Golden Love

For my mom’s Valentine nails this year we did red, instead of pink, with a gold glitter accent nail and red hearts to tie in the valentine theme.

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 Color onto Nails

Paint all of the nails, except the middle and ring fingers, with two coats of red polish. I used the Shellac color called, Wildfire. I painted the ring fingers with two coats of gold polish. I used the Shellac color called, Locket Love. Then paint the middle fingers with two coats of white polish. I used the Shellac color called, Cream Puff.

Gel Polish: Apply two coats of polish. Cure 2 minutes in the UV light, or 1 minute in an LED light.

Step 3: Glitter

While the second coat of polish is tacky, not wet, gently dust a fine layer of gold glitter onto the polish, just as I did for my Golden Girl and I saw Mommy… nails. I used Martha Stewart craft glitter, color florentine gold. Then gently press the glitter into the tacky polish. This will create a different look than applying the glitter when the polish is wet. Now apply a top coat to seal in the glitter so the glitter flakes won’t spread to other nails.

Gel Polish: Apply gold glitter after the second coat of gold polish is cured, but still has that tacky residue on the surface. Now apply a top coat over the glitter and cure 2 minutes in the UV light, or 1 minute in an LED light.

Step 4: Hearts & Polka-Dots

On the ring fingers, I began by painting small size red hearts. I then filled in the empty spaces with gold polka-dots.

Note: When hand painting images on your nails use acrylic craft paints, not polish. You will get crisper lines and much more “pop” than you would with polish. Some polishes can sometimes 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 and cure in UV light for 2 minutes or 1 minute in 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.