Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Introduction to Work Wear Wednesdays and Tutorial

Guess what day it is?! Move over "hump day" it is now Work Wear Wednesday! I have decided to create a new series called Work Wear Wednesdays! I will be creating nail art that is work appropriate for professional work environments. We all know that our love of nail art can sometimes be a bit too much for the workplace, especially if your employer is particularly strict or if you have clients you want to impress. This series is meant to be a guide to give you ideas on how to execute simple nail art that you can show off at the office without raising any eyebrows. Every workplace is different, so feel free to work off of these designs to make them your own and appropriate for what you do!


For the first tutorial, I decided to go with a design I have done before. This is the gradient french manicure! I love how beautiful and simple it is, but it has a very classy yet modern look.



For this design I used the following polishes: Rimmel London 60 Seconds in 311 Caramel Cupcake (nude), China Glaze White On White and China Glaze Fairy Dust. The only tool you need to create this look is a makeup sponge and maybe some tape, but that isn't necessary.


1. Paint all of your nails with the nude polish you picked out. This gives you a good base to start. I used more of a tan because it fits my skin tone best and I wanted more of a nude than a pink.
2. If you would like to save time on cleaning up the excess polish around the nails, place tape over your cuticles to protect them.
3. Cut your sponge down to the approximate size of your nail. That way you can get many uses out of one sponge. Wet your sponge and wring out the excess water. Add your nude to about 3/4 of the surface area and your white to the last 1/4 area.
4. Be sure your base color is dry. Roll/dab your sponge onto your nail. This photo is one coat.
5. Add as many coats as necessary to achieve the look you want, ensuring that the two colors are well blended. I only needed two coats using these colors.
6. Carefully remove the tape if you used it.
7. Add the Fairy Dust micro glitter topper if you want.
8. Complete the look on all of your nails and add top coat!

I want to say, I am not the original creator of this design. I am not sure where this look first popped up, but I had been seeing several of these designs and thought it was a beautiful soft look. Chalkboard Nails did a beautiful version a couple of years ago and found a possible source on her website. (Thanks Lisa from Cosmetic Sanctuary for helping me figure this out!)

This simple look is a great way to impress your coworkers without breaking any company rules! I work in a very professional environment and I can see these being popular without being too showy. I hope this series helps some of you in identifying some designs that could be seen as professional chic and not boring. The challenge for me is finding a nail art look that I want to and am able to wear to work! I think today's look achieves that. Remember to come back every Wednesday for a new tutorial! Thanks for reading!

29 comments:

  1. Great idea for a series! I usually work part time from home but I'm always on the lookout for more subtle work appropriate looks for those moments when I have to meet with a client.

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  2. Very pretty & great idea for a series! I'm lucky that the place I work at seasonally doesn't really care about my nails. It was one of the first questions I asked after getting hired, haha.

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  3. Thank you! I just hope it helps! I feel like I see this asked all the time!

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  4. Oh that is nice! Some places are really strict! My workplace isn't explicitly strict, it just just a very professional environment and I feel weird if I have something less than professional.

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  5. How awesome! Every Sunday I need a conservative look!!

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  6. Great idea for a blog series! I'm lucky that despite being in a pretty conservative-type workplace, my nails don't tend to raise eyebrows. But it's always good to have a backup of work-appropriate manis for interviews or days where you want to be more professional :)
    And I love the gradient french mani! Looks great :)

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  7. Andrea, I just started following your blog -- it's great and you have lovely nails! Thanks for all the creative ideas you put out there. As for your new series, these conservative looks work well not only for jobs outside the home, but also for those ladies who simply prefer a simpler, cleaner, less "in-your-face" manicure. (PS: today's mani is also easy to do!) I can't wait to see what else you have in store for us!

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  8. What an awesome series to start up! Thankfully I work in childcare, so it doesn't matter what I have on my nails. But I'm really looking forward to see what you come up with :)

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  9. It's simple but it's also lovely!

    Xoxo

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  10. Ahhh so pretty! Very sophisticated!

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  11. Sophisticated with a twist- I love it! This is a great idea for a series. I have a feeling it is going to be very popular! :)

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  12. Beautiful! I loved this when you did it before too, it is so chic!

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  13. Thank you! I think it is a nice take on the french mani!

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  14. Oh my goodness, you are lucky! Thank you!

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  15. Welcome to the blog! I hope you like it! Thank you for following, I really appreciate it! Every positive interaction i have makes me really happy.

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  16. I've been going to a lot of important meetings lately and that is why I thought up the series. Thank you, I'm glad you like it!

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  17. The Dalai Lama's NailsOctober 16, 2014 at 7:08 AM

    what a great idea for a series! Can't wait to see what comes next!

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  18. Understated but still very beautiful!

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  19. I've always wanted to try this french gradient! Great idea for a series and tutorial, can't wait to see more :)

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  20. Love it! Very pretty!

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  21. Love the addition of Fairy Dust this time around. I actually picked up Cupcake Caramel after your first post.

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  22. I've always wanted to try a gradient french and this is beautiful!! I'm really looking forward to seeing what you come up with every week!!

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  23. These are gorgeous! I love this look! So pretty (:

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  24. I love nude nails and nail art created along those lines. I find this one to be so elegant and classy!

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