Descend into Darkness

Hello friends!  Please don't over-think the title on this one - I don't mean it in like a spooky, negative way.  This nail art is for all of you out there who have exams and midterms and deadlines coming up.  It's going to be a hard/stressful couple of days, but you will pull through it and you will be fine!

I have a biochemistry exam and a physics exam coming up on the same day, one right after the other, so that'll be a fun part of my life.  My mom tells me that college is hard, but it is very much worth it.  I hope so.  I'll take her word on it.

More on this manicure after the jump! :)

Let's be clear: just because you descend into darkness, chaos, and confusion, that doesn't mean you will stay there.  It takes a combination of your own strength and the encouragement of your friends to drag you out of that dark place.

For this manicure:

I started with a base coat of Double Duty Strengthening Base & Top Coat by Sally Hansen.  For my thumb, pointer, and pinky fingers, I applied three coats of Gunmetal by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear, and for my middle and ring fingers I applied three coats of Angela by Julep.  The gradient was done with Endless Blue by Sinful Colors, Char by Julep, and Black Out by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear.  The stamp is from the SH 216 plate by Shany using the Special White Polish by Konad.  After a quick round of clean-up, the gradient was topped with a coat of Double Duty Strengthening Base & Top Coat by Sally Hansen, whereas the stamped nails were topped with a coat of Matte Me Crazy by NYC.

I chose not to use a white base under the gradient because I wanted the gradient to have a more steely cold look.  In real life, you can see the gray steel trying to peek out from under just a little bit.  I think if I didn't sponge so heavily, the effect could be achieved better.  I only did one round of sponging, but dang those colors are quite opaque.

These nails are a bit...dark, yes.  But don't worry, soon I will be posting a much more festive and lighthearted set of nails!  So please stay tuned :)

Don't get too caught up in the stress of the world.  Go eat some chocolate.  Maybe a lot.  It does wonders for the soul.