, the fingers that usually play host to jewelry: my left ring finger and my right index.

Don't you love my new throw pillow? It makes such a lovely backdrop for cruddy cellphone pictures.

The polishes I chose this time around were Sally Hansen Diamond Strength No Chip Nail Color in Champagne Toast as the base, with Sephora by O.P.I. in It's Bouquet With Me (sheer violet with chunky silver and holographic glitter) to highlight, and the same Finger Paints Clear Top Coat to finish.

Beige throw pillow is the new barn wood. Left to Right: Finger Paints Clear Top Coat, Sally Hansen Diamond Strength No Chip Nail Color in Champagne Toast, and Sephora by O.P.I. in It's Bouquet With Me.

I'm kind of digging this attempt, though now the colors are a little too different. I think this would work well with a violet cream on the non-glittered nails. Next time I try this, I'm going to try a nice beige (like O.P.I. Cozu-melted in the Sun) and top off the chosen nails with a copper glitter (like Sephora by O.P.I. Traffic Stopper Copper).

I keep seeing a blacked-out tooth here. Is it just me?

This is a deceptively simple nail trend. Sure, anyone can glitter just one nail, but it takes an artist's eye for color or a lot of trial and error to figure out exactly which polishes to use. Still, it's a fun trend to play with, and definitely one worth trying out. Good luck, and let me know how it goes in the comments!