Edgar Allan Poe meets Pop Art

So normally I have a back story. Usually my mani's are inspired by clothing, T.V. shows, the weather, everything and absolutely anything. But not today. I can honestly say I have no idea how this came about. Ladies and gentleman, absolute randomness at it's finest. 

I think this originally started a few months ago after I came upon the nail design below from The Nail Polish Project blog. After seeing this gorgeous grey and yellow mani, I knew I had to get my hands on those fabulous feathers!

Turns out she had received hers from the Born Pretty Store, one of my favorite nail art suppliers! So I placed an order and patiently waited. When I finally received the feather water decals I was super excited...but had no idea what to do with them. So I grabbed a few colors, threw on some feathers, and experimented away. But the polish with just the decals looked kind of boring. So I thought, feathers remind me of birds, and stamped one of those on there too. And then studs, just because. 

So I would say the water decals were definitely worth the money. As I stated, I purchased these (not a review) but I can give you my opinion of them anyway. They were pretty simple to use. After your base coat dries, you cut out the feather you want to use and soak it in water. After a minute or two, the decal will simply slide off it's backing, so you can put it onto your nail. I would recommended using tweezers or your finger tip (which you should also wet) for accurate placement. This is the tricky part. Once you put the decal on your nail (on top of your dry base), 9 times out of 10, your decal will not move. Hence when you slide it off the paper, make sure you put it exactly where you want it to be on your nail, because you will not be able to move it around or peel it off and replace it. If you do, most likely you will damage the decal or make it stick to itself. They are super delicate. 

However, I found that if I first place a topcoat on my base color and then once that is dry,  wet the nail and THEN place the decal on the nail, I can move it around to adjust it a bit. But that involves a little extra work and a little extra polish, so really its easier to just make sure you place it right the first time. After you place the decal, you are all set! The only issue I had with these was that after I placed the decal, I used my normal Seche Vite topcoat. As you can see on my pointer finger, for some reason, the topcoat appears to have melted the decal a little. I didn't care too much, since it added to the effect of it being a torn feather. However, I was a bit more careful with my pinkie and used the brush more gently, so it didn't rub the decal too much. So in sum, accurate placement and gentle brush strokes for your top coat, and you are good to go with these decals. Definitely worth the purchase : ) You can use my code  CJCX31 for 10% off you order!

 

So I definitely love this mani for it's randomness. It took me so long to post because I wasn't sure what to call it! But when a friend commented that the lone bird reminded them of Edgar Allen Poe ("Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'") It suddenly hit me. Edgar Allen Poe meets Pop Art.

China Glaze - Sunshine Pop
Love and Beauty - Teal
Julie G Gumdrops - Sugar Rush (orange)
Moyou London Pro Collection 07 (XL) - bird on barbed wire
Konad Black
Feathers - Born Pretty Store
Studs - Born Pretty Store