Viva Italia!

Today I would like to take you on a journey to a country in southern Europe comprising a peninsula that juts south into the Mediterranean Sea, and a number of offshore islands of which the largest are Sicily and Sardinia. 

You're right - the focus is on Italy.

The centre of the Roman Empire, Italy was dominated by the city-states and the papacy in the Middle Ages, but fell under Spanish and Austrian rule in the 16th - 17th century.  Modern Italy was created by the nationalist movement of the mid-19th century, led by Garibaldi and the kingdom of Sardinia, the monarch of the latter country becoming king of Italy in 1861.  Italy entered the First World War on the Allied side in 1915, but after the war the country was taken over by the Facist dictator Mussolini; participation in the Second World War resulted in defeat and much devastation.

Present-day Italy is divided between the industrialized north and the agricultural south, and by European standards has experienced a considerable degree of political instability in recent decades.

What associations do you make with this fascinating country?

Great wines, tasty cheeses, delicious pasta dishes, not to mention the finest leather shoes, trendiest fashion, elegant handbags are all some of the images that enter my mind.  During my 24 years living in Europe I was fortunate enough to spend many long summer holidays on the Ligurian coast near Genoa and Porto Fino. 

You might ask where this is leading.  Well, earlier this week I showed you my Spanish flag manicure, which was my absolute first shot at any kind of nail art.

 

In this post I would like to present my Italian flag.  As you might know by now, I am obsessed with soccer and therefore try to watch as much of the Euro Cup 2012 taking place in Europe as I can.  My bet to win the competition is, of course, Spain, but Italy is a close second for me.

I have challenged myself to several weeks of trying the different trends I am stumbling across in the many blogs I follow.  The more I attempt various designs, the more respect I have for those who master it!  Believe me.  So please bear with me as I show you the little Italian flags on my nails.  Not sure if Julius Caesar would approve.........

As in my Spanish flag mani I chose "Perfect Red" by ASK Cosmetics Nailwear line-up to represent the strong red stripe in their flag.  Just like the name implies - it truly is the perfect red!  I absolutely love using it.  However, don't neglect applying a base coat, otherwise staining is inevitable.

For the other outside stripe I chose "Rags to Riches" by Rimmel because I adore applying this polish.  It goes on like a dream and I also like the shimmer it gives off.  Perhaps it is not so representative of the strong green shade in their flag, but I used it nonetheless.

The third shade used for the white stripe was "Satin Sheets" by L'Oreal, which I will be showing very soon.  Again it is more of a frosty cream than white, but I felt it would suit the purpose.  Now, I did tape off the center stripe in order to first apply the two outside shades.  The area around my cuticles looks so shiny due to the application of TIPS Nail Conditioner that I always do after my manicure has dried.

In this photo you can see how a little piece of nature landed on my pointer and I didn't want to mess anything up (because I had already fudged my little finger somewhat), so I left it there.  I am not as satisfied with my work as I was enthusiastic about doing it. 

Oh well, back to the drawing board to improve on my taped manicures.  In summary: I had fun, learned some more and give myself a respectable mark for effort.

Any comments on how I should tackle my taped manis in the future?