Monday, April 29, 2013

Purple Polka Dot Gradient

Hi everyone!

Happy Monday! Did you have a good weekend? Mine was nice... the weather just keeps getting better and better so I spent some time on my bike out in the sun. I also went on an awesome night hike on Saturday with my roommate Sara! So much fun. I don't have class today, so it still kind of feels like weekend, except not really because I have to study for my two tests this week. I have an anatomy exam tomorrow and another neuro written exam on Thursday... then three-day weekend! Woo!!

On Saturday my plan was to get a lot of studying done, but I got distracted doing my nails and playing outside haha. The mani I want to show you today is a product of that distractability, and I think it turned out great! It's been a really nice fun manicure to have on my nails while I study. It makes me happy =D haha. 

Anyways, click the link below for more information about my inspiration, how I did it, and the colors I used!



If you've read my blog before, you know how much I love my dotting tools. They're so easy to use and can create so many cool designs! Once I saw this mani on Chalkboard Nails, I knew I had to do something like it! I really love the contrasting colors she used and the gradient from large to small dots, more crowded to more sparse as you move down the nail. So shoutout to Sarah at Chalkboard nails! This look is killer! Such a great design. =)

I knew I wanted to use two colors in the same color family, one light and one dark. I experimented with different colors, like blue, green, and orange, and I liked purple the best with the base polish I used, so that's what I went with.

So here's what I did:

For my base, I used two coats of OPI My Vampire is Buff. I absolutely LOVE this off-white creamy shade! It's such a unique and beautiful take on a "white" polish and it applies like a dream, especially for a color like this. You can see my swatches of it here. Then I used my largest dotting tool and Essie Play Date (lighter purple) to make dots at the tip of my nails. I used two smaller sized dotting tools to make more dots going down the nail toward my cuticles. It's funny... I really dislike Play Date on its own on me - the tone of purple is a little too close to my skin tone and it kind of blends in and looks weird... yet it's perfect for nail art! And it's even more perfect over My Vampire is Buff.

Then I did the same thing with OPI Dutch Ya' Just Love OPI?, the darker purple shade. I really love this purple... you can't see too well in the photos, but it has this amazing red shimmer in it that gives it so much added dimension. 

Once the polka dots were dry enough, I added a coat of Seche Vite, and voila! A fun summertime (I know it's still spring but whatever) polka dot gradient manicure. I really love the contrast between the purple and the warmth of My Vampire is Buff, and I love the subtle contrast between the two purples!

Now the pictures. 

From L to R: My Vampire is Buff, Dutch Ya' Just Love OPI, Play Date

You can kind of see the red shimmer on my middle finger!


So what do you guys think of this mani? Are you as obsessed with dotting tools as I am? Anyone try any similar looks? Also, I made my pictures bigger this time... too big? Just right? I wish Blogger allowed us to manually change the sizes of images... there's too much of a difference between the medium and large sizes... unless there's something I'm missing? I'd love your feedback!

I hope you have an amazing day and a great week, and thanks for stopping by!






13 comments:

  1. This looks beautiful, I love this color combination so much! Thanks for sharing! :)

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    1. Aww thank you so much!! And thanks for checking it out =D I'm so inspired by your blog and your creativity

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  2. Oooh this is so pretty! Well done :-)

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  3. This is so pretty, the colours work really well together!

    I agree, My Vampire is Buff a super shade, I really like the colour and the application on that one; I've not been so impressed with a new OPI for ages :D

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    1. Thank you! I know, it's one of my favorites now, which is strange because it's a nude and not a bright crazy color with glitter or holo haha! The application surprised me too... 10/10 in my book =)

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  4. Oh Kelsey, this is gorgeous :) I love Play Date - I'll have to pull it out soon!

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    1. Thanks girlie! I know it's so great for nail art and goes well with so many other polishes!

      PS can't wait to start the May challenge!

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  5. This is amazing and waaaay better than the one I attempted a few days ago!!

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    1. Thank you so much, Dani! What color combination did you use? This design would look good with so many different polishes. Let me know when you re-attempt =)

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  6. Your nails are so beautiful. I really like the colors you used. I love polka dots.

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    1. Aw thanks so much! I had a hard time choosing which colors I wanted to use, but I really liked those two purples together... I'm happy you like em too! =D

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I really love getting comments, so if you like my post or have any suggestions, I'd love to hear what you think! I make sure to respond to every single one because I think this nail blogging community should be a collaborative one, and I love meeting and interacting with other nail polish addicts! Please don't post links to your blog on here, but if you'd like me to check it out, please email me at polishedprescription@gmail.com. Happy Commenting =)

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