July 4th Nails: Red, Negative Space, and Blue

Yeah, I know I said this nails blog would be posted on Saturday, but GUESS WHAT, I LIED AND ALSO THERE'S NO SANTA CLAUSE. Sawry.

Last year's Independence Day nails were a patriotic spin on classic leopard print, which seemed to be well received. This year I thought I'd use some nail decals for a spin on a standard "stars and stripes" look.

I used Ruby Ruby by Sinful Colors, Blue It from the Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear line, and a Crystal Silver polish from Forever21's Love & Beauty brand. I also used some of the chevron and star nail decals that I purchased from Inspired Nails last year.

After applying a base coat and allowing it to dry completely, I used the chevron decals across my pinky, ring and middle fingers. I also placed a star sticker in the center of my pointer nail. Next, working one nail at a time, I covered the chevron nails with red polish and then used tweezers to peel away the nail decal to reveal the shiny negative space beneath. The star decal was a little trickier to remove without mucking up the nail, but I got 'er done...

I covered my thumb nail with 3 coats of Crystal Silver for some patriotic sparkle. I don't know what makes it "patriotic" but if you disagree with my use of the term then you must hate your country. Yes, I'm accusing you.

And because I like to keep it real, here's what my first attempt at this year's July 4th nails looked like (a disaster I alluded to on Instagram)...

Suffice to say, that was not the look. Stripes are a real bitch, aren't they??

What will you be rocking on your nails this weekend for July 4th?
Who else is looking forward to some fireworks?!

FACEBOOK TWITTER PINTEREST INSTAGRAM {Linking with Beauty Buzz and The Nail Files}