Spliced Nails in the Bag

It's not every day that your nails unintentionally match your bag. A couple of people thought my manicure was a deliberate reference to my new Gorman Casato Splice Tote, but I assured them it wasn't planned. Perhaps it was entirely subconscious. Either way, pink/peach and pale gold is a foolproof combination that's equal parts girly and dressy, with a bit of pizzazz but nothing gaudy. I was considering painting just a single gold accent nail but decided I needed something more elaborate. I used Essie Van D'Go, China Glaze Stellar and trusty ol' sticky tape to achieve the look.

The same people that commented that my nails matched my bag also were stumped at how I painted the triangles. I was quick to point out I really didn't put in that much effort and the sharp edges certainly weren't freehand. Tape is the answer and it makes things super easy. Paint your nails with the pink/peach colour as you would normally, let that dry, get two pieces of sticky tape and place on either side of the nail to form a triangle shape in the middle, paint over that area with the gold, let the polish settle for a couple of minutes, remove tape. Apply a generous layer of top coat to lock it all in and ensure a smooth, glossy, even surface. Simple as that.

The Gorman obsession just won't let up. Since my Pom Pom Pom Scarf, I may have made some other sneaky purchases. The damage to my wallet is real. I saw the Casato Splice Tote a few months ago, but I couldn't bring myself to spend almost $200 on two flaps of leather, especially since the bag lacked any zips. One day, I noticed it disappeared from the Gorman website, so I figured it had sold out and it wasn't meant to be. To my surprise, I checked a couple of days later and it was there, plus on sale. If past experience had taught me anything, I knew I had to act quickly. There was no room for hesitation if I didn't want to miss out. Sure enough, after I bought mine, it once again sold out. The perfectionist in me could nitpick at a minor scratch and small dint in the gold leather when the bag arrived, but given it was probably the last one, I'll content myself at managing to secure it.

If I really did want to channel inspiration from my bag, I'd probably have picked a pale, slightly lavender pink like OPI Panda-monium Pink rather than the pastel peachy-pink of Essie Van D'Go. China Glaze Stellar is pretty close to the gold section of the bag, but a better match would be something brighter and more yellow (I thought about OPI GoldenEye but that's way too in-your-face and orange). Plus, I missed the black altogether. Maybe I could incorporate some additional texture similar to the pebbled leather by painting OPI Black Shatter over black nail polish. Manicure idea for next time.