Gorgeous Gradient

One of the biggest nail trends at the moment are gradient nails- as in ombré for your fingertips so you don’t have to do anything drastic to your hair! This delightful look can be a bit more time intensive to do yourself at home than a paint-and-go job- so you may just want to pamper yourself and visit your nearest salon to have them done. But if you’re handy with a nail brush and a bonafide nail artist with time on her side- gradient nails may just be a piece of cake that’s bright, glossy, and just plain pretty.

Tools

You’ll need two pastel polishes (not quick dry!) that will complement each other- but they don’t need to be on the same side of the color wheel! Purple and yellow can look equally as awesome as peach and hot pink. An angled eyeliner brush to mix the colors will be necessary too- just make sure you use an inexpensive one because ultimately- you’re covering it with nail polish! Use base coat mixed with the colored nail polish to allow you to layer the colors gradually. Find a base coat that won’t leave any bumps or bubbles in the finish.

Base Coat

Wash hands thoroughly so there is not oil on the nails to ensure that they last long. Apply two layers of your base coat, the lighter of the two colors that you’ve chosen for your manicure and let dry for 10 minutes.

Start Mixing

Use a small piece of tin foil to mix equal parts of the second color with the thin base coat applied. Use the eyeliner brush to mix the second color with the base coat and blend in extremely small amounts for the best effect. Fresh polish is important to use on every layer- so you want it to dry quickly with each application.

Blend

Layer the mixture of the base coat and the second color by dabbing the color from the middle of your nail to the end with your eyeliner brush with light strokes, working quickly and evenly across the whole nail.

Layer

Add two to three more layers of the thinned polish colors starting closer to the tip of the nail with each application. The color should be most concentrated at the tip of the nail. You can even add a bit of concentrated color at the tip of the nail for some serious color.

Finish with Shine

To get the exact amount of gradient you want, the number of layers you apply will vary. Using a great top coat can fix small mistakes and cover up strange textures so make sure you don’t forget this step as it also blends the colors together even more. Finish with two layers of top coat to seal the deal and make sure your fingernails are completely dry before any activity- you wouldn’t want all that work to go to waste!