i am such a sucker for all those shelves that line the queue for the till in stores, the ones that scream at you ‘hey! didn’t you forget that you really, really, needed a pack of purse tissues, some gum, a magazine, and a floral shower cap?’

i just can’t help picking up that pack of haribo or cute little change purse. and that is how i ended up with a crackle nail polish kit from primark, of all places. my impulse purchase went unused on my increasingly overloaded nail polish shelf, until a clear-out last week when i noticed the little trio again.

my nails were feeling a little forlorn after their exciting trip down neon lane the week before, so i decided to cheer them up with some more fun. you start out with a shimmering gold base coat. i painted on two coats and allowed to dry.

the result of painting on too thick – less crackle, more deep ravine

next, paint on a thin coat of the black crackle polish. you have to work quickly, and try to avoid going over the same place twice, as it will go on too thick and the proper effect won’t be achieved. see the picture above for the difference in proper application (index and ring fingers) and when it has been painted too thickly (middle finger).

but it doesn’t have to be perfect, mine certainly weren’t – and that’s the look you are going for: uneven, random and messy. once the crackle coat is dry, finish with a clear top coat to smooth things over.

my little kit came with the black and gold colours, but there are plenty of crackle effect top coat collections that come in a range of colours and can be teamed with any base colour you fancy. get creative! the sally hansen and opi ranges are great.

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