I don’t often paint my nails full black because it can be so hard to get off. It sure is pretty though. A black nail is so dramatic; it commands your attention.
I realized it had been a long time since I’d used a matte top coat, so I decided to play with one today. I started with Cult Nails Get It On base coat. I NEVER polish with black without a base coat. It doesn’t always guarantee that there won’t be any staining, but it definitely increases the odds.
My black is China Glaze Liquid Leather. I was very, very careful with my application so I wouldn’t have to do any clean up. I hate trying to clean up a black polish. It stains my cuticles sooo bad, which in turn makes my pictures look awful. To clean up necessary today. I applied this in slow motion. The top coat I chose was NYC Matte Me Crazy. This was the first time I’ve used it. I’m not blown away by it, but it got the job done. I felt like I needed two coats to hide the brush strokes though.
When the Matte Me Crazy was dry enough, I applied my tape. My thumb, index and pinkie fingers all have a chevron french tip, while my middle and ring fingers have what I call a dart. Has anyone else heard a better name for this design? I really can’t think of anything else to call it. I like my darts the best. Playing with matte and glossy finishes is a fun way to have a bit of a peek-a-boo effect with your nail art. It’s there, it’s subtle and may go unnoticed, but that doesn’t lessen the dramatic impact.
Tags: black, chevron, dart, french, glossy, matte, nail art, tape