They say that January’s the most depressing month of the year. You have post–Christmas blues, the cold weather, and the full effects of the over indulgent festive goodies beginning to show. Failed resolutions that lasted a week, and it even has Blue Monday – Officially the most depressing day of the year. I know, it’s sounding better and better. But the start of a new year is always so exciting. You have no idea what the years going to bring, and the hopeful feel of optimism in the air is contagious. January’s a time for celebrating, and how can you be glum, with Chinese New Year coming up?
It may not be something that I personally celebrate, but I love the whole idea of it. I always remember learning the Chinese Zodiac story in school and the great race between the animals. How each 12 animals have their own year, and can apparently show characteristics for people born in that time frame. The celebrations always seem so extravagant, and so much fun. I can only imagine what it must be like in China. The dragons dancing down the street, and all the colours it involves, the street just comes alive. There’s just something about it that fills me with joy and hopefulness.
Year of the Rooster
I love celebrating the upcoming year, this time it’s the rooster, and can’t wait to get in the festive mood. As usual, the perfect way for me to do this is to whip on a bit of nail varnish. Red and gold are both traditional colours in China, and each is highly symbolic. Red is the main colour of the holiday, and symbolises good fortune and joy. It also stands for happiness and good luck, and let’s be honest, we could all do with a bit more of that in our lives. During celebrations, red is often paired with yellow as these are some of the two most powerful colours. Yellow’s considered to be the most beautiful and important colour, which sits at the centre of everything. It’s another sign of good luck and a symbol for heroism.
Not Quite Perfect
I took inspiration from a few of the hottest nail trends this year, to help create my design. Stripes are always a failsafe in clothing, and it’s something that’s being carried over to nails. Stripes and lines are minimal yet sophisticated, adding a bit of oomph to an otherwise plain nail. My main nail inspiration comes from the not-so-French manicure. The French manicure is a look that never goes out of fashion. It’s simple, elegant, and goes with just about any look. But this year it’s about adding a splash of colour, and livening up the otherwise muted look. We saw it at Cushnie et Ochs, whose models sported black and white manicures. It also had a strong impact all over the runway and was also seen at Carmen Marc Valvo.
Red and Gold
Because red and yellow are so symbolic during the New Year’s celebration, I knew that these were two colours which I needed to include into my look. I opted for a red base, to symbolise the good fortune and joy. And as it’s often paired with yellow/gold, I decided to do the same. I went for a gold tip, with a slight twist by making it diagonal. This helps the look stand out, and makes it a little bit different than a traditional French manicure.
This look is super simple, and easy to do. But if you struggle with straight lines, you can simply place some tape across your nails to help you achieve this look. You can use either yellow or gold for the tip, as yellow is often substituted for gold in China.
Time to celebrate the year of the rooster in style, and bring good luck and prosperity to the year ahead.
Happy New Year,
Rosie x
Chinese New Year Nail Art
It’s time to welcome the New Year in style…
What You Need:
- Base Coat
- Red Nail Varnish – I used Barry M ‘Blood Orange – 252’
- Gold Nail Varnish – I used Fearne ‘Cosmic Shower’
- Clear Top Coat
- Sellotape – Small Strips
Getting The Look:
- Apply base coat to all nails and allow to dry.
- Cut small strips of sellotape and place diagonally across the top of your nail.
- Using the red nail varnish paint the nail up to sellotape. It doesn’t matter if you go slightly over the sellotape, as this will be removed.
- Allow to fully dry, and apply a second coat if needed.
- Slowly, peel the sellotape off the tip of each nail. Place a bit of nail varnish remover onto a cotton bud, and remove any of the red that may have seaped under the sellotape.
- Use the sharp line created to fill in the nude area of the nail, using the gold nail varnish. This requires a steady hand, and is probably the trickiest part.
- Allow to dry, apply a layer of clear top coat and clean up any varnish around the sides of your nails.
- And there you go, all ready to celebrate the start of a New Year! Let the year of the rooster begin…
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