Vintage Manicures

[Miss Scarlet]

You can just paint your nails as though you have a half moon there, as to be honest once the nails are painted red or any colour the natural colour of a moon doesn't become apparent. Or even paint the half moon a different colour as many of the ladies in this thread have done.

 

[ferula98]

I havent posted on here much before. Thankyou all for all your information on vintage manicures, its been really enlightening. I have documented my attempt here with tricks and tips that i found helpful. Maybe they can help someone else on here.
www.flairinaladysboudoir.blogspot.com

 

[AdrianLvsRocky]

Haven't read all the way back through the thread so apologies if it already been said but....

.......I bought the Lauren Rennells Vintage Styling book recently and there's a bit of info in there about half moon manicures. It says to just paint the whole nail and leave a bit unpainted by you cuticles. Then use a flat, rounded brush (think they're called Filbert paint brushes?), dip in acetone and use to rub off any excess nail varnish to form a half moon shape.

It sounds good in theory but will have a bash this weekend and let you know if it works in practice.

 

[Annichen]

30s,short nails, dark red and clear moons and tips.

 

[Isis]

Annichen how did you do the tips?

I finally managed a half-moon manucire with the help of surgical tape, but I skipped the tips. One day...

 

[Frenchy56]

It's actually really easy as long as you paint to the side instead of up and down.

Thank you, thank you and thank you again for this! I was in love with the 40s-style mani when I saw it on here, but my shaky hands and bad coordination made me think it was forever off-limits... I am SO going to try this (along with doing one coat of white first to make the moons look even whiter...maybe I can even do fake 'tips' too with this method!)

 

[Black Dahlia]

Oooh, must do mine again soon!
X
BD

 

[m_luvsartdeco]

Annichen how did you do the tips?

I finally managed a half-moon manucire with the help of surgical tape, but I skipped the tips. One day...

Brilliant Isis! They came out great...I may try this!

 

[K.McG]

I had the hardest time finding the little hole reinforcement stickers, but I found them finally, and have been doing my nails with a half moon since, my current favourite is to use OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark, which is a super dark purple over silver

I rotate it with red and silver

it is kind of odd having longer nails now, all of the upkeep has sort of stopped me from picking and chewing on them in fits of uncomfortableness. I just have to work on shaping them properly. I also find that cutting the stickers in half helps a little bit.

 

[Black Dahlia]

I had the hardest time finding the little hole reinforcement stickers, but I found them finally, and have been doing my nails with a half moon since, my current favourite is to use OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark, which is a super dark purple over silver

I rotate it with red and silver

it is kind of odd having longer nails now, all of the upkeep has sort of stopped me from picking and chewing on them in fits of uncomfortableness. I just have to work on shaping them properly. I also find that cutting the stickers in half helps a little bit.

Both manis are amazing K! And I love the photo, with your eye peeking through!

Your second mani looks like my last vintage mani:

Note sure what colour combo to do next!
X
BD

 

[zombi]

I am attempting to have my nail girl do a half moon with red and just clear on the moons. It's kind of awkward because I get Shellac polish from her, the kind that doesn't chip or come off or anything for two weeks. It's baked on, basically, but it doesn't damage your nails when it is removed. She said we'll put clear layers on the whole nail to seal it and then use the red for color and leave the half moon out, but the whole nail has to have some layers for the polish to work. It's an experiment! But I'm really excited. I'm going on Thursday!

 

[zombi]

yay!

 

[nostalgic]

Zombi, that's beautiful! I had that stuff on for my wedding and it lasted through the two week honeymoon as well. I loved that it didn't budge or rub off on anything. I wish I could have that manicure all the time and it's so cool that they were able to make it work with the half moons.

 

[zombi]

^ It took some experimenting!! But we were both really pleased with it when it came out so well. Now we'll just have to see if the Shellac holds up like normal with this style of painting. I've promised to let her put on crazy glitter next time in return for her patience!

 

[lolly_loisides]

^^^^ looks lovely Zombie, but oy vey that's quite an engagement ring you've got there!

 

[zombi]

^ Thank you! I was very surprised myself, I assure you.

 

[glamour_ologist]

very pretty. I have that done as well and I love it. She does it with bio sculpture gel and, because of the moons, I can drag it out for about a month. my lady hates doing it though as it takes forever.

 

[Black Dahlia]

yay!

Well done and beautiful!
X
BD

 

[Christi.adell]

FINALLY I was able to do a decent vintage manicure.


Vintage manicure by christi.adell, on Flickr

I'm sure it's been thought of before but I'll repost here the basic steps of how it did it.
Basically what I did this time (instead of trying to tape it which was a disaster) was to draw in the half moon with a no. 2 pencil (I don't have a half moon naturally) then go in with the red (OPI Big Apple Red) being careful to stay above the line (if you go over just clean it up with a brush dipped in remover). Then once it's dry add in the white with a white polish. Mine has a skinny brush which made it super easy. Clear coat and that's it!

 

[Brrlgrrl]

It's been quite some time (years) since I've posted, and even then lurked more than not. Anyway, as I've been doing vintage style manicures and pedicures on myself for years, thought I'd share a couple of pictures and tips as well as vent a bit.

First a blurry pic of a moon mani/pedi in China Glaze Golden Meringue/China Glaze Jamaican Out. I use the hole reinforcement stickers (cut in half) on top of the Golden Meringue base and peel off when Jamaican Out is almost dry. I always finish with a top coat of Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails.

Second is a combination moon and french manicure with China Glaze Moonlight and China Glaze China Rouge. This is manicure only because it is more time consuming and I still haven't found a french guide I like. Again I use the trusty hole reinforcements for the moon, but also use french guides for the free edge.

This time I used a professional guide by Seche and am not pleased with the product at all. The Seche French Guides are entirely way too sticky! I always stick the stickers to my palm before placing on the nail to remove some adhesive, but this product will leave residue on the nail that needs to be removed before applying a top coat. I hand wash, then use a cuticle oil to break down the residue, then wash again before the top coat. If only I could "stick" with the the hole reinforcements for both nail bed and edge, but sadly they are not the right shape for the free edge. I am on the lookout for a better, less sticky french guide that works well.

I almost always wear red or coral, but have done moon mani/pedi with gold/red combos, pink/red, opalescent white/dark purple. I adore the moon mani because it's classic, though the moon/french combo lasts the longest since my hands are always in dishwater or digging in the garden and the edges tend to wear first.

If anyone has a better, less sticky french guide please post!