Punny Aloe Nails

Hello friends! I am back again with another punny nail design. This week's design features one of my favourite plants; the aloe vera. I love aloe so much,  they make my skin feel amazing. I actually had 3 aloe plants at home until recently, but unfortunately, we had to move them outside due to some bugs hatching in the pot and they died from the cold.  I've already been on the look-out for some replacements, but none of the places I've been to recently seem to have them in stock. I definitely want to get one before summer starts (for my sunburn prone skin)!

Recently, I've been trying to use more of my more neglected polishes. I bought this gorgeous green colour almost a year ago and I've yet to use it. It felt quite strange to be wearing this design because I rarely ever have green coloured nails. This shade of green is a happy green and looks adorable when worn. I'll probably wear this colour a lot more in the future.

Anyway, without here are my tips and tricks on how to create your own aloe vera design....

• For the Text:
• Start off with a white base colour (I used Essie's Coconut Cove)
• Using a thin brush and black acrylic paint, block out your letters (make them a bit thicker than what you want them to appear)
• Fix any mistakes you've made using som white acrylic paint
• Using the same thin brush  (or an even thinner brush) and light green acrylic paint, fill in your letters, making sure to still leave a bit of black visible to create the illusion of an outline

• For the Aloe Vera:
• Start off with a light green base color (I used Essie's Vices Versa; it took 3-4 coats to get it to be opaque)
• Using a thin brush and black acrylic paint, create the outlines for your pot
• Once you are satisfied with your pot, create the outlines for your aloe vera: by drawing long, teardrop shapes leaves
• Fill in your pot using a terracotta/lightbown colour (I mixed white, red and green acrylic paint to get this color)
• Fill in your leaves using a light green colour
• Optional: Shade your design in by mixing a small amount (very small) with your colours, and highlight using some white to create more dimension!
• Remember to always seal your design in with a top coat!
• I like to use 2 topcoats when I do acrylic paint designs; a thicker one (I used Pro-FX's Long Wearing UV Topcoat), and a fast drying top coat on top (Seche Vite's Dry Fat Top Coat). I find that acrylic paints tend to 'absorb' topcoats and leave the design sort of matte looking where acrylic paint is used. A thicker top coat will give the nails that beautiful shine, while a fast drying-top coat will ensure that my nails dry fast anought so that I won't ruin them!

.... And it's as easy as that! Have fun creating your own aloe vera nails!