Halloween Nail Tutorials
Halloween is all about dressing up and having fun, and that should extend further than just the clothes you wear. Whether you're opting for a zombie, devil, or a twerking Miley Cyrus this year, make up and nail art can really enhance your outfit, and give it an edge over the generic costume. Nail art is a really simple and cheap way to add a bit of extra flair to your look, and doesn't require loads of expensive products or equipment.
Here are three effective and easy styles for you to try at home!
Tutorial One: Crackle Pumpkin Manicure
To get you started here is the easiest Halloween nail idea- all you need is a spooky base colour and a 'crackle' nail varnish. For the base coat I used a bright pumpkin Orange (Rimmel London Lycra Pro, in Orange Bliss), but Red, Green or Purple would also work well. There are lots of different 'crackle' nail varnishes out there, by brands such as O.P.I to GOSH and w7 so take your pick! I chose the Barry M version in Black as it works well and isn't too expensive.
Step 1: To begin, simply paint your nails with the chosen base colour, and leave to dry.
Step 2: When dry, layer over the 'crackle' varnish and wait for the patterns to form.
Step 3: Leave to dry for about ten minutes to avoid the colours mixing, then you're ready to go!
Tutorial Two: Cobweb Manicure
This is a bit of a mix and match manicure, so give it a go as it is, or go all out and try the cobweb pattern on each nail. Again, I used a bright pumpkin Orange (Rimmel London Lycra Pro, in Orange Bliss) as the base colour, but the design would work really well with any Halloween-y colour. I used the Barry M Crackle Nail Paint in Black (as above), for the two 'crackle' nails, and Rimmel London Lycra Wear Pro in Black Satin for the cobweb detailing (but any black nail varnish will work) . You will also need either a toothpick, pin, tack or nail art pen for the design work.
Step 1: Paint nails with your chosen base colour and leave to dry.
Step 2: Paint a layer of the 'crackle' nail varnish on your index and third finger.
Step 3: Using a toothpick/pin begin to paint a cobweb design on the thumb. Paint 3 joined curved lines from the middle of the top of the nail to the middle of the right hand side of the nail.
Step 4: Paint lines joining the 'tip' of each curve to the top right of the nail.
Step 5: Add smaller lines between each triangle segment to create the cobweb shape.
Step 6: Repeat on the middle finger, and then the little finger. Leave to dry and then cover with a protective top coat varnish.
Tutorial Three: Skeleton and Stripes Manicure
This requires a little bit more skill, but is still fairly easy, and looks really effective and eye catching. For this manicure you will need any black and any white nail varnishes, and either a toothpick, pin, tack or nail art pen for the design work. I used Rimmel London Lycra Wear Pro in Black Satin, and Nails French Manicure in White, but any will work!
Step 1: Paint your third fingernail on both hands in White, and all other nails Black, and leave to dry.
Step 2: Using a toothpick/pin, use the White varnish to paint stripes onto the Black nails. Don't worry too much about being really neat, the stripes look good if they are a bit smudged and uneven!
Step 3:Using a toothpick/pin begin to paint a skeleton mouth on the White nails, by carefully painting a curved line at the top of the nail, with small straight lines going through it.
Step 4: Continue to paint the skeleton face, adding two ovals for eyes near the cuticle, and two small 'slit' lines for the nose.
Step 5: Seal with a protective top coat varnish, and you're done!
