Learn how to create a pastel unicorn

It's not always easy to determine when or where a trend originated, but 2018 was certainly a banner year for unicorns. In the world of mythical creatures, unicorns reign supreme. They're often depicted in vibrant or pastel colors, and the characteristic twisted horn and fluffy mane make it unmistakably fanciful.

These unattainable creatures might not exist in reality, but adding one to a pastel manicure is a whimsical way to show you've captured one — even if only in theory. Initially, the unicorn will look abstract, but you'll outline the design and create dimension on what looks, at first, like a cloud.

This little unicorn is bound to draw attention, and you'll probably catch yourself smiling at it throughout the day.

Materials
- Peach gel polish (not shown)
- UV or LED lamp
- White gel paint
- Fine detail brush
- Periwinkle gel paint
- Pink gel paint
- Black gel paint
- Base nail gel
- Nail dotting tool
- Holographic stars
- No-wipe gel top coat

Instructions
1. Apply two coats of peach gel polish to your nails, curing them between coats with the UV or LED lamp.

2. Draw a circle for the unicorn's head and another one for the body using white gel paint and a fine detail brush. Add an ear, legs, a fluffy mane and tail, and a small horn. Cure the paint with the lamp.

3. Paint over the mane and tail with periwinkle gel paint with the fine detail brush. Cure the paint with the lamp.

4. Layer pink paint over the horn with the fine detail brush, and add a small dot on the head to mimic the unicorn’s rosy cheek. Cure the paint with the lamp.

5. Dip the brush in the black gel paint, and outline the entire design. Add extra lines to create the mouth, hooves and leg muscles. Don’t forget to add stripes on the horn, to mimic the spiral shape, as well as a nose and eye with lashes, of course. Cure the paint once more with the lamp.

6. Cover the entire nail with base nail gel, and use the dotting tool to place multiple holographic stars around the unicorn. Cure the gel with the lamp.

7. Apply a single layer of no-wipe gel top coat to the nails, and cure the gel with the lamp.