Mosaic Effects Nail Polish

Since nail art posts seem to be all the rage these days, I thought I'd jump on the band wagon too. I've never been too big an nail art myself due to the fact that a) I have very small fingers and nails, b) I don't have the patience, or steadiness, to do it myself, and c) I'm too cheap to get it done professionally (still waiting on that rich husband). Besides, the last time I got my nails done, the people there said that they could only do nail art on my big toe, because the other nails were too small, although I think that was more of an excuse to not do the extra work.

Anywho..., I've been using Avon's Mosaic Effects top coat nail polish. I love it because it's easy to use (all you have to do is put it on over your completely dry nail polish and let it dry), and you get super cool effects! At first I though the top coat only worked with Avon's Nail Wear Pro, which is what I bought it with, but then I tried it with some other nail polish and it worked perfectly with those as well! Unfortunately, the Mosaic Effects top coat only comes in black and white, but, depending on the color of the nail polish you use, you can still create some great looks. The trick to getting the crackle mosaic effect is that you have to apply the top coat on kind of heavy, and not overlap with the brush strokes, or adding a second coat. If you put it on too thin, then the effect will look more like streaks (unless that's what you want), and if you overlap, the newer coat will over lap the first, causing the effects to not show through. It takes a little practice at first, but in the end it's completely worth it!

Because my nails are so soft that they peel and split, I use Sally Henson's Hard as Nails to strengthen my nails, and keep them from breaking a splitting so easily. I know a lot of experts say that by using nail hardening nail polish on top of your nails doesn't actually make them stronger, I have noticed that my nails don't peel and break as much since using the Sally Henson product. But you can decide for yourself.

For this look, I used these products in the order listed below:

1. Sally Henson Hard as Wraps "Plum" nail polish
2. White Mosaic Effects Top Coat
3. Sally Hanson Hard as Wraps UV Top Coat "Clear," to add shine and protection