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July 06, 2015

Mani Monday: Gradient Nail (first attempt)


Nail art tutorials online make things look so easy. But they are far from it.. oh yes, Far from being THAT simple.


Sorry this is posted so late in the day. I've barely had the chance to sit down for more than 10 minutes since Tuesday night. But, more on that in a different post...

I 've always loved gradient nails; they're just beautiful. But boy, are they messy! Looking at some tutorials online, I figured I'd just be able to use some liquid latex around my nails, then sponge the gradient onto my nails, remove liquid latex, and Voila!  But no... it was not that easy.

Go Overboard, Turquoise & Caicos and Blu

Not only was the liquid latex a pain to apply (I have a big container, maybe transfer into an empty nail polish bottle would have been better), it was also a pain to peel off. It didn't come off nicely like all those videos online show. Nope. It came off in about, 6 little pieces, for each nail. Maybe I needed to apply it thicker or let it dry longer? Not sure.

gradient nails
Other tips:
- Cover more of the skin surrounding your nails than you think you'll need.
- Apply some sort of base colour, like white or the lightest colour you're using. I did it on straight base coat and took forever to get the polish looking opaque.

Once I was finally cleaned up, I stamped a little design and topped it off with a light holo glitter top coat.

gradient nails

While the journey was a pain, I'm quite happy at how these turned out. I'll probably attempt another gradient in the future, but may tweak my method a bit.



7 comments:

  1. That gradient looks good! I have tried (and failed!) to do it before.

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    1. oh no! Once you get the hang of it, I find it's not too bad. I wouldn't be able to do it if it weren't for makeup sponges!

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  2. omg I saw the first shot and I originally thought that was your end result. LOLLLLLLLL!

    I do love the (actual) end result though. The imprint on top is a lovely touch too.

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    1. Well, I Was pretty close to giving up and calling it a night. Darn mani took way longer that I would have liked!

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  3. I love your gradient! The colours are beautiful, and love the stamping you did on top.

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  4. My tips for gradient: forget the liquid latex. I can never get it to work. I have more success using a peel-off base, or just straight clean up with acetone and a brush. To apply the polish, use with a sponge eyeshadow applicator, or a makeup sponge cut into a thin band. Having a thin applicator makes it much easier to avoid a massive mess.

    Your end result looks gorgeous though!

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    1. Thanks Sarah! It was a learning experience for sure! It was a makeup sponge that I used... just used the entire one side of it! haha. Lesson learned! Next time will be a better cleanup (I hope!)

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