How To: Galaxy Nails

The galaxy trend rocked up on Tumblr back in 2012 in the form of Black Milk leggings, and has lingered ever since. You'd be lying if you said you didn't own at least one galaxy piece, whether it be a dress or a scarf, or perhaps some quirky trainers; we're all guilty! I always favoured galaxy nails, as they're slightly more subtle than some of the things on the market and a really funky alternative to a manicure. 

I always assumed that it would be a difficult technique to conquer, but after watching a few tutorials on the look, I realised that all you need is a little patience and an artistic eye! I've done these nails a few times now and always been complimented on them, my favourite part being that no two designs will look the same so you end up with your own little galaxy on each finger! I hope that this tutorial will inspire you to delve in to the world of galaxy nails too...

You will need: Top coat | Black nail varnish | Glitter nail varnish (silver or gold work best) | 3 or 4 other colours; I went for a medium purple, a peach, a nude and a metallic blue. It's best to have a dark shade to use as a base, and a medium and lighter shade to add depth and create highlights. | A sponge; I cut up a scouring pad, but any sponge will do.

Begin by applying a few coats of black nail polish to create a night's sky as a background for your galaxy. I used Chanel Le Vernis in "Black Satin". 

Once they are fully dry, take your base colour and apply a little bit to the corner of your sponge. It's important to only apply a little bit, as when you sponge it on to your nails you don't want it to create a thick layer. I used this purpley grey shade, but a deep purple, red or blue would all work depending on the colour scheme you're going for.

Lightly sponge the paint on to each nail, adding more to the sponge when necessary. You don't want to completely cover the nail with this colour, just create a thin layer in the middle of your nail. 

This is what you want your nails to look like after sponging on your first colour. Don't be alarmed at how un-galaxy like they look at the moment, the look only really comes together once you've applied all the polishes! 

Next I used a Barry M Nail Paint from their Aquarium range in the shade "Pacific". This was a recent purchase, and so this was the first time I used a metallic polish when doing galaxy nails and I found it really helped tie the design together. I would definitely recommend using some sort of metallic polish to create a real "space" effect, but if you don't have one then just go ahead with your next chosen shade.

Sponge your polish on like before, making sure you use your artistic eye to decide where to apply it! Don't just plonk it on top of your first colour, work it in from one corner or side so that it blends nicely with your previous shade.  

As you can see I brought the blue in from the bottom, so it merged with the purple, creating the illusion of depth. 

 Next, I applied "Peach Melba" by Barry M in the same manner. 

 I used this shade to start filling in gaps where you could still see the black polish, making sure not to completely cover the previous shades and applying it softly enough for them to blend nicely. If you apply too thick of a layer, you won't be able to see the other colours coming through.

 My final shade was a nude shade from the GOSH collection.

 I used this light shade to highlight the darker areas.

Once all you've applied all your colours you should have something that looks like this! Your design will look different every time, so be sure to experiment with different colour schemes to see which one you like best. 

Finally, apply a very thin coat of your glitter nail varnish to create a starry effect. When I say thin, I mean thin; just a few specks will do, if you overload on glitter then the whole galaxy effect will be overshadowed by stars!

Apply a top coat and you're done! 

So there we have it; galaxy nails!

 These are super easy to do, as long as you have the patience to carefully sponge on each colour. If you're short on time, these would work as an accent nail alongside a sleek black manicure.

 Let me know if this tutorial was helpful!

KJ xo