August Glam Nails Challenge | Nautical⚓️

Hey everyone! For the month of August I have decided to participate in a nail art challenge hosted by Bianka, @nbnailart. Bianka seems to host nail art challenges every month, also under the dedicated account @glamnailschallenge. I absolutely love the quality of the manis this girl creates, so I’m excited to participate in this latest challenge!

The first prompt for this challenge was Nautical. Luckily, I already had the perfect stamping plate from ColorClub, aptly named “Nautical” (pictured below). I hadn’t yet used this plate so this was clearly the perfect opportunity.

For this mani I kept it fairly simple, in terms of technique at least. Just direct stamping, no reverse stamping or freehand.

1. For this manicure, I started by applying my favourite base coat, Orly Bonder, to all of my nails.
2. I painted my thumb and pinky a deep navy (Zoya Ryan).
3. I used that same polish to stamp designs directly from the plate on to my pointer and ring fingers which had a white base (China Glaze White on White). As you can see, the stamped designs turned out much lighter than the painted nail with the same shade, but it was pigmented enough for stamping! I usually only use stamping polishes, but occasionally regular polishes do a good enough job too!
4. For the middle finger I used a blue “holo” (doesn’t necessarily appear holo on the nail) base (Zoya Dream) and stamped the scales design on top in silver (Born Pretty Store #2).
5. I finished off the mani by applying the Maniology No Smudge Nail Polish Top Coat (Use code SUPERNOVA10 to save 10% off Maniology purchases (affiliate)), followed by my regular glossy top coat (Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat).

I had been actually craving a nautical mani, even before I discovered this challenge so this was perfect timing! What are you wearing on your nails right now?