Pop Rocks! An Edgy Manicure How-to

March 22nd, 2010 → 10:01 am @


Cushnie et Ochs F/W

Cushnie et Ochs F/W

Every since I spied the chunky, glittery nails at  Cushnie et Ochs Fall/Winter show, I’ve been dying to try them out myself. The nails looked so raw, mineral, earthy, divine. Being the frugalista that I am I didn’t want to spend a ton of money on embellishments (somewhere wrote that they used crushed glass…sounds a bit dangerous to me…), I got crafty. Follow along with today’s how-to to get this funky look for yourself!

What you will need:

  • Quartz rocks or sea salt
  • A hammer
  • Nail polish
  • Top coat nail polish

Step One:

Quartz rocks - in California you can find them in most people's yards, but you should probably ask first!

Quartz rocks - in California you can find them in most people's yards, but you should probably ask first!

Whether you are using quartz rocks (which I “borrowed” from my neighbor, sorry!) or sea salt, you are going to have to crush them. Keep some larger chunks but for the most part you will want to make it into a graining consistency. I choose these two products because of their shiny and brittle quality, which make them easy to work with.

I crushed mine over aluminum foil to keep it all together easily.

Step Two:

Paint your fingernails with a base color. I chose this deep purple because it gave the “gems” some depth. I recommend a metallic (which I will try next time) that will make it have even more of a gemstone quality.

Step Three:

I used Beauty Secrets Top Coat

Apply a clear coat over the base coat. This will act as the adhesive for the crushed rocks or whatever else you choose to embellish your nails with. I recommend doing one nail at a time because the you don’t want it drying before you can get the decor on.

Step Four:

Applying the embellishments

Quickly apply the rocks to your nails. I sprinkled mine on haphazardly, mixing both small and large pieces. You can also simply roll your wet nail in the embellishments.

Step Five:

Be liberal with the top coat!

Next you will apply another coat of top coat after letting the first top coat dry. This will ensure adhesion and give the embellishments and added shine. I also recommend using a glitter top coat to increase the glitz.

Ta-da!

The finished product!

A little different, a lot quirky, I’m fairly happy with the results I got from this project. Next time I definitely want to try using a metallic base – I think it will really make the stones pop and look that much chicer. Just a side note: I recommend you only doing this type of manicure if you are going out somewhere nice for the night. It is a pain in the butt to do your hair or much of anything else with embellishments sticking out of your nails!

Is this a look you would try? Are you willing to spend a good half hour on doing your own nails? Are you a risk taker when it comes to fashion, or prefer to stick to tried and true classics? Let me know!

~Maria

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