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Overlaid Red, Black and White Gradient Nails!

Ever since I did this mani recently I've been wanting to do a better version.  The colours seemed like they would work together but it just didn't turn out how I wanted.  I wanted to try again and decided to learn from my original mistakes.  For example, make sure you use a super opaque creme polish on your top layer, don't bother with horizontal stripes and using thicker lines looks cool too.


To start, I applied three coats of Rimmel Stiletto Red.  Once it was dry, I used a makeup sponge, painting three quarters of a nail's worth in Sally Hansen Pat on the Black (ironically really a dark maroon) and a thin strip of Stiletto Red to help it blend in.  After letting it and the coat of Seche Vite dry completely, I cut thin strips of masking tape and layered on OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls and Rimmel Black Satin.  I found Black Satin a little sheer so I ended up blobbing on the black first with the brush then gradient-ing over the top.  Another coat of Seche Vite and it's done.





 The Verdict: I'm happy with how the gradients came up but I think I'm still on the fence about how the end result looks.  It reminds me of something I can't quite put my finger on.  It certainly is eye-catching though, so I guess that's a good sign?  I don't know, I think I'm going to try one more time, maybe with striping tape, see what super thin stripes look like.  Yeah.


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Comments

  1. TeresaFebruary 25, 2013 at 3:38 PM

    I thought this was foil and mirrored polish at first!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jackie MFebruary 25, 2013 at 3:46 PM

    this is so interesting! i really dont know how i feel about it though I'm not big on gradients but this is still lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kelly @ Nails for the Sake of SanityFebruary 25, 2013 at 4:22 PM

    Wow, this is so unique! I love it :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jolène @ follow gashinFebruary 25, 2013 at 6:34 PM

    I find it Burton-esque! (A good thing.) I think the thicker stripes have more visual impact than thin ones would, which is important to such a bold combo.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousFebruary 25, 2013 at 8:46 PM

    I wish those white glare things didn't always show up on your nails. It takes away from the effect.

    ReplyDelete
  6. NailglazeFebruary 25, 2013 at 10:14 PM

    This is interesting and unusual but I like the result.

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownFebruary 26, 2013 at 2:38 AM

    Stunning!
    You know, no more words needed ^_^

    ReplyDelete
  8. My Nail Polish OnlineFebruary 26, 2013 at 11:34 AM

    This looks very interesting! I love the colors together!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ich stehe zwischen zwei Welten, bin in keiner daheim...March 9, 2013 at 2:04 AM

    hi, this nail art is amazing! I have to try it myself! it's so cool! :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousMarch 9, 2013 at 6:13 AM

    Oh wow, this looks amazing. The colors are so pretty choosen!

    ReplyDelete
  11. UnknownMarch 11, 2013 at 1:12 PM

    LOVE YOUR BLOG, I WOULD LOVE IT IF YOU CHECK OUT MY BLOG & FOLLOW IF YOU LIKE :)

    http://rorolovesbeauty.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  12. UnknownMarch 13, 2013 at 11:15 AM

    WOW, looks amazing!

    Kendra

    www.beautybykendrac.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Nobody GirlMarch 16, 2013 at 2:58 PM

    im a newbie blogger, and im going to add you/follow you. i just wanted to say hello because i know sometimes when you get added you think 'oh this is spam' or.. 'oh this is some foreign jerkface.' but i assure you im not :p just another nail addict!

    also: is that opi a good 'white' polish to use? i have been looking for a nice white that has good coverage, isnt goopy, dont need like 6 coats to make it white... any suggestions?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. beachgalMarch 29, 2013 at 12:23 AM

      IMO - OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls is a great polish esp for nail art. It's not optic white however..it's a tish grayed. That said, it is what many love about using it in nail art - when Optic white is too brilliant and can over-take other shades around it, MBSW works as it blends well with most other shades. My bottle has a great formula - it's not a 1 coater but I never needed more than 2 coats and it self-levels well, does not pool or do the balding thing unless you use too much on your brush or too little or over work it in some way. It's been really popular and right now is a LTD ED so grab a bottle if you think you want to give it a try. Hard to find a perfect optic white. Many folks like Sally Hansen's White Out. Others have been pleased with the newer white cream from Cult Nails (forgetting the name right now - it's late and I did not sleep at all last night)..tip - you can often take the scotch tape dispenser most store counters have and put a little test blob of polish on that in the space between the roll and the cutter edge. I also try to take a clean sheet of printer paper with me when I know I am going to be shopping where I will run into polishes...then I can take 'em home with me to look longer at them and also look at what I already have next to the new swatches on my paper.

      Delete
  14. beachgalMarch 29, 2013 at 12:14 AM

    WOW! This is really something! I have never seen anything like this - and it photographs kind of mysterious!

    ReplyDelete

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