Skitch-I-Y: Ombré Nails!

Hi guys! What a week! I've been working on some freelance illustration plus my day job and I promised I'd post as soon as I finished working on that but I'm going to be quite a bit more on it so I decided I'd take a break and post about my first attempt at ombré nails. I am extremely happy with the results and I can't say enough good things about my color choice. LOVE IT! How more cheerful can you get? I've been working on some personal aspects in my life and they're taking quite a good spin so I thought these colors would reflect my positivity. Let's get started!

You'll need: 

• At least two nail varnish colors of your choice.
• Base coat
• Top coat
• Beauty sponge
• Q-tips
• Nail Polish remover
• water 

Step 1: Prep and apply a base coat to your nails. I've been using Bettina's Stick It Base Coat for a while now and I am loving how good it is! I've had my ombré for about three almost four days and not a single bit of chipping so far. NOTHING. Usually I would already be re-touching since my nails are so brittle. And the price was another clincher for me. Under $5! 

Step 2: After your base coat dries, apply two coats of your first color of choice. I went for my new polish obsession: Bettina's Green Apple. I've already used it in three consecutive manis, including a splatter nail, or how I like to call it, a "Jackson Pollock nail". You can see it here. Let me know if you'd like a tutorial on that!  The only downside is that it's a potent color. Pretty much changes any other color layered over it as you may see on this tutorial.

Step 3: After your base color has dried, take your sponge and dip it in water. Wring out the excess water. It should be moist but not too dry or else the color won't transfer smoothly. Practice makes perfect here. Take your sponge and dip it in your other color or brush some polish onto the sponge. I prefer swiping the brush on the sponge to prevent the polish from drying. 

Step 4: Start dabbing your colored sponge over the area you want to ombré little by little. You might need to be patient to achieve your desired tone as the sponge might absorb the color. Work it gradually until you've got no visible lines and your color is even. If necessary, clean off your edges with some nail polish remover and a q-tip.

After it dries, apply a good coat or two or top coat and you're done! Instead of a glossy coat, I decided to go matte to give this bright, summer nail an extra umph! I used NYC's Matte Me Crazy. I like it! No chipping so far. A little inner cracking but it's to be expected at this point and it only cost me $2.19. Yes!

If you try out the ombré nail, show me! Experiment with colors, textures and tones. You can link me in the comments below, post on my Facebook page or tag me on Instagram! I'm LilaLane. See you soon with a few more DIY's, beauty and fashion posts I've got lined up. Hopefully I can get them all done before I move to NY!