The 'Chalkboard Manicure': We Have All the Dirt on the Hot New Trend

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I knew as soon as I saw the Ciate Chalkboard Manicure kit that I had to try it! I love to doodle, and I love nail polish and manicures ... match made in heaven! Plus, it seemed somehow more easy to accomplish at home than some other DIY nail art kits and designs I've seen. So, this afternoon my daughter Isabella and I decided to test it out. Here's how we did:

The kit ($25 at Sephora.com) comes with the "chalkboard" paint pot, a "mattnificent" top coat, and four "chalk pens." They also include a handy instruction booklet and a bunch of fun design ideas.

It's pretty simple -- the hardest part is thinking of the designs and them drawing them on (trickier with your non-dominant hand, obviously!).

Step 1: Apply two coats of "chalkboard."

The chalkboard paint goes on really glossy but dries almost instantly into a super matte finish. I couldn't believe how fast it dried!

This stuff is super matte!

2. Once the black is dried (seriously, it's almost instantaneous), use the chalk pens to draw your designs.

Child's play!

Now, they say in the instructions that you can erase chalk mistakes with a paper towel and water, but only the pink seemed to come off really easily. I wanted to get rid of this failed moon and stars:

... but this is what happened after I wiped the nail off:

Hmm. I ended up trying again and scrubbing pretty hard; I got most of the white off and then just painted another quick coat of black over it.

3. Finally, you just paint a coat of the top coat over your nails, and admire your handywork!

Isabella loved it!

So did I:

I took a shot outside too because the colors looked more vibrant in the light:

I love this kit - I think you could really do some great looks with it. And what a fun idea for teachers, or kids going back to school! Or a bride-to-be at a bachelorette party (I would have loved painting MRS HUSSAR or something fun like that). You could also do a cute "French manicure" in color, or stick with a theme related to a holiday. The possibilities are endless!

Would you try the chalkboard manicure?