For Halloween this year, my team at work went as hipster Disney princesses, and I was a hipster Little Mermaid. I went all out with my costume – long red wig, suspenders, boots, thick glasses, fork … I mean, dinglehopper – and all I needed was the perfect manicure to go with it! I decided to embrace the mermaid look and go full-on scales.  Read on to learn how to get a mermaid manicure yourself!

Although my costume was straight hipster, I really wanted to do a mermaid manicure. I never attempted the fish-scale manicure look over the summer, so this was my chance.

It’s really a pretty simple manicure to do – just a few steps!

• Prep your nails with your favorite base coat.
• Apply 2-3 coats of a shimmery teal polish.  I started with one coat of Essie’s Where’s My Chauffeur? (to make sure the color was opaque) and topped it with Butter London’s Henley Regatta, a pretty blue-green glitter.
• Let it dry completely.
  
• Take a silver Sharpie to carefully outline the scales.
• Wait a few minutes to let the marker set.
• Finish with your favorite top coat!

Voila! You might as well grow a tail of your own and dive right into the ocean. What do you think of this mermaid-inspired manicure?

Check out more great manicure tutorials:

• Manicure Monday: Superstition
• Manicure Monday: BCA Strength
• Manicure Monday: NYFW