I decided to do a manicure inspired by our beautiful Phyrra, so I chose a couple of colors that I know she enjoys, aqua and purple. This is my first attempt at a gradation or “syrup” mani, and I’m really happy with how it turned out. The colors I used are Lise Watier “Blue-tiful”, a lovely sparkling aqua, and butterLondon “Stroppy”, a gorgeous grape jelly.

I applied 2 coats of “Blue-tiful” over a base of Orly Bonder. After that dried, I applied “Stroppy” to the very tips of my nails only. Again, after it dried, I applied another coat of Stroppy over about 1/3 of the nail. Another coat followed at slightly more than half the nail, and the final coat of Stroppy over nearly 3/4 of the nail. I finished off with a coat of Seche Vite, which did give me a bit of the dreaded ‘shrinkage’, but it’s not as noticeable in person. This is a lot of coats, so try to use a light hand (I was better at this on my left hand, my right hand is a bit thick). This technique would work using any jelly polish over an opaque shade, another jelly, or even over your bare nail.

I hope you enjoy my Phyrra-inspired mani. I know whenever I look down at my nails, it makes me think of my friend and smile. Thank you Phyrra, for letting me post a little nail fun on your blog!