The Polished Bookworms (a book club on Facebook for ladies who enjoy combining the hobbies of reading and nail art) is starting out the new year with Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. There are several books in the series, but I've only read the first one and these nails might be a clue as to why I can't see myself going any farther.
The story and characters really can be charming at times. The main character, Claire, travels back in time to the Scottish Highlands and meets Jaime Fraser, a true red headed Scott. I thoroughly enjoyed the accents and immersion into that time period. It would have been great except apparently half of everyone from that time was a psychotic, violent sadist. I'd be reading along, really getting into the story when, boom, suddenly Jaime has half the skin ripped off his back by Captain Rapey.. I mean Randal.
I'll admit, I have no ability to stomach that kind of violence. I know those kinds of things and worse happened back then, and it's all part of painting the picture, but I just couldn't get past the torture scenes enough to make the rest worth it.
Because the violent parts are what stuck in my head the most, I chose to paint the results of Jaime's multiple lashings on my nails. Quite brutal, no?
I painted a base of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Brick Wall and Spoiled, Hit the Brakes, then covered that up with OPI, My Vampire Is Buff. While everything was still semi-wet, I used a needle to drag through the top layer of polish exposing the "blood" underneath. I went back into the "cuts" with OPI, I Sing In Color which is an almost black red to make it look like the cuts had clotted a bit. The end result is fairly gruesome.. just like the book in some places.
I hope my nail art hasn't scarred you too much (pun intended). If violence doesn't bother you much and you like hot Scottish guys in kilts I'd recommend the series. If you're overly sensitive like me you may want to stick with something safer. Maybe someday I'll grow a thicker skin and be able to read the rest because it really was an interesting start.