Concrete

I've seen many manicures that are described as looking like concrete or asphalt, but they're usually just a grey base with some sort of flaky or glitter applied. I wanted to try something a little rougher, something with a bit more dimension.

This manicure is very straight forward. You're going to need a grey to use as your base. You'll want another grey of a different shade, a black, and an off-white to use for texture. Finally, you'll want glitter or flaky in a clear base. Using a mattifying top coat is optional, but I recommend it. The effect is awesome.

Here's what I used:

• L'Oreal Base Coat - Base Coat
• Sally Hansen Eel Skin - Base color
• Essie Chinchilly - First layer of texture
• Sally Hansen Black Out - Second layer of texture
• Sally Hansen Polar Bare - Third Layer of texture
• Sally Hansen Glass Slipper - Iridescent flaky
• Essie Matte About You - Top coat

After your base coat is in place and you've allowed it to dry, tear a piece off a makeup sponge. Dip the torn sponge into a bit of your first texturizing color (Chinchilly in my case). Sponge lightly over your base color. Don't apply it too heavily, you want it to look a little rough and patchy. Allow to dry.

Repeat the sponging with your second and third texturizing color. Again, don't apply them too heavily.

After you've got your texture in place, apply your glitter or flaky. Once that's dry, apply a top coat. If you choose to use a mattifying top coat your nails should look like concrete. Neat, yes? If you apply a glossy top coat you'll end up with something that looks a bit more like polished stone, such as granite or marble. 

What do you think? Will you be trying it?