We’re pretty sure you already know Marta and her blog, ChitChat Nails. Her perfectly polished nails are hard to miss! For a full introduction, check out Marta’s interview with us here. She created and popularised Skittlette nails and the ongoing variety of Skittlette looks she comes up with is breathtaking!
We asked her to share a few tips with us on how to create a perfect skittlette. Not only did she agree, she prepared 2 manicure tutorials! We’re showing one here on SoNailicious and for the other, head on over to ChitChat Nails.
Hello Lovely Ladies,
My name is Marta and I run a Canadian Nail-Art blog called ChitChat Nails. Painting my nails is a hobby of mine, and while I dabble everything nail-art related, many of you might know me for the ‘skittlette manicure’. While I am not too sure I pioneered this manicure look, it is one that I had a part in naming and defining and one that is definitely a personal favorite!
Here is how the Skittlette came to be:
A looong long loooong time ago (well, not that long ago ;) ), I featured a manicure on my blog that had two different accent nails. I was looking for the right term for such a manicure; it wasn’t a plain mani (all nails the same), nor was it an accent nail manicure (as I had two different accent nails not just one) nor was it a skittles manicure (where every nail on one hand is different). I turned to Twitter and asked “is there a term for a manicure with two different accent nails?!?”. To my surprise there was no ‘label’ put on such a look… Then, Lindsey from Nails for Dummies replied saying “why don’t you call it a skittlette”. The END.
skit·tle·tte: Not quite a full skittles look, a skittlette manicure is one with at least two different accent nails. Pick any formation you wish, but for a true skittlette at least two nails need to be the same (the others can all be different) OR two pairs of identical nails and a different nail.
For those of you who like math/equations. A skittlette can be any of the following:
AABBC, AAABC, AABCD (in any order on your nails so that AAABC=ABCAA=AABCA)
Now you know what a skittlette manicure is. “But”, you might say, “how do I come up with a skittlette look!?”
Here are some DOs and DON’Ts:
DO make sure that all of your colors and designs compliment each other. You could actually physically place nail polish bottles side by side just to see if you like them together. While you could create a skittlette with contrasting colours, I personally prefer to work with shades that compliment each other to create cohesion within the manicure.
DO look around you for skittlette inspiration. Look at:
- · home décor (pillows, curtains, carpet, wall art),
- · clothing (children’s clothing OR clothing with a lot of colors/patterns can be very helpful),
- · packaging (even a cereal box can be a source of color/pattern inspiration).
- · Turn to Pinterest (fashion OR those color palettes)
- · Nature (bugs, flowers etc)
DO have fun with it. While I shared some guidelines, there really is no right or wrong way to skittlette. Do what feels right to YOU!
DO play around with different polish finishes and textures.
DON’T make your skittlette too busy, ex. using three different glitters, or two accent nail patterns that do not compliment each other.
DON’T use too many finishes. For my skittlettes I usually use one cream, one glitter/texture polish and a stamp.
SKITTLETTE: “dressing your nails”. Allow me to use this metaphor. For an outfit to be complete you need Pants, Shirt and Accessories. Think of the three elements of a skittlette in these terms!
HOW TO:
1. Pick a starting point: What would you like to “wear” (on your nails) today. It might be a certain color, or particular stamp, or a freehand-technique you’ve been itching to try. In this case, for me, it was my wanting to wear Essie Chinchilly again ;)
2. Now you need a matching shirt! For those of you who know me, you will know how much I love to match things.
Let us assume that my Chinchilly was the pants… now I need a shirt ;) I chose to go with a saran-wrap technique (tutorial here) using OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls as the base and saran-wrap Sally Hansen Celeb City, piCture pOlish Honey Dew and Peaches n’ Cream. I then added some hearts with stamping plate NC01 (you could freehand them as well).
3. At this stage you have a manicure with two identical accent nails (see above). To make it into a skittlette manicure you need to add a THIRD element to you manicure – the one I call the ‘accessories’ nail… because really, what outfit is complete without a little accessory?
The ‘accessory’ nail is the one I often have fun with. This nail allows me to try the brighter and glittery shades that I would normally not reach for in a full-manicure ;) As such, I often make this nail the pinky (small surface makes the bright glitter/neon less overpowering). For this look I chose the pointer finger and opted for peachy/coral accessories in piCture pOlish Peaches n’ Cream.
If you do the skittlette well, you will have a manicure in which each nail contributes to the overall look. You will have the opportunity to wear a few of your favorite shades at once (who doesn’t like that), and possibly throw in a fun technique/stamp.
I hope you found this skittlette manicure tutorial helpful! I encourage all of you to try a SKITTLETTE!
THANK YOU FOR READING!
Marta
ps. For your inspiration here are a few more stunning Skittlettes by Marta!
Feeling Fozzie nails by ChitChatNails
Picture Polish Tiffany by ChitChatNails
Tattooed Skittlette by ChitChat Nails
If you ace one of the above looks or create your own skittlette with our tutorial we’d love to see it! Just Tweet or Instagram us a photo tagged #skittlette, easy!
ChitChatNails Twitter and Instagram
SoNailicious Twitter and Instagram
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For more nail art tutorials check out our Tutorials section and if you want to have your own guide, get our “30 Easy Nail Designs & Tutorials” e-book.
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