pretty: monday mani (with striping tape)

This is probably my favourite mani to date but also one that took the longest to create. My inspiration came from Sugar Nails but the website isn't functioning at the bottom. Once it does or moves to another location, I'll be sure to include the photo here. Basically imagine a mani featuring gold stripes with a purple ombre effect on top.

Here's how I got started with my version of said manicure. On my left hand I used a green and turquoise and on my right hand I used a magenta and pink to create the ombre effect. I started by getting all my equipment ready and prepping my nails. 

For this mani you'll need the following items:

- Base coat (OPI Natural Nail Base Coat is my fave)
- Matte top coat (optional)
- Base polish (OPI Love Angel Music Baby is the gold I used)

- Polish colours for ombre effect (I used two from Ardene)

- Top coat (OPI Top Coat pictured here)
- Scissors
- Striping tape (I bought mine at a local nail art store for $1 each)
- Cosmetic wedges (Make sure yours are latex-free if you're allergic like me!)

All tools required minus the freezie in the background

Start by cutting your striping tape and adhering to something you can pull it off of easily (ie: nail polish remover bottle, edge of desk, etc). I used approx 4-5 pieces of tape per nail so I cut at least 20 strips.

Paint nails with your base colour and apply matte polish, if necessary. I used OPI's Love Angel Music Baby which is a satin finish and therefore I didn't need the matte top coat. I'd recommend the matte top coat just to make the stamping process a little bit easier. Once your base colour is dry, add the pieces of striping tape in whichever way you want. I connected some and disconnected others so it didn't look like too much of an actual pattern.

Once you're happy with the placement, paint the cosmetic wedge with both colours of polish to create an ombre effect on the wedge. Tap it once to remove any excess polish and then tap it onto your first nail. Do one time at a time since it'll make the finished product look more "polished." Don't tap the polish onto your nail too hard either, because that'll cause small pieces of the wedge to come off onto your nail, which is really hard to remove.

I use a new section of my cosmetic wedge for each nail so that I have a clean look. Continue with each nail and then continue with the other hand until you're done! Use a top coat to finish your look and enjoy the results!

I had great results with this type of mani and many compliments wherever I went. Even though this mani took me a lot longer than I was used to (90 minutes including dry time in between), I would definitely do it again with other colours.