August 7th, 2012 
Heidi 
Gold Manicure in Honor of the Summer Olympics 2012
In honor of the Summer Olympics 2012 I created a gold leaf manicure. It’s not just gold colored nail polish I am wearing, it is actual gold!
Today is Olympic Games Nail Polish Day, once again organized by Polly Polish. The Olympic Games Nail Polish theme was an excellent choice, since Olympic manicures have been a nail polish trend this summer. Fans cheering in the stands and at home, as well as athletes, have been sporting Olympic themed nails. If you are looking for inspiration on how to join this trend, today is the day to find countless ideas.
When I heard that the theme for the next Polish Days was the Olympics, I immediately thought- GOLD! Gold is one of my favorite colors of nail polish. But I wanted to do something unique and create a manicure that no one else would have. So I decided to decorate my nails with gold leaf, which is real gold pounded into a very thin layer. Luckily, I happened to have some gold leaf on hand that I had purchased in Myanmar for about $3 for 10 squares. So if you think decorating ones nails with real gold is lavish, it is no where near as extreme as the black diamond nail polish, of which Azature will release a single bottle containing 267 carats of black diamonds, with a price tag of $250,000!
Here is how I created my “Go for the Gold!” manicure.
Gold Leaf Manicure Supplies
I used gold leaf and Acquarella Conditioner. First, I painted my nails with a layer of Acquarella Conditioner, which is basically a clear water based nail polish. Next, I gently set a piece of gold leaf onto my nail.
Applying Gold Leaf to My Nails
The first nail actually turned out the best. Probably because the polish was still wet when I applied the gold leaf. I used a nail file to remove the excess gold leaf from around my nail. Then I applied another layer of Acquarella Conditioner, to seal in the gold.
Placing Pieces of Golf Leaf onto Nails
With the next two nails, the gold leaf did not stick as well. I ended up layering small bits of gold leaf, which created a different effect. This art form would take some practice to master, but I was happy with the results.
Gold Leaf Manicure- Go for the Gold!
If you would like to get into the Olympic spirit with a metallic manicure but don’t have any gold leaf, here are some water based nail polish options in gold, silver, and bronze.
Gold: Gilded from Acquarella- An opaque metallic that looks golden on the nail. Smugglers Gold from Scotch Naturals- shimmering gold.
Silver: Charmer from Scotch Naturals- shimmering platinum/silver
Bronze: Smelted from Acquarella- opaque copper metallic
Also, if you don’t mind using solvent-based nail polish, OPI will be releasing a James Bond top coat that contains flecks of 18k gold leaf called The Man with the Golden Gun in October.[1. New OPI Polish Celebrates 50 Years of James Bond http://www.justluxe.com/fine-living/health/feature-1812130.php]
For more inspiring Olympic themed manicures see:
Jessica – Sparkles & Shine Nails
Stephanie – Sincerely Stephanie
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It looks really pretty have to try it sometime!
What a cool idea, never seen this before! Did it last long?
I have been wearing it for a couple days and it already started to chip. But it lasts longer than the caviar manicure
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Nice idea, really cool <33
Thanks!
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Really pretty!
Gold leaf is notoriously tough to work with, book gilders know that all too well… There’s even a song called Gilder’s Lament, written in the 17th century.
My mind is blown by the price of the diamond polish. Wow.
Yeah, the Black Diamond nail polish is extravagant. I wonder if the person who buys it will even wear it. Can you imagine, each time your nail chips, there goes $10,000. Azature is also going to release a more main stream version, with just one diamond per bottle for about $25/ bottle.