For Week 3 of our #CBBxManiMonday January theme of Nails We Wouldn't Normally Do, I took a little bit of inspiration from @kombucha_witch_ on Instagram. I've sort of attempted dry brushing a few times in the past, but I've never actually kept on a dry brushed mani because it's never... quite perfect for me. When I saw her doing dry brushing on a stamper before transferring it to the nails, I knew that this was a technique that I had to try because it would give me the control that I was looking for. The problem with dry brushing for me was definitely that I couldn't find the sweet spot to get the brushing at the consistency that I wanted it, and doing it directly onto the nails inevitably ended up in heavy splotches as I tried to build up the colour that I wanted. Starting on a stamper means that I can decide when I get the right amount of product and design before transferring it to the nails. COUNT ME IN.

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I started with one coat of Unt Ready For Takeoff Peel Off Base Coat, as I tend to do. Next, I went in with three coats of ILNP Birthday Suit as my base. I could probably have done with two for this mani, but I wanted opacity so I did build up the base. Next, I grabbed a clear stamper and black and white stamping polishes from Born Pretty Store and got to swiping. I started with black, trying to keep the first layer of stamping fairly light handed and placed the stamping diagonally across the nail.  Next, I went in with white and tried to get a little more intensity at the corners of the nails, switching the direction of the stamping to go diagonally in the opposite direction of the black. I decided that I wanted more black, so I did one more layer of black  and ultimate felt pretty good about it. I added a generous coat of Essence The Gel Polish Top Coat and voila!

All Products Used

Unt Ready For Takeoff Peel Off Base Coat

ILNP Birthday Suit

Born Pretty Store Black Stamping Polish

Born Pretty Store White Stamping Polish

Essence The Gel Polish Top Coat

Born Pretty Store Clear Stamper

I'm kind of in love with this technique and I feel like it could be really, really versatile for both building a multicoloured base to prep for stamping as well as a mani like this just worn on its own. I also really like the pairing of the nude holo base with the black and white polishes because it looks pretty crisp and a little bit modern grunge. 

Don't forget to check out more outside the comfort zone nail art today from Cosmetic Proof, See The World In Pink, and Tea & Nail Polish!

Thanks for reading!