SUMMER WEEK! How To: Ombre Summer Sunset Nails

There's just something about a Summer Sunset. I knew a lady once who "collected" them and had a huge photo collection of sunsets around the world. I do the same thing but with videos of beaches I've been to. When I'm in the need of calm, I'll watch them. They're just 1 minute clips of the waves--that's it. Another thing I do to forget my cares is to paint my nails. This simple act allows me to focus instead on staying within the lines. But with this tutorial you don't have to do that. It's a bit messy and it all sort of blends together, like the ocean or sunset. This was the longest intro to a post, so without further ado, here are my Pink Ombre Summer Sunset Nails.

T O O L S:

• white polish
• 3 shades of polish (I used varying shades of pink)
• sponge (I used a makeup sponge)
• clear polish
• polish remover for touch ups & makeup applicator

M E T H O D:

• Paint your nails white--this is a must & allows the colors to show up. Paint another coat if necessary. Allow to dry fully!
• Wet your sponge & squeeze out excess. This is important, as it prevents the sponge from sucking the polishes into it.

• Apply paint to the sponge by painting stripes with the darkest shade at the top, then middle, and then the lightest shade at the bottom.

• Press sponge onto nail. The sponge should be placed with the lightest shade hitting the nail bed, aka the bottom of your nail.
• Remove sponge and then carefully dab over the nail to fill in any missing areas.
• Apply a coat of clear and allow to dry. The clear polish will help blend the colors together and adds to the ombre/gradient effect.
• Unless you cut the sponge to the exact size of your nails, you'll have excess paint on your skin. Just use the polish remover. That's it!

T I P S:

• You will need to reapply polish to the sponge after every other nail, depending on thickness/quality of polish.
• Use whatever 3 colors you like--neons, pastels, whatever, but no more than three.
• If paint on your skin is cumbersome, apply tape around your nails before painting. Remove the tape and voila, clear skin.
• Another way for application is to apply your paint stripes to a paper plate/cardboard/etc and dip the sponge into it before applying to nails.
• Three key tips to remember: white base, dry nails, wet sponge.

PS: Check out more nail tutorials here.

Enjoy your weekend--share it with me by following on Twitter!

Be safe, behave, and be well. Love, Elle