pretty nails at home--dotted nails

I just love pretty nails! I love them so much that my toe nails haven't been unpainted since I was a kid.

No joke.

I love pedicures too.  But looking back, the only times I've gotten pedicures is for my wedding and the three times I was 9 months preggo and ready to pop!  Besides those few wonderful, blissful times, I've always done my nails at home.

Recently I came across a couple of blogs that talk a lot about doing pretty nails at home!  My favorite is The Beauty Department!  I lo-OVE it!  I could read it for hours, getting all kinds of pretty inspiration!

Anyway, I was in need of a toenail change, so I thought I'd see what I had and what I could come up with!

This is how they turned out:

Pretty, no?!

And here are the simple little tools I used:

Simple right?!  Three nail polishes: a darkish pink, a light pink and a white!  I also used the little sharp wooden stick thing.  Do those have a name?!  And a Q-tip!  You can use really whatever you have at home for your dots!  This is just what I happened to have!

Step 1: Paint your toenails the base color, in this case the dark pink!

Step 2: Use your Q-tip to make some light pink dots.  You can either pour out some light pink polish and dip the Q-tip into that, or just dip your Q-tip into the bottle, which is what I did!  I also only did dots on one side of my nail.  Just for fun!

Step 3: Use the pointy stick thing to make some smaller white dots.  Again, pour it out or just dip in the bottle!

Step 4: Let dry and then cover with a Top Coat sealer!

Step 5:  This step is a must!  Wear pretty flip flops and show off your cool new toes!