Disney Nail Art Series - The Lion King

Hello there lovely readers!

I could not let August go by without throwing in a new manicure for my Disney Nail Art Series now could I? Speaking of, how on earth is it almost September already? This year seems to be going by at an alarming rate!

My next Disney manicure is a bit special to me I guess as it is up there as one of my favorite Disney films & was actually the very first Disney movie I went to watch at the cinema...The Lion King.

I can remember it like it was yesterday as it was my friends dad who took us (clearly he drew the short straw out of all the parents) & I can recall vividly his look of absolute horror when he found himself having to deal with a bunch of bawling young girls after that pinnacle scene in the movie when a certain lion has a tragic situation on a cliff...yup fun times for him. I've also been to see the Broadway show which needless to say was absolutely incredible, if you haven't seen it yet I URGE you to go even if you aren't a Disney fan (though if you're not then we can no longer be friends ;P)

So when it came to recreating my favourite movie on my nails, my first thought was that stunning iconic opening scene with the sunset...even after seeing it countless times it still gives me chills...it really was so beautifully done...so here's my attempt at recreating it.

If you follow me on Instagram (@aysh_xox) you'll know that I'm partaking in a nail art challenge, this weeks prompt was Sunset thus created the perfect opportunity for me to do this! I am loving taking part in these challenges as it really gives me the opportunity to work & improve my nail art I hope. 

On to how I created my Lion King Sunset...I started with first painting all of my nails white as I would be sponging on my sunset colours & having a white background will give your sponging a more opaque finish. Any white will do & just one coat, I used Primark Marshmallow which at 60p a bottle is the perfect white for nail art techniques like this!

Wait for your white to completely dry or apply topcoat to speed the process. Once dry I then applied latex barrier to all of my fingers, I used the Mitty Peel Off Barriers I blogged about HERE as they are so good! Sponging can get messy yet these little babies avoid any polish getting on your skin.

Now for the sponging! I chose two colours which I though would work well for the sunset, Bourjois Rouge Diva which is a red burgundy & True Brit London Nostalgia, a burnt orange. Applying both colours side by side on a makeup sponge I dabbed on the shades, blending the two colours to create a gradient until I was happy with the finish. Usually two bouts of sponging is enough! I've written more of an in depth post on the sponging technique HERE FYI.

Next to create the big sun I cut off a small piece of sponge & applied some Barry M Yellow to it. Using a pair of tweezers to grip the sponge piece & applying a dabbing motion I sponged on the semicircle over my middle & ring fingers, extending a small bit of yellow to the bottom of my index & little finger too.

For the African landscape details I used black acrylic paint & a fine nail art brush to apply the black along the tips & to draw on my trees.

As a final detail I grabbed a beige nude polish, Nina Ultra Pro in Rum & Raisin, & using another fine nail art brush, applied a few wispy cloud details across the horizon.

A couple of coats of topcoat to finish & my Disney Lion King Sunset Nails were done! *wipes forehead* I 'm pretty chuffed with how these turned out & I hope you like them too! Thanks for reading, until next time!


Lotsa love to ya!