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Cost: $ $ $ $ $

Difficulty: • • • • •

Time: 2h00

A variation of gradient nails that uses an opaque bottom coat and a semi-transparent top coat.
I was looking for a relatively quick and easy way to make gradient nails. It occurred to me to use a transparent color over a dark one to draw out the dark color, while modifying it.
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Note: Your transparent (see-through) color needs to be harmonious with your opaque (not see-through) color, because the transparent color won't just blend with but will cover the opaque one. For instance, this pink over purple intensifies the purple to a deep magenta. Orange and green, however, would result in a muddy brown.

Posted by Vermin Jerky from San Diego, California, United States • Published 6th March 2012 • See Vermin Jerky's 22 projects »

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Netra H. favorited Transparent Opaque Gradient Nails 06 Mar 12:55
Judy favorited Transparent Opaque Gradient Nails 19 May 02:42
Marta H. favorited Transparent Opaque Gradient Nails 12 Mar 19:47
cristinakilljoyway favorited Transparent Opaque Gradient Nails 21 Feb 01:58
KiTKaTDoom favorited Transparent Opaque Gradient Nails 18 Dec 23:29
djbotham favorited Transparent Opaque Gradient Nails 10 Dec 11:37
Nicole R. favorited Transparent Opaque Gradient Nails 21 Oct 04:04
rowanschaefer favorited Transparent Opaque Gradient Nails 21 Jul 23:23
stephanie m. favorited Transparent Opaque Gradient Nails 18 Jul 08:05
mlarmalade favorited Transparent Opaque Gradient Nails 23 Jun 01:47

Step 1
My nail polishes, from left to right: Transparent - Sinful Colors 814 "Forget Now" (shimmery hot pink); Opaque - Sinful Colors 929 "Let's Talk" (deep, intense, pearly violet); Top Coat - Sinful Colors 142 "Pearl Harbor" (clear with fine white-blue-aqua iridescent glitter).
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Prep your nails as you please. I'd recommend a bare nail cleaned with polish remover or rubbing alcohol.
Step 2
Scrape as much of the dark color off its brush as you can, and lightly brush the color up from the cuticle. The light amount of polish should cause feathering at the edge.
Step 3
Take your transparent color and brush down from the tip of the nail toward the cuticle. Squish the colors together a bit where they meet.
Step 4
Brush the transparent color all the way down to the cuticle. Brush up and down the nail to blend the colors. Try not to pull the dark polish too far up to avoid monotony.
Step 5
While the nail is still very wet, before moving on to other nails, apply a slightly thicker coat of the dark color right at the cuticle.
Step 6
Use the transparent color and pull the dark color up from the cuticle, making sure to get a full coat of the transparent color.
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Let the polish set.
Step 7
A second coat repeating steps 5 and 6 will intensify and even out the color.
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Let the polish set.
Step 8
GLITTER!
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Once it's dry, you're done. :)