Got super pumped to try some new fall nail art this month but man, that salon price tag gives me heartburn every time. Decided to rummage through my stash and see what cheap thrills I could cook up. Here’s exactly how it went down.
Starting With What I Already Had
First thing, I dumped my nail polish box on the bed. Totally disorganized mess as usual. Dug through the pile looking for anything even slightly autumn-y. Found a bunch of oldies but goodies:
- This beat-up bottle of basic brown (labels long gone!)
- A rusty orange that’s seen better days
- A muddy gold glitter polish from some Halloween set
- My trusty cheapo clear top coat – the hero of every DIY job
Realized I didn’t have a proper base coat. Used the last drippy bits of this peeling ridge-filler thing. Not ideal but whatever. Also grabbed my crappy dotting tool that’s actually just a bobby pin bent backwards. Hey, it works!
The Messy Operation
Wiped down my desk with an old t-shirt because paint gets everywhere. Set up shop:
First coat base color: That brown polish went on super streaky. Like crazy thin and watery. Did two thick coats instead of three thin ones. No patience tonight. Waited like, maybe 10 minutes? Checked by gently poking it. Left a fingerprint. Of course.
Time for the orange: Took the rusty orange and blobbed some onto a torn piece of cardboard. Dipped my bent bobby pin in. Carefully dotted little uneven blobs in a random pattern on three nails per hand. Seriously wonky dots – some fat, some tiny. Wiped the pin tip on the cardboard every few dots. Got orange under my fingernail somehow.
Adding the glitter: Couldn’t even squeeze much glitter polish out. Had to really shake the bottle hard. Painted a thin layer of that muddy gold glitter over my ring finger nails. Barely any glitter stuck. Rubbed the brush on the bottle neck then slapped on another gloopy coat. Now we’re talking slightly chunky sparkle! Knocked the bottle over. Almost had a disaster.
Desperate top coat attempt: Waited forever for the glitter to stop being sticky. Put on my thick top coat over everything. Accidentally smudged one dot design. Groaned out loud. Carefully touched it up with the bobby pin and more brown. Looked kinda bumpy but eh. Let the whole mess dry for a painful hour while watching cooking videos. Checked every 5 minutes.
The (Almost) Grand Reveal
Finally – dry to the touch! Held them up. Not salon perfect but not bad for maybe $2 worth of materials! The brown is darker than expected. The glitter looks coarser up close. The dots are definitely drunken squirrels. But together? Honestly? They look cozy. Got that fall vibe without freezing my bank account. Chipped a corner after washing dishes the next day. Used the brown to patch it. Good enough vibes for November!
