NAIL ART: Soft Low Contrast Leafy Nude Nails

by - September 14, 2022

THIS POST IS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PUEEN COSMETICS.

I have to tell you, I sort of had this exact mani planned for this month for a while now, but it as also an entirely different mani than what I ended up creating just by virtue of the color story that I went with for it. That's one of the cool things about nail art, in my opinion, especially when it comes to stamping. It would be easy to assume that a mani featuring one full cover image on every nail could really only be one thing, but you can really play around with mood and intention by changing the polishes you use to put it together. All of that to say...

Keep reading to check out this mani!


So what ultimately made me decide to go with this particular color story is actually the fact that some of the leaves in this image make me think of wheat. That really was the whole inspiration for this mani and I'm so, so glad that I went with it because I feel like this really soft, low contrast design is just absolutely gorgeous for this time of year. 

The base polish I chose is this stunning midtoned beige packed with bronze, gold and holo flecks that I knew would pair perfectly with the stamping polish I was intending to use. Pueen's Ballerina looks a little bit peachy in the bottle, but it definitely pulls a really soft, pretty beige on my nails, and I knew it would fit perfectly with this base color. I started by applying two coats of Stella Chroma's Here I Go Here I Go to all of my nails as my base and let it dry down completely.


Now, I did end up having to a little bit of problem solving with this mani because I was finding that I had to work a little too quickly to get a clean transfer since this base polish dries to a really, really matte finish and I was looking some of those whispy lines during transfer. To solve this issue, I decided to apply a thin layer of sticky base coat to ensure that the whole image got a really clean transfer to the nails. This is actually a good tip for anyone who wants or needs to work a little bit more slowly than stamping would normally allow. A thin layer of sticky base coat definitely gives you some wiggle room on your timing.

I applied the image to all of my nails in the same direction and then removed my latex barrier and crisped up my edges with a cleanup brush dipped in acetone. Finally, I sealed in the image with a nail art top coat to prevent any smudging and then followed with a glossy top coat for shine and volume. And voila!


All Products Used
Stella Chroma - Here I Go Here I Go
Pueen - 819 Ballerina
Orly Bonder Base Coat
Apipila Smudge Free Top Coat
Cuticula Limitless Quick Dry Top Coat
Pueen Secret Garden 01*
Pueen Clear Stamper*
Pueen Latex Tape Liquid Peel Off Cuticle Guard*

* = PR Sample/Sponsored


As someone who so frequently wants to hit my nails with everything and sometimes even the kitchen sink, it's probably somewhat out of character just how much I fell in love with this design. In fact, I went out for breakfast with my mom while wearing it and I showed her and she loved it but said, "This is so different from what you usually wear on your nails..." It is. But I really, really do love it and I think it's a bit of a breath of freash air after so much really intense nail art work.

If you're interested in trying out any of the Pueen products I used in this mani, they're all available over on Amazon and then all definitely get my stamp of approval. 

Thanks for reading!


You May Also Like

0 comments