Penn State Inspired Nails
So, I recently graduated from Penn State on May 7th, and, in honor of PSU, I created this graduation manicure. Everyone who saw it loved it and thought that I had gotten a professional manicure (I did it myself). So, you too can save yourself some money and do this simple, cute graduation manicure.
If you don't know, Penn State's colors are dark, navy blue and white, and our mascot is the Nittany Lion. So, for my manicure, I did a base coat of blue and white paw prints for my accent nail.
I started off with my blue base coat. I used the shade Sailor by Zoya, which was the best Penn State blue I could find (obviously, you can use any shade of dark blue you want). I like Sailor a lot because it is opaque in one coat, which cuts down on drying time.
After your base coat is completely dry, you're ready to do the paw prints. I used a dotting tool to create my paw prints. Dotting tools are very cheap and versatile, and they are an essential tool if you're interested in doing any sort of nail art. If you don't have dotting tools, you can try to use the head of a pin or a toothpick, but I can't guarantee that it will work.
I used the shade White Out by Sally Hansen for my paw prints (again, you can use any basic white). I began by making a circle of large dots, as if I was making a flower. Then, I filled in the center of the circle and made smaller dots around the edge to make the line appear more smooth. This is the bottom part of the paw print. For the "fingers" of the paw print, I started off with my largest dotting tool and then progressively used smaller dots to create smaller "fingers." I found that four "fingers" is the perfect number.
If you've never used dotting tools, they're very simple to use. Simply put a drop of nail polish (white, in this case) on a piece of paper with a glossy finish, a plastic bag, or a piece of plastic wrap. Don't use regular paper or a napkin; the polish will sink in. Dip the end of your dotting tool into the drop of nail polish, then gently touch it to your nail. Do not push or rub the tip of the dotting tool on your nail. Never dip your dotting tool directly into the bottle of polish. When your puddle of polish starts to get thick or stringy, simply add a new drop of polish. As the polish gets thicker, it becomes more difficult to control the design.
If you've never used dotting tools, I recommend that you practice this design on a piece of paper first. If you mess up, don't get frustrated, just try again.
When your paw prints are dry, you can add a glossy top coat. Wait at least twenty minutes to ensure that your design is completely dry. If it's not completely dry when you add the top coat, the design will smear.
You could also do blue paw prints on a white background, or you could do paw prints on every finger (I did not have the patience for that). Be creative!
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| Penn State Nails |
I started off with my blue base coat. I used the shade Sailor by Zoya, which was the best Penn State blue I could find (obviously, you can use any shade of dark blue you want). I like Sailor a lot because it is opaque in one coat, which cuts down on drying time.
After your base coat is completely dry, you're ready to do the paw prints. I used a dotting tool to create my paw prints. Dotting tools are very cheap and versatile, and they are an essential tool if you're interested in doing any sort of nail art. If you don't have dotting tools, you can try to use the head of a pin or a toothpick, but I can't guarantee that it will work.
 |
| Dotting Tools |
If you've never used dotting tools, they're very simple to use. Simply put a drop of nail polish (white, in this case) on a piece of paper with a glossy finish, a plastic bag, or a piece of plastic wrap. Don't use regular paper or a napkin; the polish will sink in. Dip the end of your dotting tool into the drop of nail polish, then gently touch it to your nail. Do not push or rub the tip of the dotting tool on your nail. Never dip your dotting tool directly into the bottle of polish. When your puddle of polish starts to get thick or stringy, simply add a new drop of polish. As the polish gets thicker, it becomes more difficult to control the design.
 |
| Penn State Nails |
When your paw prints are dry, you can add a glossy top coat. Wait at least twenty minutes to ensure that your design is completely dry. If it's not completely dry when you add the top coat, the design will smear.
You could also do blue paw prints on a white background, or you could do paw prints on every finger (I did not have the patience for that). Be creative!
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