14 July 2014

The Digit-al Dozen Does Countries and Cultures, Day One: Impressionist Paris

Hi everyone! I'm participating in my first Digit-al Dozen challenge since April, and I couldn't be more excited about this month's prompt. I'm kicking off the week with some feminine nail art inspired by Impressionist Paris and Monet's paintings of water lilies. I'm also doing a review of some water decals that were sent to me by the Born Pretty Store.

Impressionist Paris nail art
Impressionist Paris nail art


About this nail art:

I really had two goals when I did this look. First, I wanted to do some nail art inspired by Impressionism, and for that I decided to look to Monet's water lilies. I found the perfect painting in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Second, I wanted to use some water decals that were sent to me from the Born Pretty Store. The water decals have a vintage feel to them, and there's a section of images inspired by turn-of-the century Paris. I tend to not use water decals but these were too perfect to not use.

Impressionist Paris nail art
Impressionist Paris nail art

To get this look:

  • Base: Essie Romper Room from the Spring 2014 collection (my swatches and review coming soon!). This took about 3 coats to build up to full coverage but I like the slightly muted pale pink. 
  • Water lilies (freehand design): I painted the water lilies freehand using acrylic paint. I like the Golden Open series because the colours don't dry on your palette. The only down side is that you have to wait quite a while for them to dry. I waited about 30 minutes after the painting was done, but still noticed some cracking when I applied the top coat. 
  • Water decals: from the Born Pretty Store (more on that below).
  • Studs: I love these tiny, narrow triangle studs. I got them from The Nail Room. I bought the 25 pieces for $2.50, and I will probably have to go back for more sometime, I love them that much!

Impressionist Paris nail art
Impressionist Paris nail art

Born Pretty Store Review: 4-Piece Water Decal Set:

Many months ago I was sent this 4-piece nail water decal set. I tend to avoid decals, since the focus of my blog is freehand nail art, but I was attracted to the vintage look of these, and the incredible details on some of the designs. Each part has a different look - there's one section with a "vintage Paris" look, one has some nautical designs, while the other two have a Rococo or Louis XIV style. The set costs $3.19, which is not bad for the amount of decals you get, I barely made a dent with this look. And you can use my code MSL91 for 10% off.

Born Pretty Store vintage designs nail water decals
Born Pretty Store vintage designs nail water decals

To apply the water decals:
  1. Remove the clear plastic protective cover.
  2. Cut out the decals that you want to use.
  3. Submerge decal in water for 10-20 seconds.
  4. Decal will slide off backing. Use fine point-tipped tweezers to pull off and position on nail. The side facing up on the backing is the same side that will face up on your nail. 

Impressionist Paris nail art
Impressionist Paris nail art

I found the decals easy to apply for my first time doing it. The Eiffel Tower decal ended up with some wrinkles because of the size of the decal and the curve of my nail. But it smooths out with top coat. The only issue I had was that the printed border on the decal came off in the water and ended up getting stuck to the image.

Impressionist Paris nail art
Impressionist Paris nail art

Overall, I love how this turned out. The Monet painting was really hard to recreate and it was hard to get it to read 'water lilies' but I think it has that Impressionist vibe to it. And although I don't plan to be using water decals a lot on this blog, I think they were fun to try. 

What do you think about this design? 

*Decals provided for review, all opinions are my own. See my disclosure policy for more details*

---


34 comments:

  1. This is gorgeous! Those water nail deals goes perfectly well with the theme you were aiming for too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Lisa! I'm happy that I was able to make the decals work with the design, yay! :)

      Delete
  2. These are gorgeous! You did a great job! I'm so happy to see that you're back to blogging, I always love your posts (:

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awww - thank you Marisa! I'm glad to be back blogging, I really missed it. :)

      Delete
  3. Oh this is lovely! I particularly love the freehand work - look just like a little mini Monet!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha! I hope it looks like a little Monet, guess that means I got something right. ;) And thank you!

      Delete
  4. How cute! I think I really need to get those decals!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! The decals were fun to use, there's some images I don't care for, but there's a few other ones on that sheet that I'll probably use at some point.

      Delete
  5. This is lovely, Please have a look at my nail polishes on my blog.

    http://www.lemblog.co.uk/2014/07/summer-nails-lmb-pastels.html

    Thanks

    xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi - thanks for your comment but please don't leave blog links in your comments, you can email me if you want me to check out your blog.

      Delete
  6. I remember when the only decals to choose from were single color flowers and stuff from Kiss. These are so much better! I'm going to have to get some acrylic paints someday, I love the idea of doing Impressionist art on nails :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree, I tend not to like most of the decals on the market, but these ones I do not mind much. :) I like decals better when they are really detailed - in other words something I would not want to paint on my nails.

      Delete
  7. Hello Meghan,

    Oh Mon Dieu ! Water decals on Meghan's nails ! What a shock ! Good thing you told us in this particular case : OK guys, I made it, take advantage of it, please, because you are not ready to see it again on my blog. Phew !
    As for studs ... Poor Monet. Why make him undergo it ? Do you hold it against him ? I tease you.
    And then, there is your appropriation of the picture of Monet which you made in a masterful way.
    The choice of colors, their association, the made work. What a happiness of seeing you Meghan. I missed you.

    Amitiés,
    Claire

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Claire, you're reply made me giggle! LOL! The decals are a rare thing - although I do see some professional nail artists using them once in awhile, so I have mixed feelings about using them. As for the Monet, it always seems when you take fine art and incorporate it into nail art, that makes it more kitschy looking - brings it down a notch. Haha! So yes, poor Monet! ;)

      Delete
  8. Your water lilies design is incredible! I knew instantly what you were going for!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Whew! Okay, I'm glad you read them as water lilies - thanks for that! :D

      Delete
  9. obviously these are great. I love the overall composition of this mani - a great mixture of the modern and the classic x

    ReplyDelete
  10. Your water lillies are lovely. Love how the sky is reflected in the water. And I'm impressed by the beautiful nail art in this group.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I don't have the vocabulary to comment on your posts! Your designs consistently amaze me!

    ReplyDelete
  12. This is an absolutely stunning manicure! Those middle nails are truly stunning and flawless. I love your nail art!

    ReplyDelete
  13. These are stunning, museum quality gorgeous nails! Wow!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh, wow! I'm a huuuuge fan of Impressionism and everything French... so yeah... these are absolutely gorgeous!!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. *faint*
    You killed this one SO HARD! Seriously stunning.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Okay, seriously, I can't even handle how amazing these are. I want you to just come paint a mural in my house.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Oh wow! Those decals were the perfect finishing touch.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Stunning! Great use of the decals but THOSE MIDDLE NAILS. I'm dying.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to comment on my blog. I really do appreciate every comment and read all of them. <3 Also, I try as much as possible to respond to comments, especially if you have a question, so please check back.

Please do not use comments for spam or to leave links. Those comments will be removed. If you would like me to check out your blog, please email me and I would be happy to do so. :)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...