31DC2014 Day 18 - Half Moons

ok, after that last fail I feel like this one has redeemed me...

Simple, yet oh-so-fancy! ooh la la!
I already did a half moon gradient on Day 10 so again I wanted to be a bit more innovative for this challenge. This 'waterfall mani' was coined by the Nailasaurus, but I did a mash up of that with the half moon.
I started with Zoya Dream, possibly one of my fave polishes EVA (and yes, I have every other version that Zoya has made, but I do wish the holographic particles were more visible in pics)! I used reinforcement stickers for the moons and then a detail brush for the lines.

I don't know what it is with me, but I am terrible with striping brushes! I started with that and they just looked like a hot mess, so I turned to a detail brush for better control. The lines are fatter, but straighter, and I like the fact that they taper. I used Konad Silver and OPI Love.Angel.Music.Baby.
The stickers prevented me from getting a crisp line so I redefined them after I was done with the detail brush. I love this look and want to experiment with more color combos!

-L

My Grade-est Hit! 31DC2014, Day 10 - Gradients

Oh god, nail puns! hahahaha

I just had to.

Today I present to you my greatest Instagram hit - my newly dubbed "crossover gradient".  I do gradients ALL the time, so for this prompt in the challenge I really wanted to go above and beyond.

crossover gradient

Yay! This look got almost 250 likes, and one of them was the Nailasaurus! I def fan-girl squee'd when I saw that!

I started with a base of Zoya Brigitte. On my thumb, index and pinky I used a reinforcement sticker for my half moons, and a french manicure guide for the upper half. I've done and seen many half moon gradients before, and when I've seen double gradients Simply Nailogical has dubbed them 'scaled gradients', but those typically use craft tape to create a, well, scaled look with interesting shapes cut into the tape. I'm not sure this is a scaled gradient since it adheres to the half moon look.
The deepest purple in the gradient is Misa Sorry Just Can't Help It, then Zoya Odette and Zoya Rue.

The same gradient was used on my middle and ring finger over a french guide. When that was dry I went over it in the opposite direction, being sure to use a shade that would allow the previous gradient to be visible. This took a very light hand. I used OPI Don't Bossa Nova Me Around and Zoya Rue. Then for the hell of it I threw on Cirque Iris on my index and pinky for some shimmer.

I can't wait to try this technique again with different shades!!! Please let me know if you try a crossover gradient for yourself!

-L