After trying purple lipstick and cat eyeliner, I was feeling a little vampy.  Maybe my quarter life crisis is bringing out a darker side in me?  Who knows.  What I do know is that I wanted to explore this edgier side of my adult self a little more.

After seeing images from New York Fashion Week (they must’ve lost my invite in the mail?), I knew exactly what trend I wanted to try next.  From Rebecca Taylor to Charlotte Ronson, from Tess Giberson to Rebecca Minkoff, vamp nails were a dark and sexy standout from the pièce de résistance of the clothes.

Now while DIY nail art of any kind is a legitimate fear of mine, I decided to suck it up and attempt the vamp French manicure, seen above at Rebecca Minkoff.

Once I picked out my colors, OPI “Lost on Lombard” and NYC “Black Lace Crème,” panic sunk in as to how I was ever going to create this look and avoid my nails looking like a kindergarten art project.  Then, I found this nifty (yes, I said nifty) trick on Pinterest using hole reinforcement labels and went for it.

I painted two coats of the OPI color and then waited for them to dry (fully!) before placing the reinforcement labels on to make the perfect French tip.  I then applied one coat of the black tip color, pealed off the labels, and covered the whole look with OPI topcoat.

I absolutely love how this twist on the classic French manicure turned out—it’s dark, edgy, and totally different from your everyday mani.

Have a beauty trend you’d like to see me try?  Tweet me @han_cran, #beautynewbie, with your suggestion!

– Hannah Cranston, Assistant Editor