Easy Bamboo Nail Art

Perhaps it was ogling all of the magnificent Chinese inspired fashion from last nights MET gala red carpet, but I was in the mood for some elegant bamboo inspired nail art today! I have never painted bamboo on my nails before, but it turned out to be pretty simple. I documented the process for anyone else who wants to try out this simple but pretty manicure...

Start out with your background color. The color I'm wearing here is actually NYC Flat Iron Green, which is so dark it mostly just looks black. Though I used a solid creme, I think this simple nail art would look great over shimmers too, or a gradient would be really pretty.

Have a few nail art brushes on hand. You will need two thin brushes to achieve this same look, one being thinner than the other. I use a tiny glass bowl (for doing acrylic nails, found at Sally Beauty Supply for .99 cents I believe) with some pure acetone in it to clean by brush as I go along.

Start with the "thicker" of the two brushes an paint on some segmented lines, the stalks of your bamboo. On some nails I painted two stalks, on some only one. Asymmetry is your friend for this design.

Next I used the thinner brush to do the same thing. On some nails I added the thinner stalks at an angle, on others I made them more parallel.

Lastly I added a few small "leaves" poking out from the stalks. As usual, none of this has to be very perfect to still get the look.

Add a layer of shiny topcoat and you're finished!

 Though this color is actually a very dark green and not black, I think this design would be marvelous over actually black nails, it would definitely be pretty over red too.

If you guys missed the MET gala coverage last night, the Costume Institutes's exhibition theme this year is Fashion inspired by Chinese motifs and cultures. I would love to go to the exhibit, someone take me to New York!