Nature Inspired Stained Glass Nails

How to paint nature inspired stained glass nails using stamping plates including a dragonfly, a snail, a turtle and a frog.

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When I was a teenager, I used to spend a lot of time working on my nails. I used to bite my nails horribly until I started working at 14, and then for whatever reason, I stopped biting them, and let them grow beautifully. I would sit with all my polishes out, glitters, and toothpicks. Back then, I did all of my designs with a toothpick. Wish I could go back, and tell myself how great dotting tools are. Haha!

Some years later, I was so overwhelmed with work and school that I got out of doing them, and went back and forth with biting and acrylics. Anytime I would try to paint my nails, I found myself impatient, and disappointed. The polish would be messy, or I wouldn’t sit long enough to let them dry and they would get all those imprints, and then…

I found Color Street! If you’re not familiar, it’s 100% real nail polish, but in nail strip form. Super easy to use, and no dry time! I was hooked, and used the heck out of them, but then I was noticing even with the amazing Nail Envy by OPI, it was just too heavy on my nails so I had to stop using it, and then I saw an advertisement on Facebook for Maniology! Perfect timing!

This is my first Mani x Me subscription box from Maniology, and my first experience with nail stamping. I used to be intimidated by the idea, but once I finally sat down, and tried it, I had so much fun with it!

I gathered all my supplies and polishes, turned on my iHeart radio, and sat outside on the porch to work. It was so relaxing. I had no issues waiting for my polish to dry, and even though I had to redo my first two stamped designs over, I found myself so relaxed, and just enjoying the moment. I can’t wait to open my next Mani x Me box, and play around with the new plates and polishes.

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Materials I Used – use code ROCKWOOD10 at check out on Maniology site for 10% off:

• Maniology MXM055 Stamping Plate from the May 2021 Mani x Me Subscription Box (exclusive to the box)
• Maniology Stamping Polish in Shattered (dark purple), Glass (sheer teal), Bam! White and Straight Up Black [use code ROCKWOOD10 at check out for 10% off]
• LA Colors Nail Polish in Craze 7 Batch 23589 (light blue as my nail base)
• Sinful Colors Nail Polish in Gold Metal, Happy Ending
• Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Nail Polish in Dig Fig
• Small Tip Dotting Tool
• Maniology Smudge-Free Water Based Top Coat
• OPI Nail Envy Clear Coat
• Ice Cube Clear Rectangular Stamper – I have two
• Maniology Speed Dry Top Coat

About Shattered and Glass Stamping Polishes

My first thoughts on the teal [Glass] was that it was too dark and opaque for coloring with, but when I grabbed some, I realized it really was just like looking through teal stained glass! It’s a gorgeous sheer teal tinted polish perfect for coloring in the designs. I used it on the dragonfly wings, and mixed it in on the greenery with a green I had.

The purple polish [Shattered] is very dark. I used it on my thumbs, and made some dots around each of my designs just to add a little extra. I was so surprised on my thumbs that it only required one coat – that’s excellent quality! I will say though, and it may just be my nails being extra sensitive, but it’s also a heavier polish than the rest. The light blue on the rest of my nails is 2 coats, and it still feels lighter on my fingers than one of the Shattered, then again, it is a stamping polish.

How I Did My Stained Glass Nails

First thing I did was use my OPI Nail Envy as a base coat. This clear coat has saved my nails that used to be brittle and peel from using nail polishes. It’s excellent!

Next, I painted all of my nails with the LA Colors light blue color – even the thumbs that you see purple. I tried to stamp on my thumbs, and wasn’t happy with it, so I took the polish off, and ended up changing them to the Maniology Shattered color.

I placed Maniology Straight Up Black on my stamping plate, scraped it, and picked up my desired designs. I have two stampers, so I did two designs at a time. After picking up my designs, I used a small dotting tool to dip it into the color I wanted, and filled in the spaces on my stampers.

I waited just a couple minutes so it was a little tacky still, and then stamped on my nails. By the time I was done painting, I only had to wait for the latest color to dry enough to stamp as the others dried quickly.

I covered my stamped nails with Maniology’s Smudge-Free Top Coat so when I did my final clear coat, these stamped designs wouldn’t run, and then I used Maniology’s Speed Dry Top Coat to finish my nails off.

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