31DC2013 Day 11: Punchy Dots

Dotted manicures are easy, quick, and often impressive despite requiring minimal effort! I was excited to do this day of the challenge because I knew I would be able to knock something out in an hour or so maximum, but it would still look neato.

I started with a base of China Glaze Dandy Lyin' Around. It's not the most opaque shade, needing three coats, but it has a lovely soft quality and a beautiful shimmer.

Then, using three sizes of dotting tools and a rhinestone picker (more on this at the end of the post), I applied four different types of dots to the surface of the nail for a sort of pointilist/mosaic effect. I used three different colors for the dots: China Glaze Too Yacht to Handle, Sally Hansen All Fired Up, and Sally Hansen Black Out.

There's something so wonderful about red and teal together, isn't there? It's one of my favorite color combinations.

This is the rhinestone picker that I used to create the largest dots. I got it in an Amazing Shine nail art kit a long time ago. I didn't like using it as a picker because it is too big and imprecise, but it does make a wonderful stamp for big circles.

If you don't have one of these, I'd try using a pencil eraser for a similar effect! I can't guarantee it will work because I haven't tried it myself, but in theory it would work the same.

More 31 Day Challenge
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My polka dot nails from 2012!
My polka dot nails from 2011!