Love is in the air! ♥ Before I begin the tutorial, may I trouble you to answer a very short survey for Benefit Cosmetics Singapore, pretty please? :) Just three quick questions – click here to answer! Your views are important and will help make the brand even better. 

Okay, so Valentine’s Day is just a few days away! While I stand by my opinion that it is over commercialised and I wouldn’t spend large amounts of money just to celebrate the occasion, I do believe that it is a day worth noting. For those of you out there who have planned great stuff, do have lots of fun! :)

As you put your outfit together, here’s an inexpensive way to add a romantic touch. I don’t know how many of you have tried the lace manicure, but I did it on a whim and guess what – everyone loved it!

I popped by a local art supplies store and picked up a metre of black lace for S$0.85. I did come across the most beautiful and delicate cream lace, but since I’d planned to have a neutral base, black lace would work better.

Now that you’ve got the lace, cut it into pieces – one for each nail. Make sure each piece is large enough to cover the entire nail. It’d be cool if the pattern was random; if it’s not (like mine below), you can always stretch the lace in different directions over your nails to achieve a random look.

Put on your base coat. I like to use OPI’s Start to Finish Base & Top Coat.

Pick a nail colour – I painted two coats of OPI’s Dulce de Leche, a neutral shade that would go well with black lace. If you’re thinking of having a brighter base, you could try China Glaze’s For Audrey, one of my favourites. :)

After your nails have dried completely, apply a top coat and place the piece of lace over your nail immediately. Firmly but carefully smooth the lace over the entire nail surface. You may have to apply additional amounts of top coat around the edges of your nail so that the lace sticks. I didn’t use glue because, IMO, a top coat works just as well at securing nail embellishments.

Carefully trim off the excess lace around the nail and seal it with a layer of top coat. :)

Repeat! There we have it, a romantic lace manicure. :D Real lace, baby! Those of you who’d like to dress up your nails using nail patches/stickers/foils, check out how I foiled my nails.

I’m happy with how this turned out, and I think it’s a really unique way of dressing up the nails. Well, you can wear it any day – not just on Valentine’s! It’d be perfect for whenever you crave something different on the nails.

Will you be trying out the lace manicure? :)

J