Magical Mickey

Last month, we were able to take the kids to Disneyland again. Let me just say that if you have never been to a Disney Resort with small children, you need to! I am a kid at heart when it comes to Disney, but to see their little eyes light up when a character walks by, or gives them a hug, or even when you are just sitting on a ride. Their is nothing that compares. So in honor of Disneyland kicking off their diamond celebration this week, I thought it was appropriate to share a Disney nail art idea.

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. Paint the ring fingers with two coats white polish. I used the Shellac color called, Cream Puff. Paint the middle nails with two coats black polish. I used the Shellac color called, Black Pool. When the second coat of black polish is still wet (or not cured yet), sprinkle with fine hematite colored craft glitter. I used Martha Stewart craft glitter, hematite. Note: Once the polish is cured/dry brush off the excess glitter.

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

Step 3: Mickey

Remove the sticky/tacky residue on top of the white ring finger, if you are doing gel polish. Very Important! This step can’t be done until the white polish is completely dry and no longer tacky. Or else the glitter you put on Mickey will also stick onto the white, which is not what you want.

For the white ring finger nails, you will be painting a simple silhouette of Mickey. I used a dotting tool and did one large circle on the inner corner of the nail. I then added two smaller circles, at an angle, for Mickey’s ears, very simple. While the black polish is wet, sprinkle the hematite craft glitter that you used above. Note: Once the polish is cured/dry brush off the excess glitter.

Gel Polish: I used the shellac black polish to paint Mickey. Then sprinkle the glitter and cure 2 minutes in the UV light, or 1 minute in an LED light.

Step 4: Polka Dots

Now on my pinky, thumb and index fingers. I painted large white polka-dots, similar to the image below, but make the polka dots a little larger.

(Note: I did the dots with 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. Here is a tutorial on how to paint perfect polka-dots.)

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.

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