Let's Give Jane a Hand: The Austen Silhouette Manicure

The Austen Silhouette Manicure

This Easter I added a set of Nail Art Pens to my seven-year-old's Easter basket. We had seen them demonstrated at our local warehouse club and she was eager to try the fun for herself. The idea is that each "pen" comes with a brush and pen attachment for creating detailed works of art on your finger nails. Nail art sets like this one can be purchased from Amazon.com After church that morning, we headed off to spend the day with family. Bella with polish eagerly clutched in hand, was sure that her artist Auntie Diana could work some magic for all the little girls in attendance. Being the good sport that she is, Diana had a steady stream of customers for watermelons, ladybugs and even snowmen, but when I saw the white and black pens, I was sure that an Austen silhouette could be had. To create your own works of Austen art, you will need a bottle of white nail polish (available for French Manicures) and one black nail pen (or fine tipped permanent marker. Used on the polish, it should wipe off with nail polish remover and not leave a mark on the actual nail) File your nails and paint a coat of white polish, as you would begin any manicure. Using this silhouette as a guide, gently draw an outline of Jane Austen's silhouette-- your basic design will include the head with bun and aquiline nose, narrow neck and rounded neckline. Coat the finished nail with a clear coat for added durability. If you make a mistake, no worries-- it comes off with nail polish remover! I think the experiment was quite satisfactory, not to mention a lot of fun!

Laura Boyle is the author of Cooking with Jane Austen and Friends. Through her shop Austentation: Regency Accessories, she offers a large range of custom made hats, bonnets, reticules and Jane Austen related items