Inspired by: Beachcomber bracelet

(All products in this post were purchased by me.)

Hello!

A while back I took my yearly trip to Carmel, one of my favorite places in the world. It's a small coastal town with a town center that's filled with interesting architecture, fun shops, and hidden pathways and gardens. One of the things I've always loved about it is that it's a dog-lover's town--lots of stores have bowls of waters and treats for the dogs, and the beach is an off-leash dog beach. I've loved that about it even though I haven't had a dog for years...and this is my first trip there since having a dog (and her first trip to the beach). It was a blast...but that's another story.

This story is about the manicure I wore on that trip, a beach manicure inspired by my 'beachcomber' bracelet:

I wanted something that would go well with the bracelet and have a fun, beach feel to it. So I started with a base of Julep Tracy, one of their textured polishes in their line. The blue of this polish reminds me of the ocean, particularly the color of the water at the Carmel beach; the glints from the texture remind me of the glints of light off the waves of the ocean:

Julep Tracy, two coats, artificial light

Next I sponged on top with Finger Paints Don't Make A Scene, a soft peachy beige, to give it the look of hints of sand showing through the water. I added clumps of glittery sand-dollar-like shells by putting dabs of Jindie Nails Mango With The Flow randomly on the nails; then I finished by stamping starfish and shell images from Cheeky Jumbo Plate 2 with China Glaze Passion:

Under the boardwalk...

Under the sun...

We'll be having some fun...

I love how this came out. The colors are subtle and work well together, and I think the final product is soothing and calm. What do you think?

Hope you're having a great holiday weekend, maybe at the beach! Hugs and love,
M.