Preppy and Polished

If it wasn’t clear from my MCM post yesterday, I’ll tell everyone again… I enjoyed Winger very much! It was unique, fun and heartwarming in an immature teenage boy kind of way. I seriously laughed out loud… so loud, in fact, that my roommates made me close the door! And at the same time, it had me crying through the end. I love books that take me on a journey through a whole range of emotions, and Andrew Smith accomplished that with this contemporary YA novel.

This was the book I picked up for National Readathon Day, but I would have finished it just as quickly had it not been the holiday. I knew exactly what I wanted to paint on my nails before I even turned the last page. Manicures that have a clear look in my head always give me the most joy to paint, and ultimately remind me why I started all of this!

So less talk and more polish!

It finally happened friends. For the first time in the history of Novels and Nail Polish, I didn’t have a color I was looking for. I have every shade of blue EXCEPT for navy, and I came to that stark realization when I was furiously looking for the colors to complete this manicure. I had to take a break (and a trip to two different stores) to go out and find Essie’s After School Boy Blazer before painting my nails.

Aside from having the perfect name, After School Boy Blazer was exactly the right color to be the base of this manicure. I think one coat would have been enough, because the second coat made it look almost black. To represent the shirt, the powder blue of Find Me An Oasis took care of the accent nails.

I used red striping tape for the diagonal tie stripes across my three nails. Here’s the deal with that: totally a lazy move and I’ll admit it! On the one hand, they look straight and perfect the first time around, no messing with them or worry they’ll smear with a top coat. On the other hand, even with a clear coat, striping tape starts to peel up just hours after applied. That’s why I normally never use it in place of paint.

Bottom line: need a shortcut? Striping tape. Need a lasting mani, use paint.

For my accent nail, the loose schoolboy tie was a given. I ended up using a dotting tool to paint the thin red lines because all of my brushes are too thick. A tip I’ve come to realize when painting something based on the cover is to draw it out on a  piece of paper beforehand, so you have a feel for where you’re going to take the design!
If you’re on a contemporary kick like me, don’t miss Winger, that’s for sure! Happy Reading!