Candy Cane Nails
Candy cane nails! That’s today’s requested post; and I have two more holiday themed nail art tutorials set for tomorrow and the day after.
To start off this look, paint your full nails with any white nail polish. I used two coats of Sally Hansen’s “All the White Stuff.”
All this nail design requires is some red acrylic paint and a liner/striper brush. You can buy a “striper brush” at a nail art shop, or a “riggers paintbrush” and an art/craft store. They are the same thing.
Dip your liner brush into your red acrylic paint and drag out a thin stripe across your nail. Making stripes with a liner brush is easy, because the long bristles naturally drag out a straight line if you pull the brush against a surface. “Drawing” a straight line with a short paintbrush is much more difficult.
This is how acrylic paint can sometimes look over nail polish, but don’t worry. A clear topcoat as our final step will bring paint and polish to the same level and you won’t notice this bubbled-up look at the end.
Repeat the stripe-step two more times to make three thin lines across the center of your nail.
Color in a thick red stripe across the corner of your nail. It needs to be thicker than your first three lines because…
The biggest mistake I see with the candy cane nail look, is a “red/white/red/white” alternating stripe pattern, all stripe sections being the same width. If you look at a traditional candy cane though, that’s not what they actually look like. Real candy canes have a three-thin-stripe in between thick-red-stripes pattern.
Repeat the last step on the opposite corner of your nail. Also, this gemstone step is not necessary, but I attached a one to the tip of the nail for added sparkle.
Very important - coat your entire nail with a clear topcoat. This will even everything out, protect your acrylic paint work and keep your gemstone from falling off. Now your nail design is smooth and shiny just like a real candy cane. :)
I realize this is a very labor-intensive nail design. If I were going to wear this look, I’d wear it on my index/ring fingers only, keeping the rest of my nails in simple white or red nail polish. People will notice your cute candy cane nails without you having to paint all ten, and a little holiday cuteness tends to go a long way.
Tags: Acrylic Paint, Candy, Holidays, Paintbrush, Stripes
December 18th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
This one is my favorite! I wish I could do it, but I am sure that I would not be able to do my right hand lol. But I did do the polka dots but with red polish instead, and I have already received a dozen comments just today! Thanks!
December 18th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Chantal,
I’m glad to hear the polka dots worked out for you! That’s one of my favorites, actually. It’s cute and simple. :)
Right now I’m wearing all red nails except for a candy cane on the ring-finger of my left hand. For the more complicated/time-consuming nail designs, I usually just pick a few nails and keep the rest plain. It’s a way you could try out this look without having to worry about painting with your non-dominant hand. People will still notice the cuteness, trust me! :)
Also, this post might have some good tips for you: http://asami.choseit.com/lets-pretend-were-ambidextrous/
Thank you very much for the comments. It’s always nice to know that my tutorials are being used.
December 22nd, 2008 at 8:53 pm
even though the other nails looked, and more than likely are more difficult to make, the candy-cane design here cannot be beat. it speaks to me. what gave you the idea to place these images on nails?….. everytime i go to this website, i wanna get certified to do nails.
December 24th, 2008 at 12:47 am
Marcus,
Hey, friend! It’s nice to spot you on here. This candy cane idea actually came as a reader-request sometime before Thanksgiving.
Thanks for the question and the nice comment. :)
January 1st, 2009 at 9:02 pm
Fun! Also what color are you wearing on your actual nails in this picture? Its the perfect glittery red! I am totally in love with your blog! thanks for sharing this!
January 2nd, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Sarah,
It’s my holy grail red! It’s the only red I wear, actually. OPI’s “Don’t Toy with Me,” from their new holiday collection. They might still be on sale at ULTA. The red glitter in Don’t Toy with Me is so gorgeous, it looks like it goes on and on forever. I definitely recommend this color. In the picture I’m wearing two coats plus a topcoat.