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Artsy Wednesday: Maidenhair fern nails (inspired by nature)

June 20, 2012 By Michelle 27 Comments

Affiliate Disclosure: I receive a small commission for purchases made via affiliate links.

I had so much fun sticking stuff to my nails last week, I decided to continue this week:

The theme is “inspired by nature”, so I snipped a frond of my mum’s maidenhair fern (don’t tell her!) and stuck them onto a base of creamy OPI Skull & Glossbones.

Mini-tutorial:

1. Paint nails with base, let dry

2. Cut a piece the size you want

3. Paint a nail with regular clear polish or topcoat

4. Squish the fern on – if you’re feeling posh use an orangewood stick, but I just used my finger, hoping that Seche Vite would smooth it out later, which it did. I think a stick might actually make more noticeable dents in the base if you aren’t careful.

5. Cover with Seche Vite or other thick topcoat.

6. Enjoy!

    Maidenhair ferns are delicate creatures and wither quickly, so you want to cut your fern just before you use it or it gets hard to handle. They also darken a lot when they touch topcoat, so keep that in mind when choosing a base.

    A bittersweet Artsy Wednesday announcement: Sofie of Swaafie is going on an overseas adventure which means she can’t polish her nails as regularly anymore. Watch the space below for a new Artsy Wednesday member!

    More pastoral on nails:

    Pretty Purple Polish – Hooked! – Maria’s Nail Art – Polished Genius – Nails by Ms. Lizard –
    Unnaked Nails – Nail & Polish (out this week for exams) – Beauty Gnome – [I’m talking about this space!]


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    Filed Under: Nail Art, Nails Tagged With: 3D, Artsy Wednesday, creme, grey, nail art, nails, OPI

    « Skincare 101: Exfoliation basics
    Why do flakies look different over different bases? »

    Comments

    1. Marias Nail Art says

      June 20, 2012 at 11:06 pm

      LOL, great idea! I wonder if it would start to change under the top coat, if you kept it on for mere than a day, causing it to crack…?

      Reply
      • Marias Nail Art says

        June 21, 2012 at 1:59 am

        Where are my manners, I got so occupied of the durability and what happens as it (and if) it dries up LOL
        I really, really love the result!!

        Reply
      • LabMuffin says

        June 23, 2012 at 12:40 am

        I didn’t try… I took it off because I didn’t have the time or patience to do my right hand as well, I needed to go somewhere. I wish I did though, it was really pretty! I don’t think it’d crack, it might bubble and peel off faster than normal though. Since it’s sandwiched between two layers of polish, it can’t really dry out.

        Reply
      • LabMuffin says

        June 23, 2012 at 12:41 am

        Maybe you should try it with some flower petals and see what happens? 😉

        Reply
    2. POLiSHED*GENiUS says

      June 20, 2012 at 11:35 pm

      I love this Michelle! Very creative…I must try this with clovers/shamrocks for st.patricks :))

      Reply
      • LabMuffin says

        June 23, 2012 at 12:41 am

        That’s a great idea! Clovers would flatten out nicely I think!

        Reply
    3. Natalie Roseanne Peploe says

      June 20, 2012 at 11:53 pm

      This looks really prettyxxx

      Reply
      • LabMuffin says

        September 3, 2012 at 12:49 am

        Thanks! 🙂

        Reply
    4. PassionForPolish says

      June 21, 2012 at 1:08 am

      Love this so much!

      Reply
    5. sandipalien says

      June 21, 2012 at 2:08 am

      Haha I love this, and I also find it really hilarious to stick actual plants on my nails!

      Reply
      • LabMuffin says

        June 23, 2012 at 12:42 am

        Yeah, I felt pretty ridiculous! 😛

        Reply
    6. ahhhdri says

      June 21, 2012 at 5:22 am

      That looks so pretty, I wouldn’t want to take it off.

      Reply
    7. Gnarly Gnails says

      June 21, 2012 at 5:32 am

      this is really cool!! i wouldnt want to take it off either!

      Reply
    8. Jacqueline Colman says

      June 21, 2012 at 8:20 am

      wow this is so cool!!

      Reply
    9. PrettyPurplePolish says

      June 21, 2012 at 10:24 am

      Awesome idea! It looks great! 🙂

      Reply
    10. xoCATox says

      June 21, 2012 at 3:39 pm

      This looks AMAZING! What an awesome idea! I’m tempted to try it, but I’m afraid it will be too “lumpy” because I am not skilled enough 🙁

      Reply
      • LabMuffin says

        June 23, 2012 at 12:35 am

        Maidenhair ferns are really delicate and lie flat really easily… I think individual flower petals would work well too! It really didn’t take much skill, just lots of mashing it flat with a finger 😛

        Reply
    11. Sexcgirl77 says

      June 21, 2012 at 5:47 pm

      I love this… super awesome! Are there any flowers you think would also work?

      Reply
      • LabMuffin says

        June 23, 2012 at 12:32 am

        Anything that’ll lie flat really! And if they aren’t flat, sticking them in a book for a few days will take care of that… 😉

        Reply
    12. jaahas says

      June 21, 2012 at 7:44 pm

      Oh my god! That’s just gorgeous. I might need to arrest you for being too awesome.

      Reply
      • LabMuffin says

        June 23, 2012 at 12:34 am

        Aww thank you, thank you kindly! You are pretty awesome yourself! 🙂

        Reply
    13. Jennius - Gold Speck Nails says

      June 22, 2012 at 2:36 am

      Looks awesome!

      Reply
      • LabMuffin says

        June 23, 2012 at 12:36 am

        Thanks! 🙂

        Reply
    14. mgiandzi says

      June 22, 2012 at 12:37 pm

      this is so clever! Just like preserving flowers and plants in a frame, but the frame is your nails!

      Reply
      • LabMuffin says

        June 23, 2012 at 12:36 am

        That’s such a great description!

        Reply
    15. LabMuffin says

      June 23, 2012 at 12:42 am

      Thanks everyone for your nice comments 🙂

      Reply
    16. Lacquer Lockdown says

      June 23, 2012 at 7:28 am

      Wow this is amazing! I don’t think I’ve ever thought about trying to put flowers into my nail art before but that might be fun! I don’t have any ferns about so I guess I’ll try to hunt down some smaller lovelies and try it out.

      Reply

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    Michelle
    Hi! I'm Michelle, chemistry PhD and science educator, and I'm here to help you figure out which beauty products are worth buying, and which ones aren't using science!

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