Hello Loves! I'm super excited to show you my first successful attempt at one stroke flowers! I've been fighting with this technique for months now and finally figured it out. While I certainly need more practice, I'm pretty pleased with how this mani turned out.
I started with a base of Couture French Affair. I swatched French Affair in this post if you would like to see it on it's own. For this mani, I only used one coat for a softer shimmer. After top coating and removing the tacky layer, I broke out my acrylic paint set and got to work. While I'm sure there are better acrylic paints out there, I picked up a basic 12 color set and have been happy with it so far.
I sponged pink acrylic paint on the tips first. Then I used the white and purple for the one stroke flower petals. The leaves are a dark green with a lighter green layered over it for highlighting since I couldn't quite figure out the one stroke leaves. Baby steps, right? I finished by dabbing a little black in the centers of the flowers and added a few purple dots around the edges.
If you're reading this and have mastered one stroke nail art, I'm sure you're laughing at me right now. Heck, I'm laughing at myself! We'll all just laugh together. I feel a little like a child who just figured out how to clap. Such a simple accomplishment, but it completely made my day. lol
As a side note, when using acrylic paints with gel polish, it is crucial that you wrap the tips really well with your base and top coats to fully seal the acrylic paint. If you don't, water can penetrate the layers and turn the acrylic paint into a mushy mess. It's a mani wrecker for sure. I learned this lesson the hard way with my Great Pumpkin mani last Halloween. I was heartbroken when it only lasted a few days.
Finally, here's the standard closeup.
Have you mastered one stroke flowers? Do you have any tips to share? Can you recommend a good brush? I feel like my brush is one of my biggest issues.
~Michelle
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Um, you have nailed this in my opinion!! I love this mani all around Michelle!! I think the pink sponged on really makes it too! I have never done one -stroke flowers so I can't give any tips but your reference about a child clapping made me LOL!! This is gorgeous!!
ReplyDeleteThis mani is beautiful! I've never attempted one stroke flowers because they seem way too complicated. Haha. :) Just curious, do you have a favorite nude polish that you use to go under light or slightly sheer polishes?
ReplyDeleteI usually try to coordinate my undies with the polish itself. I find that nudes tend to change the color of the polish most of the time, so using a base in a similiar color is better for keeping the final color true. If I can't find a color that matches, I use white.
DeleteI would feel like a child that just learned to clap too! This is VERY good! Happy for ya!
ReplyDeleteBeauty! I did my first "successful" one strokes the night before last but mine look like a grandma's couch pattern compared to yours.
ReplyDelete