Dark and Granite

Hello again, friends!  It's been a week since the year has started and I think I've been doing a pretty good job with my resolutions.  Granted, I haven't been practicing writing with my left hand every day, but I'm at that point now where I can write linear capital letters decently and not cringe (my A's used to look like sad mounds that needed hugs).

I'm going back to school soon (yay...), so this will be my last manicure at home before I leave.  Which is both exciting and scary because all my nail polishes are back at school but so are all of my academic nightmares.

I will tell you about this manicure after the jump! :)

Okay hello welcome to after the jump.  This manicure looked cooler in my mind, or maybe it's just that my camera does not do it justice.  Batman does the justice though.

For this manicure:

I started off with Double Duty Base & Top Coat by Sally Hansen as my base coat.  After that dried, I applied a coat of mademoiselle by essie to all of my nails.  The gradient nails were sponged with Jillian by Julep and mademoiselle by essie.  I used 3 rounds of sponging to acquire that opacity.  For the "granite" nails, I alternated between Clearly Spotted (75) by Maybelline Color Show and mademoiselle by essie.  I used 2 coats of the matte glitter.  Finally, I cleaned around my nails with a brush dipped in acetone, and I coated my nails with Double Duty Base & Top Coat by Sally Hansen.

I really like the gradient on my pinky more so than on my index finger.  My thumb is okay.  I think recreating this look with a very sheer or jelly gray polish instead of the French manicure pink polish that I used would also give it a super cool look!  It would be more steadfast granite and less...rose quartz granite, I suppose.

These nails rock - pun intended.  

Once I get back to school, I'll be able to play with more colors, more designs, stamps, stripes, rhinestones - it's going to be an exciting semester!