The best part of major holidays is easily the excuse to rock crazy, themed nail art that you usually couldn't get away with. (The excuse to day drink is a close second.) The Fourth Of July is a particularly great time to break out all the manicure stops — even if you're dressed in red, white, and blue from head to toe, you can always show off a little more patriotism. USA! USA! USA!
In honor of the birth of the United States of America, Katie Jane Hughes, butter LONDON Global Colour Ambassador, kindly offered up her pro nail arting skills to create an exclusive Old Glory-inspired mani for all you particularly patriotic Bustlers. Hughes — whose work you've probably seen on Emmy Rossum as well as on the runway at pretty much every Fashion Week show — may be a Brit herself, but these art deco-ish tips are enough to bless her with honorary American status. Plus, think about the great Instagram opportunities this mani provides: It'll look great clutching that frozen margarita tastefully held up in front of the Empire State Building as the sun sets over your Brooklyn rooftop. So get painting — the surprisingly simple step-by-step is below.
1. Prep and Paint White
Make your polish go on smoother — and avoid gross nail stains — by prepping with a basecoat like butter LONDON’s Patent-Gel Flawless Basecoat. Then apply a thin coat of white polish on all ten nails.
2. Create The Chevron
Using a blue shade — butter LONDON’s Nail Lacquer in Inky Six creates a denim-y effect — paint from corner of cuticle to the center of the nail, and do the same on the other side to achieve a V shape at the cuticle. Got shaky hands? You can use masking tape to create a stencil for the chevron.
3. Clean Up A Bit
If you got a little over-zealous creating your chevrons, dip a small paintbrush into polish remover to get rid of any wandering navy that made its way onto your cuticles.
4. Get Dotting
Pour a small amount of red polish — like butter LONDON Nail Lacquer in Blowing Raspberries — onto a piece of tin foil. Use a dotter tool (or the end of a bobby pin) to pick up some of the red lacquer and transfer onto your nails, creating dots under the V of your chevron. When using the dotter tool, re-dip into the red lacquer before each dot for even application.
5. Let 'Em Dry
Allow your nails to dry completely before applying a topcoat, or you risk smudging all your hard work. For real, butter LONDON’s Patent-Gel Flawless Topcoat is my absolute favorite — your patriotic mani will last well past Independence Day.
The Final Look:
George Washington would be so proud.
Images: Courtesy Katie Jane Hughes/butter LONDON
