Hello and welcome!  I know I do something very similar to this every summer, but it’s just the perfect time for mermaids!

I received this mermaid themed Mani x Me box back in May, but took two months to finally get around to using it.  And when I looked for ideas for what to do with this box, I found some great inspiration from @polishedjess.  I’d originally planned to do pink jellyfish just like she did, but was too attracted to the extra large mermaid.

What I Used:

• Base Coat:  Glisten & Glow – Base Coat
• 1st Color:  Rogue Lacquer – Peter Pan’s Flight
• 2nd Color:  Bee’s Knee’s Lacquer – Sailor Uranus Sailor Neptune
• 3rd Color:  Maniology – Seashell
• Top Coat:  Glisten & Glow – Top Coat
• Cuticula Dole Whip nail tape
• Maniology MXM007 stamping plate
• silicone stamper & scraper
• lint roller sheet
• makeup sponge
• Maniology dual ended pencil stamper & clean up brush
• acetone nail polish remover

I started with base coat of course, and then two coats of Rogue Lacquer – Peter Pan’s Flight.  It wasn’t opaque yet at two coats, but since I knew I was adding a gradient on top, I didn’t mind.  Then to prep for the gradient, I added liquid latex all around my nails.

After the first layer of gradient, the color change wasn’t visible at all.  It mostly just intensified the flakies.  So I was starting to worry that trying to blend two jelly-like polishes was not a good idea.

Two coats of Rogue Lacquer – Peter Pan’s Flight, with liquid latex around the nails

The first layer of gradient

But after about three layers of gradient, the blue really showed, and the colors just blended beautifully.  It might be my best gradient yet.  And because of all the layering, the amount of iridescent flakies that got applied really helped add to the shimmering water look.

Lastly, I randomly stamped some designs using the pink polish from the box.  I loved the base so much that I changed my mind from filling the images with pink, to just stamping with it.

The third layer of gradient

Stamped mermaid & tail on top

This design ended up very different from the original inspiration, but I’m really glad that I just followed what I was feeling.  I love this more than I was expecting.  And the glossy top coat really just brings out the shine!

Final look – left hand

Final look – right hand

Hope everyone enjoyed their week!

Update:

I’m sure it’ll come as no surprise that I picked at my thumb nail again.  Honestly I’m surprised those nails aren’t paper thin from all the damage I’ve probably caused.  But anyways, I somehow kept it to just my thumb, and all my other nails just have wear at the tips.

Picked at that thumb nail again!

My right hand was okay though