Shamrock Nail Tutorial

       Hey everyone! I posted a picture of my shamrock nails on Instagram (@__beautymark__) and on my Facebook page (Beautymark) this past weekend, and it got quite a few likes. So, I thought i would post a tutorial for you all! St. Patricks Day is this coming Monday, and I'm not lying when I tell you that I've worn green ALL week. It's not my favorite holiday, but green is my favorite color. So, anytime I have an excuse to wear green, I do. And apparently I'm a little excited about wearing green, cause I've gotten a head start... Every. Single. Day. this week... Hahaha. Anyway, I think this nail art is super cute, and I'm going to show you how you can recreate this look too! As always, all tips will be listed in the captions below each picture. Enjoy!

We'll start out by applying a base coat. Per usual, I am using the Orly Bonder Rubberized Base Coat. You can get this at Sally's. Just apply a thin layer over each nail.

Then, choose a light green polish. For this, I used "Mint Candy Apple" by Essie. Loooove this color!

I painted 2 coats of "Mint Candy Apple" on each of my nails, leaving only my ring fingers plain. We'll apply a green glitter to those next!

You can choose any green glitter you like for this step. I chose this Sally Hansen Triple Shine glitter polish in "Seanic." When I saw this polish at the store, I was like "ohhhhhh!!!" And it immediately went in my basket. No control. I can't tell you how much I love the color green. Anyway, apply as many coats of the glitter top coat as you need to get this opaque. I used three thin layers of this polish.

After we're done painting each nail, it's time for clean up. For this I'm using acetone and an angled brush I got from Walmart. It was super cheap, and is perfect for getting in right around the nail bed to fix any mistakes.

Here they are all cleaned up!

For the shamrock, choose a darker green polish. For this, I used "Four Leaf Clover" by China Glaze.

You'll want to use some sort of dotting tool for this nail art. You can get dotting tools at Sally's now! I just saw them there about a month ago and got excited since they're more readily available. Use a medium sized tool, and coat it with the darker green polish. Then touch the dotting tool to the nail and drag downwards a little, as shown in the above picture.

Then take what polish is left on the tool, and touch it to the nail close to the first little blob we made, and drag it diagonally downwards to meet the tip of the first line we made. This will create a heart shape, like so.

Then, decide where you want the next leaf of the clover to be. Leave a bit of space in between the first leaf, and the second leaf you are about to make. Then repeat the process from above. Coat the dotting tool with the darker green polish. Touch it to the nail and drag down a bit. Then touch the nail with the dotting tool, and drag it diagonally downward to meet the tip of the first line.

You should now have two heart shapes.

Repeat the process until you create either 3 or 4 leaves. My nails are short, so I only had enough room for 3 leaves. And it doesn't have to be perfect. Just 3 or 4 little heart shapes and you're good. Don't worry about making them space out perfectly.

After you're done creating the leaves, we will draw the stem. Take the smallest dotting tool and coat it with polish. Then touch the tool to the nail and drag it down, like so. It doesn't need to be perfectly straight. It can have a curve to it. Give it some character. :)

Once you're done with the shamrock on one hand, move to the other. Again, they don't have to match perfectly. Create one leaf/heart shape.

Then the second.

Until you get as many as you prefer.

Then create the stem, and you're done with your nail art!!

Lastly, go in with your favorite top coat - mine is Seche Vite - and you're done!

This step is completely optional. My cuticles are extremely gross and dry. So, I applied the Essie Apricot Cuticle Oil all around my nails to help combat that dryness. So, in the final pictures, when you see my skin looking oily, that's what it is :).

And here they are! Love this nail art!

       So, there you have it! A cute St. Patrick's Day manicure! I hope you all enjoyed this tutorial. If you decide to try these out, definitely let me know and post a picture on my Facebook page, or hashtag #beautymarktabitha on Instagram and I'll check them out! Have a great evening, and thanks for reading!!



                                        XOXO - Tabitha