12 NAILS OF HALLOWEEN: Cute & Creepy Pastel Skeleton Smoosh
IT'S FINALLY TIME - 12 NAILS OF HALLOWEEN and though I was very tempted to start last week, I wanted to save Day 1 for the first #CBBxManiMonday of October, which is going to be Halloween themed all month. (As is pretty much everything nail related here on the blog!) I am firmly of the opinion that Halloween nail art doesn't have to be dark and it can absolutely be cute, so I always try to do at least one mani at this time of year that uses a different colour palette than a lot of what we traditionally see - namely cute pastels. I actually pretty much had this mani mapped out in my head before I started, inspired by a couple of new-to-me stamping plates in my collection, but it did change a little bit once I sat down to actually do it and I love how it turned out.
Keep reading for more!
As is the case pretty much any time I want to do a pastel mani, I (mostly) reached for my Color Club pastels for this mani. I really wanted to stick to a sort of cool toned kids bedroom type of colour palette for this, so I grabbed for a pink, a purple, and a blue from my Color Club drawer but found that I didn't have the kind of green that I wanted in my collection, so I grabbed for a green from Pure Ice that I also really, really love.
This smoosh is probably the most simple technique of smoosh that I do. You just plop some dots onto the head of a stamper and then mash it onto your nail until you get the blend that you like. Of course, when I say mash, what I mean is to pounce the stamper onto your nail with fairly light pressure a few times until the blend is achieved. I always use latex cuticle barrier when I do this kind of smoosh and I like to remove the excess polish that ends up in the cuticles with a clean up brush dipped in acetone before I peel it up. I think initially this technique can be a little bit daunting, but it's actually really, really easy once you get the hang of it.
Initially, I planned on stamping with black polish, but as I was sitting there looking at the base I felt like this was one of those times that I didn't want quite that much contrast between my base and my stamping; I wanted to keep it softer. Ultimately, I ended up going with this slate grey stamping polish and I definitely think it was the right choice for the look I was going for.
I used two different stamping plates for this look, both from WhatsUpNails - A012 Happy Hallowen and B023 Creepin' It Real - because the skeleton/skull images from the two plates married really well. I started with my ring finger (pictured above). The skeleton image on A012 doesn't actually have legs, so after stamping it on my nail I decided to use one of the little bone images to add legs and really fill up the nail. For my first and pinkie fingers, I applied the skull image from B023, which I absolutely love. And then for the middle finger, I didn't quite have a plan but ultimately I decided that the bats image from B023 had a feel that called to the collar on the skeleton on my ring finger, so I went with that and I think it was the right call.
To finish, I sealed in my stamping with a layer of water based top coat and then finished with a coat of matte top coat and voila!
All Products Used
Color Club - Can You Not?
Color Club - Wicker Park
Color Club - Meet Me At The Rink
Pure Ice - Home Run
Clear Jelly Stamper - Slate Grey
Suncoat Water Based Top Coat
Essie Matte About You Top Coat
What's Up Nails A012 Happy Halloween Stamping Plate
What's Up Nails B023 Creepin' It Real Stamping Plate
What's Up Nails Magnified Clear Stamper
Like I said, I don't think Halloween nails always have to be dark and vampy to really embrace the feeling of the holiday and I think this mani really highlights that. If you're not into deep shades or want to keep it cute for the kids in your life, this type of mani could be a great option this spooky season!
Thanks so much for reading and keep an eye out for more 12 Nails Of Halloween mani's all month long! Also, for more inspiration, check out last year's 12 NOH Round Up.
Be sure to head over to Cosmetic Proof and See The World In PINK to check out their first week of Halloween Nails for #CBBxManiMonday!
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