Kelly Stuart
Hey, your nails shot us a text, and they're really tired of the boring, blah nudes and creams you've been painting on them. So we're being their advocate and presenting you with a truly cool DIY for ombré nails, using just a few polishes and a makeup sponge, and trust us—it's actually really easy. Keep reading to find out how do the mani on yourself, and get ready for some Instagram action.
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1
Grab Your Polishes
Yes, we'll admit that these colors don't exactly whisper, "Hi, I'm subtle," but when layered together, they feel less like a scream and more like a simple statement. For our look, nail artist Fleury Rose worked with Illamasqua to pair Rare (neon-yellow), with Omen (shimmery green), Noble (electric turquoise blue), and Boosh (pure black).
If highlighter shades are still way too intense for you, pick four soft shades in the same color family, like white, charcoal, and two shades of light and dark pink, or two shades of light and dark blue, and follow the same steps.
2
Create a Bright Base
After applying a base coat, layer on two coats of neon yellow, letting them dry for 10 minutes between each coat.
3
Dig Out Your Sponges
While you're waiting for your final coat of yellow to fully dry, grab a clean, latex-free makeup sponge, carefully cut it in half, and then saturate the tip of it with green polish.
4
Stipple, Stipple, Stipple
Holding your sponge directly over your nail at a 90-degree angle, lightly dab and stipple the green polish over the lower half of your nails, lightly feathering it out as you work.
5
Start Layering
Grab your makeup sponge again, paint it with the blue polish, and dab it over just the lower-third of your nails, right on top of the green.
6
Add the Black
For the final layer of the fade, paint the edge of the sponge with black and dab it just over the tips of your nails.
7
Add Some Glitter
To really amp up the look, because hey, you're already here, add a few sporadic dots of glitter. Cover the tip of an orange stick with clear polish, dip it into some loose glitter, and lightly dot it across each nail.
8
Dot It Out
Next, dip your orange stick into black polish and dot it across alternating nails.
9
Seal It In
After the black dots dry (give them at least 15 minutes), layer on a clear top coat.
10
Take a Bunch of Pics
Grab some big, chunky jewelry and a really nice friend, and get them to take a photo of your nails for Instagram, because congrats—you just completed ombré nails.
Chloe Metzger
Deputy Beauty Director
Chloe Metzger is the deputy beauty director at Cosmopolitan, obsessively writing about new makeup launches, the best hair products (curly girl here; whattup), and the skincare formulas that really work for every skin type (follow her on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes pics of that magazine life).
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