NOTD | Newspaper Nails

Hi lovelies,

As autumn is setting in, everyone in blogosphere is talking about fall nails and shades of the season. I can see there are beautiful burgundys, terracotta, deep blues and purple nail shades out at this time of the year. But what if you wanted something different? Something understated yet giving you a feel of the changing colors in nature and crisper weather, something that stands out from the rest. Here’s my version of fall 2013 nails.

After much consideration I thought I would start my fall 2013 nails with newspaper nail art. I have chosen a nude, pale pinkish tone base that holds a little shimmer. For me this nude tone represents the evaporation of bright summer hues of salmon pinks, radical reds and fuchsia as autumn arrives slowly. The shade has faded with the fading colors of nature but there is still time for everything to dehydrate and turn to rust. My inspiration is my candle lit room over a chilly weekend inside my comfy bed with a classic book in my hands. If you are a book lover like myself (who loves collecting books but never has the time to read them!?) these will surely be an inspiration for you as well.

Newspaper nails are really easy to achieve – especially when you follow my instructions.

Things you’ll need

♥ Nail polish (the lighter, the better)

♥ Top coat (I used the wet look top coat)

♥ Newspaper strips (I used the part where there was A LOT of text. Hint: business section lol!)

♥ Solution (Alcohol, perfume, mouthwash, water, hand sanitizer)

♥ Scissors

Step 1: Nail Polish Base

♥ Apply your base nail polish. I applied 2-3 coats to get a good solid color.

♥ Let it COMPLETELY dry. I gave it a good 30 mins.

Step 2: Newspaper Strips

♥ Cut 10 newspaper strips in the size 2” x 2“. Try different fonts and text sizes. I used smaller font for this tutorial. You can even try foreign language newspaper for a more diverse pattern.

Step 3: Newspaper Imprinting

♥ Dip you finger in the solution for 5-10 seconds.

♥ Place the newspaper strip on your nail and press gently. Do not press too hard or you’ll end up with bits of paper on your nails. Don’t worry about the text on the newspaper it will always appear in reverse. Also, if you do this step while your nail polish is still tacky it is going to come off with the newspaper. I waited 30 seconds before I gently removed the newspaper.

♥ Repeat this process for each nail.

♥ Let everything dry. I gave myself good 5-10 mins.

Step 4: Top Coat – seal the deal!

♥ Apply top coat. This will ensure that the ink pattern is sealed on the nails and would also intensify the letters. Again if you’re hasty in applying the top coat you’ll end up with a runny pattern.

♥ Let everything dry & voila!

There are loads of shades you can use as your base color. Even the French manicure base coat works great. I used a pinkish base coat that has the tiniest bit of simmer (not glitter). A lighter shade will make your text appear brighter. However you can always try a darker shade. Avoid glitter nail polish for obvious reasons – text would not emboss on your nail as much as on a smoother surface. Creamy, non-shimmery nail polish texture gives you the best results.

Enjoy the typographic effect on your nails!