Spring Has(n't) Sprung!

Happy second day of spring! If only it wasn't 36° here in NJ! It doesn't feel like spring at all :*(

BUT, I decided it was appropriate to do my first spring manicure anyway.  Winter, be gone!

The manicure I did today is one I'm very proud of.  I haven't done a gradient in a while, and I had two adorable colors I wanted to try out.

As always, I started with my Rimmel base coat.  I used two coats of this on my accent nail, just because it makes it easier to peel it right off after a few days and avoid the hassle of removing glitter with acetone.  Then, I applied two coats of Confetti Belle of the Ball, which is a very pretty lavender color.  The application for Belle of the Ball was definitely not ideal; the first coat was very streaky and the application was uneven.  However, when I added a second coat it evened right out and was at full opacity, so I can't really complain!

On my ring fingers, I used 3 or 4 coats (I lost count, it may have even been 5!) of Milani 550 Twinkle.  I snagged this polish the second I laid eyes on it! I had been looking for a polish with these EXACT color glitters in it, and when I saw it I knew it was meant to be ;-)

Once my base color was dry, I followed this tutorial using a wedge-shaped makeup sponge to create the gradient.  The other color I used in the gradient is Wet n' Wild megalast I Need a Refresh-Mint, which turned out to be AWESOME for creating a gradient. It looks so smooth! (if i do say so myself!)

And finally, I topped everything off with TWO coats of NYC In a New York Minute Grand Central Station fast dry top coat.  I used two coats of this to even out the bumpiness of both the gradient and the glitter.

I think these colors are great together; but I'm more of a dark red/purple/navy blue kind of girl.  But here is a manicure for you in the spirit of spring!

<3 Ariel