Glitter Gradient Nails

April 06, 2013

This is my first glitter gradient mani, I wanted to do something like this for a while but was afraid that it wouldn't look as good as I imagined, because it's important to choose a good kind of glitter for the job. What is a good kind of glitter for gradient, you ask? Well, I don't know yet lol. I think it should have different sizes of glitter, and it will look best if it has really small glitter too.

I used China Glaze Under The Boardwalk for the base (2 coats), it's a pretty dark fuchsia color. I was surprised to see it dry with a plastic finish (kind of matte), but then I was told that neon colors tend to have this plastic finish. Good to know! ;) I normally like my nails glossy, and I always use a glossy top (Poshe is the best!) so that doesn't really matter I guess. I really liked the formula, it was nice to work with, and the coverage was surprisingly good, I ended up using two coats but  it was pretty nice and pigmented.
For the glitter gradient I used China Glaze Make A Spectacle, it's a lovely iridescent glitter that changes it's color in the light, I really love this kind of glitter. I layered it three times over the base color, but unfortunately they didn't look that nice layered together. I think CG Make A Spectacle will look much better over light pastel colors, and even over white. I plan to try these versions as well in the future, and I have a feeling that I'm going to like it much more.
I was hoping to achieve a different look, but that's what I ended up with. I don't think this is the best combination I could have gone for, but I did want to use these two new colors I haven't tried yet, so that's one good thing about this mani. It's not that bad, but it's not something gorgeous either. I guess it's ok to make a simple not-that-amazing mani once in a while, right? ;)





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20 Comments

  1. your first attempt went better than mine ! i failed and mine chipped really easily !

    Mad Hatters Nail Party

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  2. I think it looks very pretty! Glitter gradients are one of my favourite things to do because they are so simple to make and often turn out looking great. :)

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  3. It looks gorgeous! I love the very fine glitter <3

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  4. I think this is really pretty:) It's a subtle gradient! I always use a polish which has the same color as the glitter as a base (where the glitter should be) before applying different layers of glitter, to get a stronger effect. But this is really lovely, and would def look good as nude colored nails too! :)

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  5. I think it turned out very pretty!! I love that pink!!

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  6. beautiful :) not too eye catchy and not too plain - just the right amount of glitter!

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  7. Beautiful !!!!!

    kisses


    http://marla-grace.blogspot.com.br/
    http://www.facebook.com/pages/Unhas-Esmaltes/231428246983716?ref=hl

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  8. Wow, love the glitter you did the gradient with! Looks so delicate and angelic <3

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  9. I love that mani, it is so pretty!

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  10. I think they look good layered together !

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  11. I think it's pretty and cute picture of you at the end

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  12. Pretty! And you look cute :-)

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  13. You're right on the perfect glitter for this type of gradient. But like you found out, its important that the color match. I still think your manicure looks pretty nevertheless and so do you! :) Kisses

    Cristina

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  14. Ahh, this is such a stunning manicure! I'm tempted to go out and buy both of the colors just to try this gradient for myself.

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