Negative Space Leopard Print Nail Art + Tutorial

Wow! It's been a while. I have neglected my blog and this is not okay. I did a little bit of a redesign. I still have a few things that need tweaked, but other than that... I really like it!

If you follow me on my YouTube channel you've already seen this design! However, I got lazy and never uploaded the blog post. I recently bought a pair of leggings from Deb Shops and I immediately thought of doing some negative space nail art inspired by them. They have this super cute mesh pattern down the front. I definitely wouldn't recommend wearing them in the extreme cold like I did, because I absolutely froze. It wasn't my best decision, but they were too cute not to wear.

This design is a nice combination of bold and subtle. It's the perfect mix, honestly. I think you could get away with wearing this at work if you're not allowed to wear bold colors on your nails. 

This is also easier to recreate than you think. It only takes one polish color, some tape, and a dotting tool. I used Wet 'n' Wild's Black Creme on the outer columns and for the leopard print I used black acrylic paint, however, the acrylic paint is optional. You can certainly use the same black nail polish for the whole design. The reason I use acrylic paint for things like leopard print and similar detailed designs is because it doesn't smear when you apply top coat as long as it's completely dry. Speaking of top coat, I used two different ones for this. I used Motives' Top Coat over the entire nail, but once that was dry I used Butter London's Matte Finish Top Coat. The matte top coat allowed the leopard print to stand out much better. When the whole nail was shiny it really took away from the design.

Despite my smile in the photo below, I was freezing to death! It was about 10° F, my leggings had holes in them, and that shirt is on the thin side. However, my outfit was pretty cute right? Everything I have on is from Deb Shops. They always have great sales!

Want to recreate this design on your own nails?

Check out my video tutorial below!