D.I.Y Matte Nails!

HELLO!

For today's blog I thought I would share with you how to create Matte nails at home without having to pay for a top coat!

Matte nails have become very popular recently, and a lot of brands have been releasing nail polishes that either dry matte or top coats that will dry your nail polish to look matte, but what do you do if you either can't afford to or would rather not spend the extra money on buying these types of polishes?

That is where I aim to help you! 

This nail tutorial does not use cornstarch. Adding cornstarch to wet nail polish is a very popular method of getting nails to dry matte the problem I find with this is that when you're trying to make darker colours dry matte the cornstarch can give the colour a white cast and that's not what you want!

I recommend reading this whole post at least once before you attempt this look just so you know when to do each step!

Read on to find out how to create matte nails with out buying the specially formulated polishes or cornstarch!

For this tutorial you will need:

• Cotton pads
• Nail Polish Remover
• Base coat of your choice. (I am using OPI nail envy in Matte. This basecoat does not effect the nail polish on top. It will not make the nail polish matte.)
• Nail Colour of your choice. (I am using Cute As A Button by Essie.)

Now for the method:

1. Start with clean nails. If you've just taken off your nail polish you can skip this step! Other wise wet your cotton pad with the nail polish remover and swipe over each nail to remove any dirt or oil that may have accumulated.

2. Apply your base coat to protect your nails from staining and allow to dry.

3. Once the base coat has fully dried apply a thin coat of your nail colour and allow this to dry fully before continuing.

4. Apply a second coat of colour or as many as needed to make the polish look opaque. (If you require more than 2 coats make sure you apply it thinly with a light hand so it dries faster.) The image below is what my nails looked before hand. 

5. Okay this is important, whilst you are painting your second coat (or your opaque coat however many that may take) boil your kettle. (Alternatively have a pan of water boiling before you start this tutorial.)

6. Once the kettle has boiled let it cool for a couple of seconds and place your still wet nails over the steam for around 10 seconds. Alternatively pour the water into a separate container to cool it slightly. WARNING!: Do Not Hold Your Hand Too Close To The Water/ Kettle/Pan You May Burn Your Self!

7. When you bring your nails away they should look like this. 

If not hold your nails back over the steam for a few more seconds. If this still does not work it means the last coat of polish dried before you held it over the steam. Remember your last coat of polish MUST still be slightly wet in order for this to work!

For reference I have included before and after pictures below!

Before held over steam.

After held over steam.

Also I would just like to say, you may remember in my I HEART Summer Tag! post that I mentioned this was my favourite summer nail polish last year (2012) unfortunately my camera has not picked up the colour very well, and whilst in the picture it looks more on the orange side of coral, in person it is actually more on the pink side of coral!
   

That's all for today I hope you enjoyed this post and I shall see you all on Friday!

Don't forget to comment below and tell me your opinion on this design, let me know what you think! I would love to hear from you!

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