Creepy Crawly

For my Halloween nails for this year, I went with a traditional spider and web. I’ve seen so many variations of spiders and webs so I wanted to put mine out there for anyone thinking of trying them this creepy season. Here’s what to do . . . 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: Spider For the spider, I began with a dot in the center of my nail. I then added a smaller dot right next to that, on the tip-side of my nail. Then I pulled 8 lines out from the body of the spider, 4 on each side, to begin making the legs. Next, I painted a longer line, to create about a 100 degree angle, on each of the 8 legs. Lastly, I did a thin line from the body of the spider up to the cuticle to create the look of the spider lower down from his web. (Note: I did the spider and web 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 4: Web For the web, I began by painting thin lines all the way across the nail that created an “X”. I then painted 2 thin *lines in each section of that “X”. Then I painted crescent shaped lines to connect each thin line. I started in the center and worked around in a circle. Next, I did the same thing in about the center of each thin line. Lastly, I did it once more but close to the outside of the nail. *Note: If any of your lines end up being painted to thick or you make a little mistake you can easily just cover up part of it with white paint, just as I did. 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.