Tutorial Tuesday: Cascarone inspired nails

This week's tutorial will show you how to paint your nails in a way inspired by a Mexican staple during this time of year: cascarones.

I may live in the Dallas area now, but I grew up in San Antonio, where there is a strong Mexican heritage.  During this time of year, not only is the Easter spirit in the air - Fiesta is also going strong.  To celebrate Easter and Fiesta, many Mexican families make cascarones, which some people may know simply as "confetti eggs."

Cascarones are hollowed eggs that are painted, similar to the way hard boiled eggs are, and filled with confetti.  You hollow the egg by gently breaking the top off and dumping the insides out.  Many people will start saving their eggshells weeks in advance.  Once the inside has been cleaned and the egg is dry, it can be painted and filled.  Then the top is covered up by gluing tissue paper over the hole.  And what do you do once the cascarone is ready?  You crack it over someone's head!  (Some people also put glitter in them.  My mom used to say those people are evil because glitter is near impossible to get out of your hair.)  It's all in the name of fun, really.

So, in the spirit of Fiesta (which I'm missing out on this year), I thought I'd do a simple tutorial for cascarone inspired nails.  They'll make your manicure festive and fun!

As always, start off by trimming and filing your nails to the desired length.  (I kept mine relatively short - I don't like to have too much length when I'm using bright polish.)  You may also buff and polish your nails and trim your cuticles if necessary.  After your nails are prepped, apply a base coat to make the color last longer and prevent your nails from staining.

Next, paint your nails in a bold, festive color.  I chose a bright teal color and used a bright pink for my ring fingers for a little added fun.  (Both shades are from L.A. Colors.)  Apply two coats for added longevity.  When your nails have dried, use nail polish remover to fix any mistakes.

Now comes the fun part!  Apply a glittery nail polish to the top two-thirds of your nails (I used Pink Rockstar by Sally Hansen), concentrating the most glitter on the top and diminishing the amount of glitter as you go down.  Do this by applying more coats of glitter toward the top than the bottom.  This will make the glitter look like it's descending down, just like the confetti from a cascarone after it's been cracked.  When the glitter is dry, cover with a top coat.

And that's it!

Now you've got a fun manicure inspired by a Fiesta favorite!