I realize what you may be thinking right now - me and nail art?! But you know, sometimes it is fun to whip out some nail polishes you've had in your collection for a while and combine them into something completely new and different. I'm a total neub when it comes to nail designs, so if I can have a go at these spring-appropriate looks, I'm sure everyone can too; there are minimal tools required, and it's all rather on trend with the Radiant Orchid color theme. Can you tell how proud I am of myself? I am trendy, you guys.
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1. Tonal Lavender Gradient with Zoya Julie & Hudson
This was my second time dabbling with a sponge ombre, and I've decided to use two shimmery lilac/lavender shades from Zoya for a subtle tonal gradient. I applied two coats of Julie on my nails, allowed them to dry well, and then dabbed with a sponge painted with a stripe of Hudson (to about 1/3 of my nail length) and a thicker stripe of Julie - I repeated this twice for more coverage. I absolutely loved this look: the ombre effect was delicate but still visible, and I enjoyed the more pronounced warm shimmer running through Hudson.
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2. Rose Gold Triangle Accents with China Glaze That's Shore Bright & Champagne Kisses
For these glitter accents, I painted two coats of China Glaze's That's Shore Bright for my base color, then blocked off the shape of my slim triangles with strips of scotch tape, layered on Champagne Kisses in the triangle area and removed the strips immediately before the polish had a chance to dry. Once I had all the triangles in place, I hand painted more glitter on for greater opacity. I felt that this design was the most interesting texturally: a slightly matte finish of the neon purple played off the sandy grittiness of rose gold glitter rather well (I skipped a top coat to preserve the original finish of these polishes).
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3. Easter Egg Polka Dots with Essie Splash of Grenadine & Van D'Go
Happy Easter, my dears! Every year I like to sport a festive manicure for Easter, usually using some fun spring pastel shades. This time I went for a cheerful pastel polka dot look, using two coats of Essie's Splash of Grenadine as a base, and stamping on Van D'Go with a bamboo skewer (I'm not fancy enough to own a set of dotting tools... but I just might one day!). I think this speckled egg 'dotticure' is just perfect for Easter, and I can't wait to play around with other color combinations!
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I hope you enjoyed these nail art ideas! It was definitely a lot of fun for me to push myself and experiment with something I'm usually too lazy to go for. Are you into nail designs or do you prefer simpler manicures? Would you try any of these looks yourself?
This was my second time dabbling with a sponge ombre, and I've decided to use two shimmery lilac/lavender shades from Zoya for a subtle tonal gradient. I applied two coats of Julie on my nails, allowed them to dry well, and then dabbed with a sponge painted with a stripe of Hudson (to about 1/3 of my nail length) and a thicker stripe of Julie - I repeated this twice for more coverage. I absolutely loved this look: the ombre effect was delicate but still visible, and I enjoyed the more pronounced warm shimmer running through Hudson.
For these glitter accents, I painted two coats of China Glaze's That's Shore Bright for my base color, then blocked off the shape of my slim triangles with strips of scotch tape, layered on Champagne Kisses in the triangle area and removed the strips immediately before the polish had a chance to dry. Once I had all the triangles in place, I hand painted more glitter on for greater opacity. I felt that this design was the most interesting texturally: a slightly matte finish of the neon purple played off the sandy grittiness of rose gold glitter rather well (I skipped a top coat to preserve the original finish of these polishes).
Happy Easter, my dears! Every year I like to sport a festive manicure for Easter, usually using some fun spring pastel shades. This time I went for a cheerful pastel polka dot look, using two coats of Essie's Splash of Grenadine as a base, and stamping on Van D'Go with a bamboo skewer (I'm not fancy enough to own a set of dotting tools... but I just might one day!). I think this speckled egg 'dotticure' is just perfect for Easter, and I can't wait to play around with other color combinations!
I hope you enjoyed these nail art ideas! It was definitely a lot of fun for me to push myself and experiment with something I'm usually too lazy to go for. Are you into nail designs or do you prefer simpler manicures? Would you try any of these looks yourself?