*Guest Blog* Ombre Nail Tutorial

This week I'm having a Guest Blog Takeover! Today's post is written by Gwen from ThisFashionisMine, showing us how to create a gorgeous bright ombre nail design for the summer!

A lot of the time my nails are one of two shades, pale pink or a beige nude. But in the summer I prefer inject some colour into my life. Not only with my wardrobe but also with my nails!

Follow this simple tutorial to create these amazingly bright and bold nails. To the outsider, this design looks intricate and complicated, but I'm going to show you how to get this gorgeous nail design in less than 15 minutes, and it's so easy!)

You Will Need

1) Two summery shades of polish. I prefer to use pastel colours but brights will work just as well. I'm using Barry M Pale Blue and Models Own Lemon Meringue.

2) A clear polish as a base coat. I'm using Sally Hansen Hard as Nails.
3) A small piece of sponge
4) Crackle Effect nail polish. This one is from Barry M in black, but OPI now do their own collection too.

Start off by prepping your nails, shaping them and making them look as neat as possible. A good foundation means better results.

Apply your base coat and leave to dry. This Sally Hansen polish is also like a tiny treatment for my nails, making them stronger.

Apply one coat of your first colour. In my case it’s the yellow. Leave to dry!

Using your sponge, apply a small amount of the blue polish to the sponge… your going to dab the polish on to the tips of your nails.

Keep dabbing gently to blend the blue down into the yellow - creating the ombre, gradient effect. Don't use too much polish, you can easily add more if needed.

Don't worry about being messy, this look is not about being neat and tidy. Any polish that gets on the sides of your nails can be removed using a cotton bud dipped in polish remover.

Once this coat is completley dry you can then go in with your Nail Effects. To use the nail effects for the best results, only apply two-three sweeping motions down the nail.

Repeated strokes of the polish on top of another will 'clog up' the crackle design. This is the exciting part as you see the nail art really take shape! Allow the crackle polish to dry and then admire your bright summer nails!

An optional top coat can be applied to make the nails shiny, and to lock in the polish which means there is less chance of chipping, but I prefer this slightly matte look.

Any colour choice would look great, but two contrasting colours like yellow and blue or green and orange look amazing!

My nails remind me of the sea meeting the beach on a hot summers day...

Enjoy!

Be sure to check out Gwen's blog HERE!