Nail Art Tutorial: Modern Leopard Print

Step 7 Finished Nail 5 4

Expert nail artist Angi Wingle showed us step by step how she did these soft watercolor-inspired leopard print nails.

Step 1 M3 A8459Step 1: Wingle began by applying tips and filing them to a sleek, almond shape. She then custom-blended a beige acrylic for structure and base color.

Step 2 Btn Np409Step 2: After applying the acrylic, she buffed the nails until they were extremely smooth.

Step 3 M3 A8530Step 3: To achieve the leopard spot effect, Wingle layered different polish colors on the nails. First she applied a creamy cocoa polish.

Step 4 M3 A8545Step 4: After the first coat of polish dried, Wingle added a metallic jersey gray. She then used a light beige polish for the final coat.

Step 5 5 2Step 5: Once all the layers were dry, she used a small amount of polish remover to “erase” the layers revealing the colors lying underneath.

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Step 6 A 6 3Step 6: Instead of using a high-shine top coat, which would reflect the light, wingle used two different fast-dry top coats that created more of a matte finish. Now you have a runway-inspired leopard print!
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This Behind The Nail Pros was originally posted in Nailpro April 2009.

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