How to create a snowflake nail design

A snowflake nail polish design to get you in the spirit of the festive season, by Sophie Harris-Greenslade, aka The Illustrated Nail.

This design uses striping tape, so you don’t need a steady hand or to be an expert in the nail art game to create it.

You will need:

• OPI Nail Lacquer in Alpine Snow.
• OPI Nail Lacquer in I Believe In Manicures.
• Barry M Diamond Glitter.
• Striping tape.
• Tweezers.
• Scissors.
• Tidy up brush.
• Nail glue.
• Crystals.
• Top coat.

Step 1

Paint all nails with two coats of OPI’s I Believe In Manicures Lacquer.

Step 2

Apply two coats of Barry M Diamond Glitter.

Step 3

When the nails are dry, apply striping tape down the centre of each nail and press firmly.

Step 4

Apply striping tape across the nail to create a cross shape, again pressing firmly onto the nail.

Step 5

Apply a strip of tape diagonally across the centre of the cross.

Step 6

Apply another piece of tape diagonally from the other side to create a star shape.

Step 7

Apply tape in a ‘V’ shape at the end of each line of tape to create a snowflake pattern.

Step 8

Paint over each nail with OPI’s Alpine Snow Lacquer.

Step 9

Using tweezers, lift off the striping tape. Take off the ‘V’ shape branches of the snowflake first, then take off the piece of striping tape that you applied last and the piece before that, and so on. If you don’t follow this order, you will pull everything up and ruin the design. The polish should be slightly wet when you remove the tape to give a cleaner finish to the lines.

Step 10

Apply your chosen top coat. When dry, add a dab of nail glue to the centre of each snowflake and apply a crystal to finish.