Manicure Monday: Chevron and Turquoise

I am done with classes... I have my Masters and certification... and I have been seriously neglecting this blog!  I think its because I haven't been procrastinating on anything... because, again, I AM ALL DONE!! YAY!

Which leads me to this post's topic!  Since I have had more time on my hands, I decided to work on my hands... ha ha ha!  I have stopped going to the salon (partly to save money... mostly because Tammy, my nail lady, left me) and I have discovered a hidden talent/ fun hobby!  Now, wish me luck on keeping up with Manicure Monday!

For my first Manicure Monday, I have chevron and turquoise... and of course, some sparkle!  I have been wanting to do chevron nails for forever, but I was too nervous to ask Tammy because if the lines weren't perfect I'd have a 3-4 week long panic attack.  When I started doing my own nails, I attempted chevron with scotch tape and the zig zag scissors, but it was HORRIBLE!  Then I found these awesome stickers on Etsy from Make it Stick (I bought some bow stickers from them too).  For the chevron ones, you peel the decals off and they are stuck to a clear sheet so all three rows can all be applied at once.    When I got them positioned in the right spot I used an Exacto knife to peel part of them off the clear backing.  I did this because I did not cut the strips before hand so they hung over onto my finger and could not fully stick to the sides. I think the clear backing would be able to be removed without the help of the Exacto knife if the decals were pre-cut and were fully stuck on the nail.  Then I used the Exacto knife to cut the excess off the sides and the top of my nail.  Any little pieces left hanging over the top were easy to file away.  I used one of my rounded dotting tools to press the decals down without ruining the nail polish.

chevron decals I used, bow decals I mentioned, and the polishes I used

I used OPI's Skull and Glossbones under the white chevron decals, Color Club's Blue-Ming (from the blossoming collection I scored at TJMaxx for $9) for 3 nails, and Color Club's Platinum Record for the sparkly nail (I put a coat of silver under this).  I always top with Seche Vite because it makes it super shiny and while it dries it has a sort of slippery texture that keeps me from messing up my nails.  I usually top my manicures with one or two coats of UV cured clear gel polish the next day, but that's for another post. 

Are there any manicures you've really been wanting to try?