Nail Art Wednesday: Green Slim Silhoutte Nails for St. Pat's Day

With St. Pat's Day just around the corner, you betcha I wanted to be sporting a mani to commemorate the occasion. Problem was, it always seems to be about the exact same things: the clover leaf, rainbows and a pot of gold, and leprechauns. I wanted to do something different. But after playing around with attempts to freehand intricate Celtic designs and failing miserably (I blame poor quality brushes the same way Mickey in Fantasia blames the cleaning tools), I decided to play it safe and stay true to my minimalist aesthetic. Better yet when you find out that this particular design was created by the talented Jin Soon Choi of Sally Hansen, in partnership with fashion designer Prabal Gurung, for the S/S'12 runway. It was a way to incorporate softness with a strong statement that the designer wanted to complement his frocks on display. She paired a pale lilac base with a deep purple shimmer. Now, I've been wanting to try this technique since I've seen it and it seems most timely to do it now. It IS Spring 2012 after all, right?

Jin Soon's Slim Silhouette St. Pat's-fied.

What I Used:
Mint green: Orly Gumdrop
Shimmery dark green: Models Own Emerald Black

How I Did It:

Although this is seems like a mere variation of the Ruffian/Reverse French manicure, I find this a more flattering way of wearing two colors at once. It really does work to slim down the nail as the eye is drawn to the slimmer nail outline of the darker color, making it look long and narrow. Seeing as I'm posting this as a non-traditional take on a St. Patrick's Day mani, that certainly explains why I opted with green. But the shades I chose in particular were what I felt were analogous to the lilac and deep purple that was originally used on the runway. I particularly liked who well Emerald Black played with Gumdrop, with both showing a slightly teal/blue hue in some angles and lights. But if you really, truly must have some clover leafs, I suggest stamping/painting them on the accent nails with gold. And maybe add a dash of gold glitter, while you're at it. As for me, I'm staying simple and understated, thankyouverymuch.

Token with bottle shot. Notice how it looks teal, almost blue on the thumb? Very cool!

Slightly overexposed, sorry! But love, love, love that emerald shimmer!

The teal/bluer aspects of both show more in low light.

More posing with the flower...

It really pops against the white!

This will be my only concession to the (overused) clover leaf. 

(Advanced) Happy St. Patrick's Day!

And just like that, we're halfway through another week! Any big plans for Saturday? Will you be joining in the Irish revelries and gorging on everything green? Don't you agree that Irish accents can sound really sexy (or look sexy, period. Why hello, Colin Farrell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Michael Fassbender)? What spring nail trend will you be sporting in the next few months?