Before I wore glitter eye makeup on the daily, I was deep into nail art. I guess you could say nails were my beauty first love.
This week’s nail look is simple to achieve but can look complex. If you decide to try this type of ombre nail (where you use a different color on each nail), it might seem like you need to buy 5 different nail polishes a shade or two away from each other. But truly, you only need 2-3 colors that are remotely similar and you can mix them to get the rest of the colors. Read on to find out how I did it.
*We’re committed to transparency. Products marked with an asterisk were given to us to try by the brand. As always, all thoughts expressed on Rouge18 are our honest opinions.
What You Need
Top Coat & Base Coat: A mani is only as good as its foundation and protection. You can use any base coat and top coat of your liking. I used the Orly Bonder Rubberized Base Coat and the *Anise Pro Gel No Light Base Coat & Top Coat as a top coat.
Color: You’d be surprised to learn you can achieve a coral-themed manicure with only one coral shade. Just pick a darker shade vaguely in orange/red family plus a pinkish white. I used:
1. *Jin Soon Nail Lacquer in “Pop Orange”
2. *Essie Cashmere Matter Nail Lacquer (Coral – Shade Name Unknown)
3. *OPI Nail Lacquer in “Lisbon Wants Moor OPI”
How To
Step 1: Apply base coat to all nails.
Step 2: Apply Jin Soon Nail Lacquer in “Pop Orange” to you thumbnail.
Step 3: Mix approximately 1 part Jin Soon Nail Lacquer in “Pop Orange” and 3 parts coral Essie Cashmere Matter Nail Lacquer. Apply to the pointer/second fingernail.
Step 4: Apply the coral Essie Cashmere Matter Nail Lacquer to your middle fingernail.
Step 5: Mix approximately 1 part coral Essie Cashmere Matter Nail Lacquer and 3 parts OPI Nail Lacquer in “Lisbon Wants Moor OPI”. Apply to the ring/fourth fingernail.
Step 6: Apply OPI Nail Lacquer in “Lisbon Wants Moor OPI” to your pinky fingernail.
Step 7: Apply a second coat of each color to your nails.
Step 8: Apply top coat to all nails.
Pro Tips
First, whenever you’re mixing nail polish, 1) be sure to mix a large batch as you will need at least 2 coats and it can be hard to re-mix an exact match & 2) work quickly because polish mixed on a palette is exposed to air and dries up faster.
Second, for added flair, when doing an ombre nail look of this sort, you can alternate the order on your other hand (i.e. start with OPI Nail Lacquer in “Lisbon Wants Moor OPI” on the thumb and end with Jin Soon Nail Lacquer in “Pop Orange” on the pinky).
Final Look
