nail art: the colors of guatemala part dos

I’m determined to keep the colors of Central America alive on my nails, so without further ado…more Guatemala-inspired nail art!

Striped Fabric Nails

The handwoven details on everything from the hammocks to the lawn chairs at retreat center Villa Sumaya on Lake Atitlan made me weak at the knees.

I spent a lot of time in Guatemala reading on a lounge chair made of this fabric...

For this fabric-inspired look, I began by painting my nails with Essie Silken Cord, a bright, classic red.

I wanted to recreate the tiny woven stripes, so I grabbed a small eyeliner brush. You’ll be dipping this in polish and remover, so don’t use a brush that you use on your eyes. I bought a set of cheapo makeup brushes for my nails from CVS for less than five dollars.

Picking up a teeny amount of the first color (China Glaze Frostbite) on my brush, I carefully dabbed a small vertical stripe down my nail, slightly off-center.

After painting the blue stripe onto all of my nails, I continued with my remaining three colors, applying small vertical stripes. By going one color at a time rather than one nail at a time, you’ll allow for enough drying time so that your stripes don’t smear into each other on your nail or on your brush.

Colors, from left to right: China Glaze Frostbite, Mattese Elite Neon Explosive, Mattese Elite Lapis, and Julep Emilie.

After letting the colors dry well, I cleaned up the edges by dipping my eyeliner brush in nail polish remover. Add a good top coat, and you’re all set!

Market Confetti Nails

While a lot of ChicChi Market in Guatemala was aimed at tourists, a small section of tightly-packed stalls was definitely meant for the locals. Sitting next to a pile of whole chickens were these large plastic bags filled with what we could only assume was confetti of some sort.

For an incredibly easy confetti-inspired look, I began with a base coat of Essie Tart Deco, a light peachy-coral color.

I picked up a touch of Essie Meet Me At Sunset on the tip of a Q-tip and freely dotted it on top of my nail, letting the dots overlap. No need for perfection here.

This isn’t the most advanced nail polish technique in the world, but I think it’s fun and cheerful. Like, well, confetti.