Stranger Tides and Skulls

This weekend I pretended I was going to watch the Pirates of the Caribbean and did my nails up for the event. I never actually went to the movies but my nails were really cool. I actually even got a compliment from a cashier somewhere. I don't remember where I was but she thought they were cool. 

OPI Stranger Tides is on the right in the photo above. It was the other polish gifted to me by the amazing gal over at MUA. The picture isn't very color accurate because it is actually a dingy, murky looking grayish green. I love the color but had a heck of a time with the application.

The first time I tried this mani was not too successful. The first few pictures are from take 1 of the Pirates mani. Please excuse the cleanup and general ickyness of the mani. I was basically trying to get it all together in a test run.

The first day I had terrible issues with Stranger Tides. I know people have raved about the application of this collection but this one was a PITA! It was streaky and uneven and not cooperative at all. I wasn't sure if it was the brush or me or the polish but even after three coats it wasn't completely even.

The skulls are made with acrylic powder and a 3D mold that I ordered on ebay. There is a bit of a learning curve with this process and I struggled a lot with it the first time. I was highly frustrated and ready to give up after awhile. I managed to get it together enough to make the skulls on my nails though.

I think the ones on my pinkies look more like Lord Voldemort than skulls and I might actually make them as Lord Voldemort and incorporate them into a Harry Potter mani when that movie comes out. We will see.

Here is a more close up of one of them. I probably should have picked a better one. The thumb had the biggest one so I chose that one. I used an insanely thick coat of Seche Vite on top of them which didn't help the look of the mani.

I tried again Sunday to get the mani the way I wanted and had much more success. It helped that I got a smaller brush to work with and it really made a difference. I also changed the way I worked a bit which made all the difference.

This time I did my mani first and then made the skulls. Last time I made the skulls first and they were completely dry by the time I got around to putting them on the nail and they stuck up more than I wanted them too. I still had a few issues (you can see the one on my ring finger has part of a bone missing) but overall it was much more successful and looked a ton better.

When I did this mani I waited a little longer in between coats and Stranger Tides performed so much better. The first coat was still streaky as can be but with the wait I ended up evening it out in two coats. We are friends again.

The smaller brush let me make the skulls with less issue and less mess. I still manage to get acrylic all over my hands but that will eventually stop I hope. I will figure it out as I go.

Because I was ready to make the skulls and then put them on my nail immediately they dried and shaped themselves to my nails so they didn't have edges that stick up. I think I have a plan for making them in advance but I am going to have to test it out first.

This was a super fun mani and I love the little acrylic guys. I can't wait to get more molds and try some other stuff. When I go see the movie I will probably end up doing the skulls again but I have another idea for the mani overall.