Manic.Monday: I wore red velvet...

I've said it before and I'll say it again - for me Ciaté is the most ground breaking nail brand when it comes to giving us original and extravagant statement looks and effects. After all, Ciaté is the brand that's given us the caviar mani (thank you SO SO much), the feather mani, the flower manicure for this summer and today's special, the velvet mani. These might not all be to everyone's taste, but there's no denying that they are unique and eye catching. Just in time for Christmas Ciaté released a new limited edition, the Ciaté Red Velvet Manicure Set (£7 - currently on sale in John Lewis), which I'm showing you today.

With each velvet kit you get a base shade (in this case the beautiful vibrant red Boudoir), a vial with crushed velvet and a little brush. Before you start applying the crushed velvet, which is essentially a very fine powder, I would recommend that you put the plastic tray from the kit or some tin foil on the table, because this can get quite messy and that way you also collect the excess and can put it back into the plastic vial. Apply a coat of the base shade on all nails to start with, let it dry and then finish one nail at a time when you move on the the second coat and the crushed velvet. I would recommend that you make the second coat of the base shade a little thicker than normal, and then tap the powder straight from the vial over the wet coat, making sure that you get a generous amount - almost a little heap of powder on the nail, and use the brush to remove the excess without messing up the finish.
Needless to say perhaps, but you wouldn't use a top coat over the velvet crush, since it would completely ruin the effect. It's very easy to create the look, although it does take about 10 mins to do for each hand, making sure you've got a nice thick coverage etc, and after that you probably shouldn't put your hands into water the first thing you do...

Immediately after application

72 hrs after application

Out of all the different effect manis available to us, I have to say that the velvet mani unfortunately is the most impractical. While the matte, textured finish looks lovely when you've just applied it and you can't stop touching it, because the velvet is such a surreal feeling, it doesn't stay pristine for very long. As you go through your daily chores - washing up, showering, cooking etc, the finish will gradually change for the worse, as you can see in the photos however this can hardly be a surprise to anyone. So all in all, I'm not disappointed at all in how it looks after 72 hrs considering what I've  exposed the delicate crushed velvet finish to in that time, and while the velvet has gone grey and tired at least the base shade still hasn't budged. If you don't mind the effect looking a bit worse for wear, then it actually stays on without any chipping for about 5-6 days. Personally I reach for the nail polish remover after about 3 days when the velvet look is too murky and fuzzy for my liking, and then it's surprisingly easy to remove although you do need to put some effort into it.

The velvet look may not be the most practical one during the week, unless you have a butler or a very understanding family who will do absolutely everything for you so you don't have to mess up your gorgeous fingertips, but as an accessory to a party look or a special occasion, the velvet manicure definitely adds something decadent and lavish.