Let me just start off by saying that this is a very bad depiction of Jack Skellington. This was painted with my left hand, which was the first mistake. The second mistake was that my camera would stop recording mid-painting so it’s a terrible video. Last mistake, was that my hair should have been pulled back so it didn’t keep getting into the camera footage. All around this was a terrible nail art experience, but I figure that happens so I wanted to share it anyway. #reallife

The one thing I do love about this manicure is that it goes fantastic with my skeleton costume and makeup!

Note: I will be providing instructions on how to achieve this look with plain polish, along with Gel Polish.

Step 1: Prep Nails

View my post on Nail Polish Prep.

Step 2: Paint Nails

Paint the thumb, index and pinky fingernails with two coats of black polish. I used the Shellac color called, Black Pool. Paint the middle and ring fingernails with two coats of white polish. I used the Shellac color called, Cream Puff.

Gel Polish: Apply two coats of polish and cure in light (curing after each coat). Cure 2 minutes in the UV light, or 1 minute in an LED light.

Step 3: Stripes

I free-handed painting stripes with a very small stylus as I did here, but I used black acyrlic paint instead of gel polish. Note: If you don’t feel comfortable free-handing the stripes you could use tape as a guide as I did for this design.

Step 4: Jack

For Jack, begin by painting a black smile. Then, paint little triangle “stitch” lines coming off the smile. Next, paint two big circles for the eyes. Lastly, paint two little dots for the nose. For more clarification, please watch the video below.

(Note: I did the stripes and Jack with black acrylic craft paint. . . Some polishes can dry almost transparent which makes the image hazy and you won’t get the wow factor you are going for.)

Step 5: Apply Final Top Coat

Now apply your top coat. Make sure the paint is completely dry before adding top coat to help avoid smearing.

Gel Polish: Apply top coat, only after paint is completely dry. Cure in UV light for 2 minutes, or 1 minute with an LED light.

Step 6: Allow to Dry and Apply Cuticle Oil

Allow your polish to dry completely. Apply a cuticle oil just around your nails on the cuticle and rub into the skin.

Gel Polish: Remove sticky residue on top of nails with a little alcohol or polish remover and apply cuticle oil.

Remove gel polish after 2-3 weeks, check out Gel Polish Removal for the quickest, easiest and best way to remove gels.