If picking out a colour never fails to induce a panic attack at the nail salon, then take a deep breath and step away from the polish wall. Instead, seek inspiration from summer’s bohemian colour palette. Yup, we’re referring to those billowy floral dresses, festival-ready rainbow hair, and rose-tinted lenses we seem to be perpetually obsessed with. Now, you can complete that dreamy aesthetic by sporting shades from Sally Hansen’s new limited edition Miracle Gel Festive Floral collection on your nails.
Sure, it may be summer here all year round, but these fresh nail polishes have arrived just in time to jumpstart the season’s nail trends and refresh your manicure. There’s a wide range of shades from the Miracle Gel Festive Floral collection to play with if you can’t settle on one. We’ve already got our eyes on the taupe-tinged Lilac Insomniac, deep yet vivid Make Me Mauve, and turquoise Aqua Chakra, which happen to be the new limited edition shades featured in their duo-packsets. Don’t worry if you’re not too experimental with your nails, though. You can always fall back on the neutral, nude shade that’s aptly (and cheekily) named Birthday Suit. And of course, for those who prefer their nails to match their loud personality, a poppy pink hue by way of Pink Cadillaquer and a bright bloom of Red Eye will top off every bold outfit perfectly.
Not to mention, you can achieve the same gel texture and quality right at the comfort of your own home, so your anxiety issues won’t stop you from getting a gel manicure anymore. Sally Hansen’s Miracle Gel line is known for being a quick two-step gel system that’ll leave your nail polish way more chip-resistant than your regular varnishes. Apply two coats of your favourite colour, let it dry, and paint the Miracle Gel Top Coat on top of that.
Salon gel manicures require a UV lamp, but these nail polishes will set in natural light and you’ll get the same volume and intense sheen. That professional-looking finish will last up to 14 days and can be easily taken off with your regular nail polish remover. Intrigued, we’ve decided to try the collection out on our own nails. Have a look at the designs we came up with and try these easy DIY styles yourselves.
Shades used: Aqua Chakra and Red Eye
Choose a bright base colour and paint 1 to 2 coats of it on your nails. Once that’s dry, use a dotting tool or the end of a brush handle to add a single dot of red polish on each nail. Finish off with a top coat.
Shades used: Birthday Suit and Aqua Chakra
Here’s what you’ll need to create this ombré effect: a light, neutral shade as your base coat, a darker shade of your choice, and a makeup sponge (preferably one that you intend to throw out). Apply your base coat and let it dry before mixing the two colours carefully until you’ve created a gentle gradient. Then, use your sponge to pick up the colour and blend away! Remember to seal it in with a top coat – it makes everything look better.
Shade used: Red Eye
Grab some tape for this one, because you’ll need to tape your nails vertically to create a space for the nail polish. Then, paint your colour of choice over the taped nails. Remove the tape once they’re all dry and finish up with a top coat.
Shades used: Birthday Suit, Make Me Mauve, Red Eye, and Aqua Chakra
Using the same approach with tape, you can tape down random sections of your nail to create an abstract design. For an eye-catching manicure, go ahead and paint each nail a different colour. Wait for it to dry completely before peeling the tape off.
Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Festival Floral Collection, $16.90 for each duo-packset. Available at selected Watsons stores.
You must be logged in to post a comment.