Tape Mani Tutorial with a Rainbow of Julep!

Hello, Fireflies!

Now that we're in the thick of summer, maybe you're thinking of playing around with nail polish?  I know I am!  It's time to take some time to do something fun for you!

This tape mani starts off with a palate-cleansing neutral, Julep Debra.  Not loving this formula, but the color is an interesting neutral.

Once your base coat is *completely* dry, you're ready to work with the tape!

I always start by putting the tape on my skin.  It pulls up the oils and makes the tape not quite as sticky.  Really sticky tape will more likely pull off your base color.

Place the tape where you want on the nail.  Make sure it's tucked into the sides of the nail, and laying flat against the nail.

Paint over the nail.  My tape wasn't secured well enough, and I'll have to do a little cleanup with a liner brush.  Having a striper is always a good idea.  You can use it either with acetone to clean up little mistakes, or you can use it with the color to clean up the lines between the colors.

Ok, I'm not advocating you wear all these colors together! I just wanted to show you how different it could look, depending on what color combinations you choose.  Something like the Ochre or Lilac might be more work-appropriate, while the navy is strong and classic, and the pink is an attention getter!

Adding a subtle glitter - here I used Julep Vanessa - changes the whole look.  Adding a black stripe makes the mani look almost cartoonish and youthful.

Ready for a more advanced move?  Two levels!  I got my inspiration for this look from a Pin by The Nail Polish Challenge.  You can either freehand or tape the tip - here in Julep Alice, a lavender creme.  Then I did the diagonal with Julep Eloise.  I think this is a sophisticated look. I love these colors together.

And the bottle shot of all the colors I used, all Julep:  Debra (grey nude), Otte (ochre), Sienna (gold glitter), Alice (lavender), Lauren (hot pink), Eloise (navy blue), and Vanessa (iridescent glitter)

Ready to try a tape mani?  What colors will you use?  If you try it, I'd love for you to post your mani on my Facebook page!