Heather Green
- May 18, 2020
- 3 min read

How to Paint Cinco De Mayo Sugar Skull Nails!

Updated: Dec 24, 2023

I am really feeling awesome with these Cinco De Mayo Sugar Skull Nails! I feel like these are fun bright and attention-getting which is kind of what I’m craving during these days at home! Read on to find out how to get this look for yourself!

I honestly loved painting these nails. First, I feel like the blue just makes the design really pop and I got to have fun with some nail colors I don’t normally use. This post is a bit long so let’s get started!

How to Paint Cinco De Mayo Sugar Skull Nails by autumnbecomes.me

Nail clippers

Nail file

Blue Nail Polish

MoYou London Workshop

MoYou London Mexico #2

MoYou London Explorer #29

O.P.I Fidge Filler

O.P.I Black Onyx

O.P.I Big Red Apple

O.P.I The First Lady of Nails

O.P.I Alpine Snow

Crystal Clear Stamper and scraper

Nail brushes

Nail polish remover

orange stick

How to Paint Cinco De Mayo Sugar Skull Nails by autumnbecomes.me

1.) As always you’re going to want to remove any old nail polish and start with fresh, clean, and nicely filed nails.

2.) Cover all the nails in O.P.I Ridge Filler and allow to dry completely. This will ensure that you have nice smooth nails to work with.

How to Paint Cinco De Mayo Sugar Skull Nails by autumnbecomes.me

3.) After the ridge filler is dry, paint all your nails in a bright light blue. This is going to make your design really stand out and give it that Mexican feel.

4.) After your nails have dried, pull out the MoYou London Workshop or any flexible silicone surface and paint 10 squares about as big as your nails onto the surface with clear nail polish.

How to Paint Cinco De Mayo Sugar Skull Nails by autumnbecomes.me

5.) Next take out the nail stamps. I’ll be using MoYou London’s “Mexico #2” for the dots and roses and “Explorer #29” for the various sugar skulls. Pick the designs you like and using black nail polish paint your design, use the scraper and the stamper and stamp the design on the clear boxes you painted onto your silicone surface.

How to Paint Cinco De Mayo Sugar Skull Nails by autumnbecomes.me

6.) Now that you have your designs chosen it’s time to start painting them! Be sure to clean your brushes in the nail polish remover after each color! I started off painting the red roses which tie all these designs together. I also painted the leaves that are by the roses.

How to Paint Cinco De Mayo Sugar Skull Nails by autumnbecomes.me

7.) For the skulls, you’re going to want to paint your colors first. This can be whatever you want. I happened to have some old fun colors laying around so I just tapped those into things like the eye sockets and noses. After you’re done with the colored part and have given it a little time to set, carefully fill the skull in with your white polish. This will allow the colors to pop!

How to Paint Cinco De Mayo Sugar Skull Nails by autumnbecomes.me

8.) Give your designs time to set. Once they are dry, carefully take an orange stick to peel a corner of the clear polish from the silicone mat. Carefully center it on your nail and press down, smoothing out any air bubbles and pressing it against the nail. Trim, file, and use nail polish remover on the excess design that might go past your nail.

How to Paint Cinco De Mayo Sugar Skull Nails by autumnbecomes.me

9.) After you’ve cleaned up the excess designs, and you’re satisfied with how everything looks, seal in your design with some O.P.I Top Coat or any other topcoat you have on hand and you’re done!

I hope you really love these nails and they get you to smile. Feel free to tell me how this went for you in the comments below! It’s the little things right now that make all the difference, I really enjoyed this design and writing it all out for you to enjoy. I hope it’s brightened your day! -Heather Astaneh

How to Paint Cinco De Mayo Sugar Skull Nails by autumnbecomes.me

How to Paint Cinco De Mayo Sugar Skull Nails!

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