Jewelry & Nail Art: Love Me Tenderly

It's been a while since the last Jewelry & Nail Art post, so I figured it's about time to make a post for this delicate manicure I did a few days ago. I already showed a sneak peek picture with this mani on Instagram and I loved it so much that I even used it as my Facebook page cover, so finally this design gets the post it deserves.

This nail art was inspired by the beautiful opal ring that I got from HW Star. I felt that this delicate ring deserves a matching delicate nail art, and this is what I came up with.

The Nail Art:

I wanted to create a soft and delicate design to match this ring. I knew for sure that I will be using flakes top coat to try and recreate the opal look, but I had a hard time choosing the base color.

Finally I decided to go with a really pale pink color, I got this idea for the color scheme from an almond tree blossom that I saw near my house. I really love it's beautiful soft flowers, they remind me a lot of the cherry blossom.

To create this design I started with two coats of Ga-De Bridal Rose (312), a sheer pale pink jelly. I didn't want this to look like a french manicure, so I sponged some pale pink over the tips / free edge of the nails, I used Essie Fiji for this. 

To create the opal effect I applied two coats of Nubar 2010. Itadded some dimension and sparkle to my design, but unfortunately it was hard to capture on camera and it didn't translate that well to the photos.

Finally I added some stamping with the swirly design from Nailz Craze NC02 plate, using Essie Fiji as my stamping polish. At first I planned on using silver for stamping, but I realized it will look a bit harsh on this soft background. Then I though, maybe white? But finally I chose Essie Fiji, and I was happy I did! For a pale pastel it stamped pretty nice. I don't know if you can see all the details that well, and the gradient might look a bit like one color, but it was prettier in real life. I loved how this manicure turned out and it really complimented the ring.

The Ring:

The lovely opal ring that inspired me to create this manicure is from HW Star.  

This ring is handcrafted with sterling silver and a white inlaid opal. The design of the ring somewhat reminded me of the infinity sign and I really liked that. This ring is very beautiful and the opal flakes constantly change their color, which makes it even more interesting and pretty.

To find more about HW Star and their jewelry please take a look at my full review post.

Where to buy: HW Star

Price: $35.1

Material: Sterling silver with lab created white opal

Origin: Handcrafted in Thailand, shipped worldwide
Discounts: 15% off with code "hwnailzcraze" (expires June 30, 2014)

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