Newspaper Mani!

The newspaper mani was one of the first nail related items I found on Pinterest that I loved.  I had been wanting to try it for a while, and last week I finally got the chance.  I used Zoya Megan as a base since it's one of my lightest polishes, and the color is actually fairly similar to many newspapers.

This is so cool, and so easy.  Once your base coat is dry, just cut 10 small pieces of newspaper.  Pour rubbing alcohol or vodka - I think any strong, clear alcohol will work - into a small cup or bowl.  Dip the nail for 5 seconds, then press the paper to the nail for 20-30 seconds then pull it slowly off.  Let it dry for a few minutes, then top with your favorite top coat. 

The trickiest part is pressing down hard and evenly enough to transfer the ink without getting paper stuck to your nail.  It does take a little bit of trial and error, but it's so worth the results!  I also noticed that the transfer darkened the color of the entire nail slightly, so your polish color won't stay exactly true to the original.

I've seen this done with foreign newspaper, and one I saw which I thought was really cool had used part of the crossword puzzle!  You could use classified ads to get smaller text, or comics for cool designs.  I'm excited to experiment with this more!