Week 22: Splatter Manicure

Welcome to Week 22 of the 52 Week Challenge!  This week's challenge was to create a splatter manicure and I certainly found this to be quite a test of planning and patience.  Before this challenge I had never created a splatter.  I knew the trial involved a straw, multiple polishes, and a lot of clean up but I didn't know the particulars.

When I first sat down to do this design I had a regular drinking straw.  In this case it was about a centimeter in diameter.  I cut down the straw to the length of my index finger (I can't remember where I heard this tip at) before using it.  I made a small puddle of polish on a piece of parchment paper, dipped my straw in, then blew a puff of air through the straw while it was positioned over my nail.  ...and nothing happened.  So I tried again. And again and again.  Nothing.

I determined this was a mechanical problem based on the diameter of the straw.  I wasn't able to produce enough force with my puffs of air for the diameter straw I was using.  I picked up a 3 mm coffee stirrer to try instead.  This straw I did not reduce in size.  I followed the same technique as before: create a puddle of polish on a piece of parchment paper, dip in straw, then blow polish onto the nail.  This time it worked!  And lo I created the design pictured below.

I used two coats of China Glaze Orange You Hot? as my base then used China Glaze I'm With The Lifeguard, China Glaze Splish Splash, and China Glaze Hang-Ten Toes.  I love how bright all these polishes are!  I don't know if I'll be doing another splatter manicure any time soon; this was a lot of work for a manicure that doesn't look like it took a lot of effort.  What do you think of splatter manicures?

Be sure to check out what others have done for this challenge by visiting their blogs:

LizMarie at I'm Simply Complex • Jenna at I'm Still Thinking... • Caitlin at Addicted 2 Nails • Sarah at PrncessSarah02 • Charlotte at Charlotte's Nails :) • Shally at Polished & Not Quite Put Together • Rachel-Karina at Polished Criminails • Liz at Nothing But Nail Polish • Fun With My Nail Polish • Operation: Nail It! • Lauriestrodes Fun With Nails • Square Polish • Only Always Soccermom  • Hurr Did, Nails Did • Olivia Writes • The Dragon Lady • Kaki at Glitter Obsession • Isa at IsaBella's World • Gypsy at Gypsy's Glitter • Jackie at MeMa's Mani's  • Lissa at Lissa's Nail Blog  •  Marie at Polish, Polish, Polish...  • ChiChi at... •  Esra at Oje Sihirbazi (Wizard of Polish) •  Nails, Actually • Treselaine at Tres Chic Nails • Carol at Nails by Carol