DIY Leopard Nails

Final (successful) attempt at Leopard Print Nails

So a Friend of mine showcased her Leopard print nails on FB and immediately sparked my interest to try it myself! The above pic is probably my 10th attempt at trying to get the right look. (Below are pics of a few of the lack luster attempts and the pics that inspired it all)

Here is a basic DIY mini lesson. (Try youtube for videos on how to do it. I basically watched a bunch, saw what my friend did and mixed it all up)

Choose your base coat. Paint your nails the desired color and let that dry.

Next, choose the color you want the spots to be, a contrasting base coat will give the best effect (in the pic above this step is where I chose the teal). I used a small THIN (painting) brush to make small ovals all over the nail. (I tried those thin nail art brushes -the ones they usually use at nails salons to make nail designs- and found those to be a bit difficult, the brush on those is very long and it usually made a HUGE oval- see pics all the way at the bottom). My friend used a push pin, and some folks online even suggested toothpicks. Make ovals on your nail, randomly. Make sure they are not to close together.

Next, take the same tool you made the ovals with and (I used black, my friend used a dark purple or you can use any color as long as it is darker than the two you just used) outline your ovals. This does not have to be perfect, infact the less perfect you are the better it will look. I actually found using my left hand (I am a righty) made for a better look, my hand was shaking from how careful I was trying to be and it helped get that imperfect leopard look.

Finally, after your nails have dried, coat them with clear polish. It is important to let your nails dry before you coat them with the clear polish because your design could smudge, and that won't be fun. :-/

Viola! Cute show stopping leopard print nails. (If you are wondering where I got my glitter nail (base) color, its by Sinful Colors the color "Queen of Beauty" Here in Brooklyn, NY I find them at my local Rite Aid's for $1.99. TOTAL bargain and WORTH it.

This picture shows when I finally achieved the right leopard print look, BUT I did not feel confident to try it on every nail. I had already tried it about 7 times, literally. I would paint all 10 fingers, hate it, then do it over. I just made a simple two line design on each finger to compensate.

My inspiration. These are my friends pics.

This is the first nail she did.

My first (in my opinion) ugly attempt. The ovals came out HUGE! Remember that whole long brush thingy? And as you can see I tried outlining the ovals completely and perfectly....wrong! They look better all semi-messy.

I attempted it again in a different color.

A cute little Heart I tried.

Share your pics with me if you try this! I would LOVE to see. You can find me on FB or email me Sellz@SellzCuteThings.com