For my first time with this outer-space nail art technique, I chose to go the less-realistic route. Instead, I went for it with bright colors and mesmerizing holographic glitters. I even included accent nails with the aptly named glitter-bomb, Nebula. Read on to find out how I made these nails and more on the fascinating polishes that give it extra oomph.
Most of these designs start with a black or very dark base. I chose to combine a layer of black topped with a coat of a midnight blue jelly that has ultra-micro sized holographic bits in it to give it the look of stars that are very far away.
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After that, it was time to add the stars. I chose to use two types and sizes of glitters. First, with a holographic micro-glitter topper I used a pointed Q-tip to apply just a little bit where I wanted it. And then, I added 2-3 larger holographic hexagonal glitters to each nail using a toothpick. You can see what these polish toppers would look like if they were brushed on the nail in my Polish Palette at the end of the post (numbers 7 & 8).
I was quite pleased with my first Galaxy Nail journey. Nice to travel without really leaving my Kolor Kave. I imagined tiny martians zooming in and out of the shifting colors in their super-sonic spaceships. (No, I didn't get much sleep last night. Why?)
>>>Polish tangent: Last year, when placing an order with NinjaPolish.com, Nebula was added free of charge in a surprise promotion. I am pretty conservative about buying glitter polishes (as there are probably as many glitter concoctions out there as stars in our sky); and yet, I was very giddy when I saw this in the box. A galactic nail design couldn't be complete without this polish to accent it, in my opinion. I used it to depict an explosion of stars. Below is the maker's description of this polish and a macro shot of my right thumb to give you a larger dose of its beauty.
"Nebula is from Ninja Polish's Bling! collection. This polish contains fine holographic and multichromatic glitters to give you an amazing effect. The glitters are in a clear base and look good by themselves with a few coats or over black. This polish looks great in regular lighting and explodes in holographic goodness in the sun."
On my left thumb, I stayed with the galaxy technique. I loved how the colors combined to make a couple more, particularly the places where the blue and yellow overlapped.
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| These thumb pictures were taken on day-2, please ignore the polish shrinkage caused by my top-coat which is getting older. |
So, what do you think of this type of nail art? Too abstract for you? While not necessarily an everyday look, I have seen some stunning designs by nail artists who have managed to capture realistic versions of specific nebulae and galaxies. One such example is by the insanely talented Lindsey of Wondrously Polished that she did for her challenge Galaxy nails, found here (check out the third picture!).
Polish Palette:
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| 1: Orly - Liquid Leather, 2: Zoya - Indigo, 3: Sally Hansen - Whirlwind White, 4: Zoya - Reagan, 5: Orly - Spark, 6: Orly - Royal Navy, 7: Nubar - Hologram Glitter, 8: China Glaze - Techno, 9: Ninja Polish - Nebula |
Inspiration Sources:
The internet and blogs are chock-full of Galaxy & Nebula nail designs. There are a few ways to accomplish them; these two step-by-step guides are what I chose to loosely follow this go around:
The Nailasaurus - Nebula Nails, Take Two
Galaxy Nail Tutorial by Beautylish
Thanks for reading!
Till next time,
Kimett