Kappa Delta ladies, this Monday we have an olive and pearl manicure that’s edgy and fun! For this mani, you’ll need to get some striping tape ($1.50)—or, you can cut out thin pieces of tape if you don’t have any.
For this look, I used Revlon Powder Puff ($5.08) and Essie Sew Psyched ($2.99).
We will use the white polish as a base so paint each nail with Powder Puff. I had to do a couple coats on each nail because the polish is so translucent; do as many layers as you need to create an opaque white. Let your nail dry completely before you move on to the next step.
Start by cutting a piece of striping tape no longer than an inch. Place it vertically on your ring finger, slightly to the left side of the nail. Cut two more pieces and place them so that the tape forms the letter “K” for Kappa. Next we will place the tape to create the Greek symbol for Delta. Cut another piece of tape and place it horizontally on your middle finger, slightly to the tip of the nail. Cut two more pieces and place them so that the ends land on the first piece of tape and angle in so they make a point at your cuticle. It should look like a triangle when you’re finished.
Using the olive green polish, carefully paint your ring and middle fingers so that the pieces of tape are covered. Blow on your nails, letting them dry for about a minute. Slowly begin pulling up the tape pieces and you’ll see the designs you created! (Note: if you let the paint dry too long the polish will become sticky and smear into the white.)
On our thumb we will create a design that represents a dagger, one of Kappa Delta’s symbols. This part is a bit more difficult so it is completely optional. Cut a piece of striping tape and place it vertically on your thumb, making sure it ends somewhere before the tip of the nail. Take two more pieces and place them in an upside-down, narrow “V.” They should make a point right at the tip of your nail, and they should end about 2/3 of the way down. Lastly (and this is the hard part), cut an VERY tiny piece of tape and place it horizontally right on top of the open ends of the “V” to close the dagger. Again, carefully paint over the tape with the olive polish.
We’re almost finished! To complete the look, take two pieces of tape and place them horizontally in the middle of your pinky and pointer nails. Take the olive polish and paint the top halves of both nails.
There you have it; your Kappa Delta mani is complete! The Revlon polish has a matte suede finish which creates a different and interesting look, so I chose not to use a topcoat. But it’s totally up to you, because using a topcoat will help that mani last longer!
Now, go show off your innovative mani to your all your Kappa Delta sisters!