Raven Boys Mani Project #3 "I've been dead for seven years. That's as warm as they get."
Manicure #3 in my Raven Boys Manicure Project is everyone's favorite cowardly ghost: Noah Czerny
This mani really centers around the smudge. I originally thought about buying charcoal pencils to make the smudge, but it seemed a bit much. But in general, I wanted the mani itself to have a smudgy, less polished feel to it.
In addition, I wanted a gray base and to play with texture or opacity in some way, to create a visual representation of how Noah blinks in and out based on how much energy he has. I grabbed Old Compton Street (which is part of Nails Inc.'s Leather Effects collection) because my initial thought was to keep it un-topcoated and utilize that subtle texture. But then I saw this tutorial by Chalkboard Nails and it was a real lightbulb moment. What a PERFECT way to mess around with opacity and create a more ghostly air on the base of this mani!
I used the Raven Nail Decals and Ley Line Nail Decals I bought from NorthOfSalem and stamped the skeleton using Essie Licorice with BM413 from the CYO Collection. I didn't like the look of of my bare pinkies, so I grabbed Essie Licorice and my VL011 plate to stamp some spots onto my nails.
At the last minute, I decided to mattify the whole thing and I think that might have been the step that really brought the mani together.
Pictured:
Basecoat: ORLY Bonder
Polish Base: Nails Inc. Old Compton Street with OPI Nein! Nein! Nein! Ok Fine!
Stamped with: Essie Licorice
Water Decals: North of Salem (Ravens here, Ley Line was a custom order)
Topcoat: butter London Matte Finish Topcoat
What do you think? is it ghostly enough?
