The first one was inspired by a pix a friend left on my FaceBook wall. I don't know who the original artist is, I'm sorry to say. If you know it, please leave me their info in the comments!
I started with a base color of Milani White on The Spot, with an accent of American Apparel Dance. I am seriously impressed with White on the Spot - it's a great, glossy white, opaque in two coats, and not chalky. It's not only great for nail art, but also as a full-coverage polish.
Next, I used China Glaze Adventure Red-y to paint the hats, and make some reference dots for Santa's face.
A dotting tool finishes up the rest - China Glaze Glistening Snow for the trim, LVX Livid for the eyes, and a little AA Dance mixed with the Adventure Red-y for the jolly elf's nose.
I liked the Santa, but the straight French-style tip doesn't look that good on my nails - I have small nail beds, and they have a slight triangular shape to them. This type of tip emphasizes their stubbiness.
This next Santa mani is inspired by Sincerely Stephanie's 'Cutest Santas Ever!' tutorial.
I started with Milani White on the Spot over all nails except the ring finger. That, and the edges of the others are painted with a lovely glowy red, Pure Ice All Nighter. The faces are using the American Apparel Dance again, just like in the previous Santa.
Oy, what a mess! I clean up using an ELF concealer brush and DIY Zoya remove (acetone + water + glycerine). A dotting tool and LVX Livid for the eyes, more All nighter for the noses, and a mix of the red and Dance for the rosy cheeks.
A little white over the eyes and a dot on the black makes his eyes sparkle and look like he has eyebrows. A little more white and China Glaze Glistening Snow gives us a little hat for Santa, and a stripe of Livid with some Glistening Snow, and Santa has a belt for his suit!
Now, he's a jolly ol' elf with a smile and a twinkle in his eye. I think that the curved French tip is more flattering to my nail shape, too, so I'm a lot jollier as well!
