White and blue nail art for Maniswap Circle

It’s time to reveal what nearly 200 nail artists have been working on for our Maniswap Circle! This month we’ve focused on white and blue nail art designs in memory of Liam Kowal again. As a result, all our designs are blue and white, and some include a ribbon too.

This time I was recreating the work of Meredith from Merely Nails. I chose a stamped geometric pattern, which left me space to add a freehand ribbon.

White and blue nail art for Maniswap Circle

Polishes and tools

Nailtiques Formula 2+
Cirque One Night Stand
MoYou London Enchanted 06 and White Knight
Color Club French Tip
Barry M Blueberry I/C
Winstonia nail art brush
Seche Vite

This Cirque blue is a new polish to me. It’s very pigmented and quite thick, you can almost get away with one coat. It dries matte, so you definitely need top coat with this one. I’m half tempted to add a little thinner too – a touch too thick for my taste.

White and blue nail art for Maniswap Circle

I don’t have the exact same plate as Meredith, but one from the same collection offered me a way to recreate it. As a result my stamping doesn’t reach as deep down the nail. Luckily, since my nails are shorter, that gave me more space for freehand!

I stamped the design at the cuticle, like a kind of reverse half-moon. Clean was minimal, because I was using nearly all the design I’d picked up.

Cirque One Night Stand with blue nail art

Using French Tip I sketched out the ribbon and refined the edges using One Night Stand along with the white. I used a lighter blue just to make the ribbon a little more 3D by marking the crossover.

Once it was finished, I used Seche Vite to smooth it all out – freehand, especially with polishes, ends up with a raised effect.

White and blue nail art

My stamping may not have been as crisp as Meredith’s but I really like this look. Having to do hardly any cleanup despite not using latex around my cuticles was a bonus!

White and blue nail art with Cirque One Night Stand

The blue base seemed to chip easily, but I don’t know if that was because I was too light with my dehydrator beforehand, or if the thick coats were the culprit.

White and blue nail art on Pinterest by Keely’s Nails

You can find out more about Liam Kowal here, and my last Maniswap Circle design in memory of him is here.