7 Deadly Sins - Envy

Evening folks! So I've been noticing the 7 Deadly Sins challenge going around at the moment, and was kinda disappointed when I realised that the manicures it dictates aren't technically related to the sins (e.g. 'Greed' requires you to use your most expensive polish, rather than painting a greed-related image). Anyway, I admit that the challenge is a really good idea, however I've decided to start my OWN challenge which is much more specific. I'm going to attempt seven designs over the course of the next couple of weeks, focusing on Envy, Greed, Pride, Gluttony, Wrath, Lust and Sloth.

So obviously my first design is Envy! I decided to create a green-eyed monster to represent the sin, however I didn't really fancy having a monster on my nails so I made her into more of an Ariel/Jessica Rabbit type of girl. Obviously she has big green eyes, and I opted for flaming red hair as the colours complement one another (plus I'm repping the gingers!) I also used some gold sparkles to bling it up a bit... I just can't resist!

I'm gonna be a lazy bones and just say I used A LOT of equipment for this manicure. It would take ages to list everything, but throughout the tutorial I'll let you know of any colours that I think are important :) Since I'm missing out my usual 'The Equipment' list, here's my initial sketch for the design! As you can see, the original nail shapes I drew turned out to be too big, and I had to alter the shapes of the eyes a few times before I was happy. Planning is important for designs like this!

Once I was happy with my design, I painted on the bases. I don't have a good nude tone so I had to make do with pale beige topped with Essie 'Not Just A Pretty Face', and for the green I used Models Own 'Jade Stone' as a base and topped it with W7 'Neon Green' and Missguided 'Misslead'.

Once dry, I used a fine paint brush to paint on white almond shapes for the eyes, and Models Own 'Peach Fuzz' for the beginnings of hair.

To outline the eyes I switched between my black Models Own nail art pen and a fine paint brush. The eyelashes were the trickiest bit as they're so tiny! I used the same green combination to create the iris, and a little black dot for the pupil. With the hair, I used red and a sparkly orange to add streaks.

This stage was the hardest... I struggle to get my own eye make up matching, imagine trying to paint even eyeliner flicks on 7mm eyes?! I also added eyebrows and some more hair. I really wanted the design to 'flow' through my nails and I think that painting 'wind swept' hair has helped with this.

And here's the final product! I evened up the eyes and added a bit more eyeliner, added some more streaks to the hair, and then thickened up the eyebrows to make her look as envious as possible! I also painted 'envy' onto my thumb nail, which was a lot easier than I thought, especially since I'd practised the font on my initial sketch. I finished off the manicure with a sprinkle of gold glitter, and it looks gorgeous against the lime green base.

What do you think of my green-eyed nails? Are you taking part in the 7 Deadly Sins challenge?