The moon can have a profound effect on us mere mortals. And it should come as no surprise that these heavenly half moons are no different.
Trophy Wife maven and nail expert Chelsea Bagan, is back with a guide to painting your own half moon nails. This dreamy duo sees Skinny Dip paired with Fairy Floss for a delightfully cosmic contrast.
As a clean, ethical forward-thinking beauty brand, we’re always looking for ways to wow you with products that perform while preserving our planet. So this style is brought to you by products with substance; products that are cruelty-free, vegan, certified carbon neutral and free from many of the villains normally found in nail polish. But, if you’re unable to get a hold of Kester Black colours or products, any base, polish and top coat will do.
What you will need
- Cotton pads and Nail Cleanser
- A Base Coat
- Skinny Dip or another colour of your choice
- Fairy Floss
- Supersonic Top Coat
- Self Love Oil
- A thin nail art brush (or a striper brush)
Tool tip:
This particular look isn’t overly tool-heavy. However, if you don’t have a nail art brush handy, you can always craft-your-own using these items found around the house:
Make a fine-tipped nail brush from a regular paint brush by snipping off some bristles, dipping them in a top coat and securely taping them at one end after they’ve dried. Tape this to a pen or pencil for mobility and away you go.
Toothpicks make for a great pointed tip in the absence of brushes.
Pacers or mechanical pencils (high tech stuff) make great lining tools, but require some extra TLC due to their fragility.
Step 1. Prep, shape and clean
Your perfect nail shape is out there, and with any luck you’ll find it here. We think this style looks best on oval or almond nails. Once you’ve spotted ‘the one’, trim and file your nails to match. Then prep them for paint, by gliding a cotton pad soaked in cleanser over each fingernail. Even if your nails are polish-free, cleansing them before painting can help extend the life of your look.
SHOP NAIL CLEANSER
Step 2. Bring on the base
Apply a thin layer of base coat to each fingernail brushing from base to tip. Allow to dry for approximately five minutes (or roughly one playthrough of Bonnie Tyler’s ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’, iconic and contextual) before repeating with a second coat. Do your nails a favour by using our Miracle Treatment Base Coat; a base and proven nail strengthening treatment that can be worn neatly under your nail art.
SHOP MIRACLE TREATMENT BASE COAT
Step 3. Into the blue
Using your favourite low-tox, high performance blue nail polish (hint, hint), glide the brush over each fingernail, coating the surface from base to tip. We’ve used Skinny Dip, one of our latest naturally balanced nail colours. The trick to a controlled result is to only load your brush with enough polish for one coat. Allow to dry for five-minutes before applying a second coat to each nail. Difficult as it may seem, you really must resist the urge to use your hands.
(No heavy page-turning for five whole minutes.)
SHOP NAIL POLISH
Step 4. Moonrise
Taking a contrast colour, like Fairy Floss, place a small dot in the bottom-third of your nail. This will act as a guide to the top of your half moon. For precision, you may need to use a nail brush or dotting tool.
SHOP FAIRY FLOSS
Step 5. Fill in
To create the arch, join the dot to the corner of your nail using a curve and fill in carefully. Repeat this process on each nail and allow to dry for five-minutes.
Step 6. Top Coat
While it’s easy to be distracted by these half moon beauties, you’ll really want to seal this look with a decent top coat. Apply a layer of Supersonic Top Coat to each nail, capping-off the ends to prevent chipping.
SHOP SUPERSONIC TOP COAT
Step 7. Let love in
To complete your half moon ritual, apply a drop of Self Love Oil to your cuticles, gently massaging them in circles towards your hand.
Our Self Love Oil is made of certified organic almond oil, avocado oil, jojoba and vitamin E, so it's perfect for softening and nourishing your cuticles. And the loving doesn’t stop there, it can also be used to unchap lips, melt away make-up like lipstick or mascara, and moisturise dry skin. It’s a really generous companion to have in your cosmetic cupboard.
SHOP SELF LOVE OIL
Finally mastered the half moon? 📷 Light up our feed by sharing your creation using @kesterblack, #kesterblack or by sending love our way via hello@kesterblack.com.
