Blue Spiral Nail Art

Hey, friends!  You know if there’s one thing I love fashion-wise, it’s my gel nail polishes!  I love to do my own at-home gel manis every two weeks – they’re way cheaper than going to the salon but still look great and hold up to all the abuse I put my nails through as they get covered in everything from glitter and Mod Podge to spray paint and wax.  Today, I want to show you my latest nail look, as well as the inspiration behind it!

Last week, I received a fun package from my friends at Georgia-Pacific {don’t you just love getting presents in the mail?!} that contained some great goodies I was excited to try out…as always, all opinions are my own, of course.

The package contained a sample of a brand new product, Sparkle® towels with a hint of color.  These towels are the perfect pick for anyone who wants something more interesting than plain white paper towels but doesn’t want a busy print that clashes with the kitchen.  As someone who’s been known to stand in the paper goods aisle debating what tissue box will clash least with my decor, I can totally appreciate that these towels have just one color in a subtle pattern that’s enough to add a little style without being overpowering.

My box also contained a really fun lamp that shows the same pattern as the one on the towels when it’s illuminated by a light bulb that changes colors with the help of a mobile app!  Talk about awesome!  It’s amazing how a little bit of color can brighten up your home and even affect your mood, isn’t it?

Anyway, we go through a LOT of paper towels in our house, which is part of why I love the Pick-A-Size® feature of these Sparkle® towels with a hint of color…I can choose if I need a full sized towel or just a small one based on what I’m using it for.  I like to place a towel on the table when I do my gel manicures to protect my pretty tablecloth, and as I looked at it, not only did it help me choose the color for my next mani, it inspired my nail art design too!  The blue was so much more interesting than the greys and browns I’ve been using on my nails so far this fall, so I reached for a blue polish and determined to try and replicate the spiral pattern on accent nails.  Here’s how I did it.

You’ll need:
– Sparkle® towels with a hint of color
– LED Lamp for gel manicures
– pH bond
– rubbing alcohol
– Gel Base and Top Coat Polishes
– Gel Color Polishes {mine are “Mali-Blu Me Away” and “My One Blue Love”}
– small paintbrush, toothpick, or nail art pen
– nail file cube

Step 1: Remove any existing polish.  File nails to desired length and shape, then buff.

Step 2: Wipe each nail with rubbing alcohol, then apply pH bond.

Step 3: Apply base coat, being careful not to get any polish on the skin.  Cure under LED Lamp for 30 seconds or as directed by your polish/lamp.  I find that it’s best to completely finish all the way through the final step with one hand before starting on the next.  Otherwise, the polish will be sticky and can easily get messed up as you’re working on your other hand.

Step 4: Apply two coats of colored polish, curing in between coats.

Step 5: Apply clear top coat and cure under your lamp.

Step 6: Wipe each nail with rubbing alcohol.  This takes the stickiness away and leaves your nails shiny and smooth.  At this point, they are completely “hard” and dry and will not be easily damaged.

Step 7: Use a small brush or toothpick in light blue gel polish to create spiral design inspired by Sparkle® towels with a hint of color.  Cure under lamp and wipe with rubbing alcohol.

Ta-da!  Fun, cheerful, colorful nail art that will last approximately 14 days!

What do you think?  Want to create your own colorful manicure inspired by this design?  Or just want to add a touch of style and color to your kitchen with these new towels?  Right now, grab this $1 off coupon to save on your purchase of a Sparkle® Package (6 regular rolls or larger).   If you give it a try, take a pic and tag me on Instagram {@oneartsymama} so I can see!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf Georgia-Pacific.