I'm back! With another gradient!

Hi folks! Sorry for the unexpectedly long hiatus - we moved at the beginning of the month, and when the cable guys came to install the internet, they discovered that the wires they needed were nowhere to be found in our building! So they have to come and physically install these wires in order provide their service to our building. That is going to take another few weeks!!! I've been going to Starbucks almost every day to do my homework, but the outlets there are a precious commodity and I'd feel bad hogging them to post pictures of my fingernails on the internet. Luckily, our upstairs neighbors were nice enough to give us their WiFi password over the weekend, so I'm back online!

I've amassed a bit of a collection of pictures to post while I was gone, but I'll start with the last ones I took at our old place. This is my favorite gradient I've done so far!

I started with two coats of China Glaze Electric Beat, a bright periwinkle blue. Then using a makeup sponge, I dabbed China Glaze Flying Dragon on the tips to create a gradient. (Check out this gradient tutorial for a good explanation of the process.) Flying Dragon is one of the most amazing polishes I've ever seen and I can't believe I never noticed it on the display before, as I think it's permanent. It's a bright, almost neon, reddish purple with chunky purple and blue shimmer in it! I can't wait to wear it on its own because I think the neon-ness will come out more.

I love the way Electric Beat brings out the blue shimmer of Flying Dragon. Unfortunately I took these photos after a couple days so the tips are a little worn, but I still think this mani is absolutely gorgeous. I've got to do another gradient mani soon!

NOTD - Unintentional Chicago Bears mani?

These nails started out honoring my brother's request for a "blurple" nail polish. My mind immediately jumped to OPI Russian Navy. I love this color, and I don't wear it enough. It's a lovely dark navy blue base, but what makes it special is the pinky-purple shimmer running through it. It's unnoticeable indoors, but when the sun hits it, it glows.

Then, I was browsing through nail blogs, and I saw this amazing manicure. Chevron or V-gap manis are my favorite type of nail art because they are so easy and they allow you to experiment with different color combinations. Plus, they make my nails look longer and narrower, which is always a plus :)

I loved the olive green and glitter combination that Nailside used, but I had literally just finished my blurple mani! I didn't want to immediately remove the Russian Navy loveliness from my nails just yet. I dug through my stash to see what color would look good with it. I decided to go with OPI DS Classic, a beige-tan holographic glitter, for the V. To add a splash of contrasting color, I decided to outline the V with American Apparel Lopez Canyon, a pumpkin-orange creme one-coater.

V-gap mani using OPI Russian Navy, OPI DS Classic, and American Apparel Lopez Canyon

I used the Orly detail brush to outline the V with DS Classic, then used the OPI brush to fill it in. I layered two coats of DS Classic to build up opacity. I wasn't too concerned with keeping this part very neat, because I then used the Orly striping brush to line the edges of the V with Lopez Canyon, covering up any messiness. I really like the way this mani turned out! I can't wait to go out in the sun tomorrow to let it really come to life!

Do you ever try nail art, or do you just keep it simple with one color?