Beauty and the Beach

Late post, I know! I just wanted to make sure I got in this entry on time for the Travel Supermarket Beauty and the Beach competition, because, as usual, I am cutting it really close to the deadline! *sheepish grin*

The competition calls for you to submit your best vacation nails, and when I think of vacation my mind automatically goes to the beach. It's freaking hot here in the middle of the desert, and on 110 degree days, I often dream of lounging on a beach.

I really wanted to focus on the small details of a beach, though. I wanted to break it down and pay attention to some of the specific elements of a beach scene in a simple, abstracted way.

My mind immediately went to the sunlit patterns you'd see on the ocean floor. I'm not sure how to describe them -- reflections? Distortions? I love that they are constantly changing and moving. I tried to replicate the look of clear Caribbean ocean water on my nails by first creating a gradient of China Glaze For Audrey and white. Then, using an It's So Easy Nails Stripe Rite in white, I freehanded the patterns over the top of it.

On my accent nails, I wanted to try to convey the texture of sand. I started with a base of OPI Don't Pretzel My Buttons and then added dots of lighter and darker nudes over the top.

The final accent on this manicure was a little coral colored starfish that I freehanded on using theBalm Orange You Glad You're Not Blue?. Of course, since this manicure is all about the details, I also added texture to the starfish's back.

I'm so pleased with the way that this turned out. I love the idea of zooming in on some specific elements of a beach, so you really need to look at all the nails together to get the full picture. It's kind of like what all those fancy chefs do nowadays, right? Deconstructed food? This is a deconstructed beach!

Thanks for reading!