Mini-Haul :)

-------------------------------------
I know I said that I was going to try to wait until Monday to buy anymore nail polish.

Obviously, I lied.  After a trip to the local walgreens with my mom (who completely feeds in to my polish addiction) and my brother (who thinks I have a ridiculous amount of polish as it is), I came home $12 lighter and with six new bottles of polish.

This Rimmel Base Coat/Top Coat combo was on sale for $2.50.   I figured I needed a new bottle of each, and this was one of the cheaper options.  I bought two bottles - one to be used specifically for base, and the other for top.

Sinful Colors "Happy Ending" - $1.99
It's a really great shade of green that a small bit of sparkle in it, enough that it could be worn by itself.

Sinful Colors "See You Later" - $1.99
This has a combination of different sized glitter and different shades of green and silver. 

Wet n Wild "Everybody Loves Redmond" - $1.99
Originally, I bought these for its orange color.  When I swatched it onto my nail wheel, I discovered that it could be either an orange, a red, or even a redish-pink. 

Wet n Wild "9-0-2-1-Orange" - $1.99
It's a lighter glitter, so if you want a lot of sparkle, you'd need to do more than one coat.  For whatever reason, this swatched made me think of the Hunger Games.  Perhaps because all of the movie posters feature the red/orange flames.....

Three Colors and a Glitter

Three colors and a glitter

Purple Gradient

*While not shown, I start every manicure with my Sinful Colors base coat (found at Walgreens for $2.50).  For this manicure, I used a Sally Hansen Hard as Nails top coat ($1.50 at Dollar General)

For the 'base' color, I went with a very light shade of purple.  I can't read the name off of the bottle, but it was purchased at Dollar Tree in a 2-for-1 combo pack.

Pros: It comes with a nice brush, albeit thin, that makes application quick and easy.

Cons: The polish is really sheer, so you'd need many (3-4, maybe more) layers to get the full effect of the color.

Using the end of an eyeshadow application (the kind that typically comes with a new eyeshadow), I applied a thin layer of NYC In a New York Color Minute (in "Prince Street" - $1 at Walmart) from the tip of my nails to about 3/4 of the way down.

Don't worry if it's not perfect.  That can be fixed later by the glitter layer.

After the second layer has had a chance to dry a bit, you apply the next color.  The third layer should be the darkest of the nail polishes.  I choose a deep, rich purple; Wet 'n Wild's Wild Shine (in "Eggplant Frost" - paid $1 on amazon.com). 

Pros: It has a metalic-y (and that's the technical term, lol) sheen to it that sets it apart from other dark purples.  One or two coats would be enough.  The color goes on smoothly, and with a consistency that is not too thick and not to thin. 
Cons: I have nothing bad to say about this polish.

Again, don't worry if it's not perfect.

To finish off the look, I added a glitter layer for the little extra 'oomph'.  This step is also to help blend the three colors together and make the differences not-so-obvious.  I used my current favorite, Sally Hansen's Gem Crush (in "Bejeweled" - paid $5 at Walgreens).

No two gradient manicures will look the same; That's half the fun. 

Final Verdict: For less than $10, you get a manicure that is both pretty and unique to the person wearing it.  It's my newest favorite design.