Winter Branches

For those who have been plagued by this year's double polar vortex, the word "winter" may make you cringe at this point. But the seasons play a key role in what I decide to put on my nails. I wouldn't paint a beach sunset on my nails. I would consider that a form of self torture since summer won't be here until, oh, July at the earliest in Minnesota? This week's mani shows the calmer side of winter that would be appreciated more if I didn't run the risk of turning into an ice block by stepping outdoors. 

I started off with two coats of Sinful Colors' Be Happy - I could have did another layer, but the polish turned out to be thicker than I anticipated. Once it dried completed, I painted in tree branches with brown paint mixed with black so the branches would have dark bark. Since paint dries a darker shade then its wet form, I expected the brown to darken, but it didn't. I swiped in lines of black to fix that little problem instead of mixing a new color and reapplying. I painted dark red berries onto the branches on my pointer, middle, ring, and pinky fingers, finishing them off with a little black dot to signal which direction they were facing.

On my thumb I painted a cardinal sitting on a branch instead of berries to create an accent nail and add a little oomph. Add in some falling snowflakes and put a layer of snow on some of the berries and branches, and tada! With the settled snow, I dabbed on white paint with my brush to make the snow look fluffy rather then swiping on white. I did that once and it looked unrealistic, and silly. 

And don't forget the top coat!

Tamz