abeautybag
Go Gradient: Nail it.
Start from the top left hand corner and work round it like a clock.
1. Base coat – for obvious reasons.
- Apply a light coat.
2. Choose your colour scheme. I chose pink but I’ve seen it done it blue and orange and they look equally amazing!
- Get the lightest colour possible you can get your hands on. Most use white but as I didn’t have white, this pale pink was the closest (and I feel it works just as well!)
3. Apply the light colour all over your nail.
4. Take the next shade up. I chose my OPI strawberry shade nail varnish.
5. Mix with the lightest shade you used in stage 2. (Two to three drops of each should be enough for both hands). – I used a plate to mix on and a cocktail stick to mix with.
- Apply this about a third down your nail so 2/3rds are covered.
- Make sure each layer is completely dry before applying the next (or it’ll get messy!)
6. When dry, choose the shade darker than step 4. I chose my OPI shade ‘You’re a Pisa Work’ which i absolutely adore. Drop about 3 droplets of your darker shade onto the mixing plate.
7. Mix this with the remains of what you’ve been using. Add a drop of the original light varnish if needed.
8. Choose your next colour. and repeat process – This time covering only 1/3 of your nail.
9. It should look a little like this. Don’t worry about any mess – It is easily removed with a good varnish remover and precision brush.
10. You can get darker & darker but I decided to finish with a purple as this is a gradient of pink. I mainly did it because a lot of my pinks are very similar shades, so to create a thorough gradient I went with a lilac shade into a darker purple.
11. This is my lilac from OPI – shade ‘Panda Monium’.
12. Mixed into this deep purple – Pamplona Purple.
13. Back to top coat. Make sure you leave it dry for longer than usual.
NOTE: I’m not going to lie, it’s a little fiddly but I did manage to do it first time. If you find it difficult, don’t be disheartened – give it a try – afterall; practise makes perfect!
