#ManiMonday e.l.f. Festival Nail Art

*** This post contains samples which were sent for review. ***

Hey y'all!

We are right in the midst of festival season here in the UK, and I wanted to give you a pretty concept for some simple floral nail art in bright colors using e.l.f. products from the 14-pc nail polish set.

I have really been digging french tip designs lately, and I think adding colored tips underneath simple nail art makes for a fun statement that is SO far from boring!  The best part is that all of the polishes needed to create this look can be found in the same cube set!

L-R: Lavender Mist, Mango Madness, Flirty Fuchsia, Sunflower, Mint Cream, Fairy Dust

I started by applying two coats of Lavender Mist to my entire ring finger, and just to the tips of the rest of my nails.  Using nail polish remover and an e.l.f. eyeshadow brush, I cleaned the smile lines so give a perfect French Tip. 

When my bright base was dry, I pulled out my dotting tools and an e.l.f. angled eyeliner brush to do some nail art!  I decanted a few drops of each color onto a small plastic tray (okay technically it's the top off a cottage cheese tub), but you can use aluminum foil or whatever you have handy.  Beginning with my accent ring finger, I painted soft, flowy grass coming up from the tips of my fingers in Mint Cream by lightly dragging the end of the brush up the nail.  The lighter the pressure, the thinner the lines you'll create.  It's important to note that once you've eyed a makeup brush for nail art, it should NEVER AGAIN be used to apply your face makeup!  I keep my nail art brushes in a separate jar from my makeup brushes so I won't get them confused!

With the larger end of my dotting tool, I added dots of Mango Madness and Flirty Fuchsia in the grass I'd just created and then used a smaller dotting tool to add the centers of those flowers in Sunflower.  If you don't have dotting tools, you can use the ends of pens, pencils and brushes, sewing pins, toothpicks, and a whole assortment of other pointy objects as substitutes.  Be creative and see what you already have laying around the house!  To finish off those flowers, I added leaves with Mint Cream and the eyeliner brush - just press down sideways and lift up, letting the end of the brush flick outward slightly as you lift.

On my french-tipped nails, I created slightly larger 5-petal flowers using the same dotting tools.  Start by placing dots of polish in a circle (imagine the points of a star when you're placing them if it helps), and then place a contrasting color to dot the center.  So quick and easy!  Feeling a bit fancy, myself, I used my eyeliner brush as a detailer to paint a bright and shiny butterfly on my index finger, just for good luck!  His wings use the same colors as the flowers, and his body is the same color as the grass!

When I was done with all my little details, I let it dry pretty well, and then added a coat of Fairy Dust over each nail to add a hint of shimmer and contrast before sealing everything in with a coat of Clear polish as a topcoat.

I hope you love this look, and if you decide to try it, I would love to see your recreations!  Post them to Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook using hashtag #fixintofaff so I can check them out!  Also if you like feel free to follow me on any of those platforms to stay up to date with my latest posts - my username is FixinToFaff on all three, or you can use the social media buttons up at the top right of this page to go directly to my profiles.

Hope you're all off to a fantastic week and I'll see you tomorrow!