DIY: Ombre Nail Art

"Life is too short to have naked nails..." Well, here at Chelsea's Boutique, we agree with that statement! That's why we have recently started selling nail polish for you lovely ladies, so your nails won't have to be bear any longer!

We know that doing your nails can sometimes be messy, time-consuming, and downright frustrating! And getting a manicure can get pretty pricey. We've all been there! So today on the blog, we are gonna show you a super-easy tutorial on how you can spruce up your nails for this summer!

For this DIY nail tutorial, you are going to need two nail polish colors of your choice. We chose a lavender and light blue for a fun pastel, summer look. Then, you will need some sort of base and top coat. For our base layer, we chose "Hard as Nails" polish by Sally Hansen, and our top coat is our very own Madly Matte polish that is now available in store :)

And for extra supplies, all you are going to need is a bottle of nail polish remover/acetone, Q-tips, and foundation sponges.

First off, you will apply your base coat of choice. Today we are using a nail-strengthening polish for our base coat. If you are a nail biter or have brittle nails, we highly suggest some sort of strengthening base coat. Also, base coats help your nails clean up nice, especially when you like to use a lot of vibrant colors that like to stick around on your nails. No one wants that!!

Second, apply your first color of polish. Make sure that it is the color that you want to be on top of your nail (closer to your cuticles). You may have to apply more than one coat depending on how transparent your nail polish is. Then, wait for the coats of your first color to dry.

Next, grab one of those handy-dandy foundation sponges. Take the color that you just applied to your nails and paint a line of that color on the top of the sponge. Then, take your second color of choice and paint a line underneath your first color (as shown in the pic above). This second color of polish will add the super-cute ombré effect to your nails!

Note: Make sure the lines you painted onto the sponge are wide enough to cover your whole nail.

Then, once the first color has dried properly, take the sponge and lightly dab the colors onto your nails until you get the ombré of your liking. Make sure to cover the entire width of your nail! You will have to reapply the lines of nail polish onto the sponge after doing each nail to get that vibrant color.

Note: Don't worry if your nails look a little smudgy afterwards. Your top coat will fix all that ;)

You are almost there! Looking cute!

Now, it is time to clean up those beauties! To clean the extra polish off the sides of your nails, you can either use Q-tips or, if you want to use the rest of that sponge, you can dip the sponge into the nail polish remover and use that instead. Now you don't have to waste a bunch of Q-tips! For ease of use, we poured some nail polish remover into the cap of the bottle and just dipped the sponge in there to avoid spilling.

Then, just carefully wipe at the edges of your nails to get the extra polish off.

Tip: If you don't want to risk messing up your nails, you can just wait for your nails to dry completely, and the extra polish should come off when you take a shower!

Adorable!

Now that they are all cleaned up, it is time to add the finishing touches!

Next, take your top coat of choice and, once your nails have dried a bit, apply it on top! Today, we are using a top coat that gives your nails a super sleek, matte look. However, if you prefer the glossier look, feel free to use a regular top coat!

Lastly, it is time to step back and take a look at your new super-easy, gorgeous DIY manicure!

We told you, it really is that simple! And now you are going to look even more fab than usual and everyone is going to be complimenting you on those new nail beauties of yours :)

If you want to check out these pretty pastel colors we used for the tutorial today, come and visit us at Chelsea's Boutique in Downtown Sioux Falls, 321 S Phillips Ave!

Xoxo,

Erin 

(The newest Chelsea's Boutique intern)