Glue all the Things!!!

Hello lovies! Gradient + Stamping = AWESOME.

Don't ask me why, but this combo is one of my favorites. I love putting stamping and gradients together, because it really plays tricks on the eyes. Between the fading colors and a crisply done stamped design, I don't know where to look.

To create my colorful base, I did one coat of China Glaze Sunshine Pop which is a super bright yellow creme polish. I think my yellow base is what really helps the colors in this mani pop. I love how vibrant it came out! 

Eseentially, this look is pretty straightfoward. However,  I did learn quite a few things while doing this mani. 

1) China Glaze polishes are good for gradients (especially bright colors).

2) Essie polishes, not so much. They are kinda watery and not so good for gradients. The green at the base of my nails is an Essie polish and of all the colors, came out the least vibrant.

3) Use Glue! I know that sounds crazy, but simple Elmer's glue is essential for any mani involving gradients or stamping. I tend to be a bit messy when doing a gradient/stamp and get polish all over my fingers. However, after some recommendations from fellow bloggers, I decided to use Elmer's glue to save clean up time. I don't know who came up with this technique, but it's absolute genius.

After I painted my yellow base coat, I used a nail art brush to paint a thin coat of elmers glue around  the skin surrounding my nail (especially around the cuticle). Once that dried completely, I did my gradient and stamping. When both those coats were dry, I simply peeled the elmer's glue off my skin along with that pesky leftover polish. Almost no clean up time = LOVE.

SIDENOTE: Yes, the glue will feel messy and a little weird, but  let it dry completely and do it's magic. It's best to glue all ten fingers at once and let them dry so you can manuever your polish, brush, stamp, etc. 

EXTRA SIDENOTE: My boyfriend was with me when I did this mani and had way too much fun helping me peel the glue off.

So in conclusion, GLUE ALL THE THINGS!

 

 Like what you see? Check out my other designs on pinterest!

China Glaze - Sunshine Pop (Yellow)
China Glaze - Salsa (Red)
Essie - Shake Your $$ Maker (Green)
Revlon - Siren
Konad Black
Moyou London Pro Collection (XL) 06 - flower/leaf pattern