Ok, ok, I promise this is the LAST Halloween nail art I'll do! The possibilities for a Halloween mani are endless, and I didn't want to jam pack my blog with a million other posts (especially since I've already posted Sparkles & Spiders, Crazy Pumpkins and Black Cat Silhouettes), but I was desperate to attempt a much more detailed design as my recent ones have been kind of basic. Anyway, to avoid an overwhelming amount of Halloween manicures, I decided to combine a few different concepts into one. Cue an unbelievable amount of nail polish, paint brushes, acetone and swearing (sorry Mum) in my creation of Scarily Cute Halloween Faces!

Sinful Colors 'Snow Me White'

e.l.f. Cosmetics 'Smokin Hot'

Barry M 'Papaya'

Fearne 'Burnt Out'

Sinful Colors 'Pistache'

No. 7 'Totally Teal'

Rimmel 'Grey Matter'

W7 'Purple'

Models Own black nail art pen

Models Own white nail art pen

So, as always, I started out with my bases. I alternated 'Snow Me White' with 'Smokin Hot', as I always enjoy a bit of variation. To achieve a good, opaque finish, all nails required three coats. Once dry, I added the block base colours. For my thumb's pumpkin head I used 'Papaya' and a medium sized nail art brush, and painted a slightly squashed circle with a few bumpy bits. For the skeleton on my index finger nail, I painted a circle with 'Grey Matter' and filled it in, then added a smaller circle protruding from the bottom. For Frankenstein's monster, I painted a rectangle with 'Pistache'. The vampire's face was a simple grey circle filled in, and the same for the cat but with black. 

Next, using a very finer nail art brush, I began to add the details. For every face I applied two large white eyes and mouths in black (apart from the cat). For the pumpkin, I used 'Burnt Out' to add a couple of lines for extra shape and colour. Then I painted a stalk with 'Pistache' and 'Totally Teal'. I added pupils and a glint with Models Own nail art pens, and then some pointy fans, which I sharpened up with my tiniest paint brush. Finally, I outlined the top sections of the eyes in black, and painted a tiny triangle for a nose. I decided my pumpkin looked a little bit strange just floating around in the middle of my nail, so I gave him some shoulders and a body. To tie in with the stalk, I painted stripes with 'Pistache' and 'Totally Teal'.

Next up, the skeleton! This face was one of the easiest, and I simply added little white dots for teeth and two small lines for a nose. I kept the eyes the same as the pumpkin's, and then added a couple of ribs for its body. There wasn't enough room on my nail to add too many details, which is a shame because skeletons always look so effective. Never mind!

For Frankenstein's monster I varied the eyes and added dark green eyelids. Then I gave him some black hair, and bolts through his neck in grey. His teeth also ended up spiky like the pumpkin's, which wasn't really intentional, it just kind of happened! For a bit of extra colour I gave him a purple jacket, which I think goes really well with his gorgeous green skin...

The vampire ended up being very detailed, and caused me quite a few problems. After adding fangs and some hair, I decided he needed a black cape and a red bow tie. This was extremely fiddly, even with a tiny paint brush, but I think it turned out alright!

Finally, the little black cat. I added a muzzle using grey, then added a nose and mouth. Obviously he needed some ears and a tail, so my Models Own nail art pen came in handy again. Once I was happy with every single Halloween face, I topped the manicure off with Essie 'Good To Go', which smoothed everything out, albeit highlighting a couple of errors that needed rectifying!

What do you think? This is definitely my favourite Halloween design so far, and I'm glad I managed to find a few hours to spend doing a detailed manicure. Who's your favourite? I have a very soft spot for Frankenstein's monster, but I think the pumpkin turned out best of all! That always seems to happen with thumb nails, I suppose it's because it offers a slightly bigger canvas... Make sure you check out the rest of the Polish Party girls' Halloween manicures, they're all fantastic!