My first gradient mani...plus stamping

Hey all!

Warning! Pic Heavy...

After watching soguesswhat11's "Totally Inspired" nail tutorial on YouTube, I was inspired...

Here's a link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AlXC5hoMMU&feature=plcp

Like a kid on her first day of school I gathered all my supplies (whew, were there a lot!) and got ready to be artistic.  I'm pretty happy with the results, but it took a while to get there.

Here's how I got there:

First, I applied by favorite base coat, Perfect Formula Gel Coat

Second, 2 coats of Zoya Tracie (I let it dry for about 15 min before moving on the to gradient)

After Tracie dried a bit, I painted 3 stripes on the back of one of my stamping plates (Zoya Tracie, Julep Daphne, then Zoya Breezi).

Then, using a sponge, I dabbed it on my finger until I was satisfied (or as close to satisfied as I could get on the first try).

Don't be alarmed!  It's messy, but remember the pretty picture at the beginning of this post?  It all turns out okay!  Promise.

If that wasn't enough, I added a very light coating of Zoya Apple to kind of blur the messiness of the sponge gradient.  Thank goodness for glitter!

Finally, I used my Kleancolor Black and stamped using my Mash 40 image plate.

Success!  Personally, I think I have more practice with gradients in my future.  I think the turquoise/blue should go farther down the nail, but I am pretty proud of my first gradient mani.

Thanks soguesswhat11 for sharing so many great ideas.

Wishing you amazing manicures,

Bevy of Nails