Blurple Syrup Gradient with Polka Dots (and a Bonus Manicure)

This morning I had to bust out some nail art very quickly, but still wanted to do something cute and somewhat impressive looking. I turned to the syrup gradient technique, which provides a nice looking gradient in a short amount of time. It is even more convincing if you put something over the top of it, like a glitter or some polka dots.

I used three polishes in this nail art:
Jin Soon - Cool Blue
China Glaze - Are You Jelly
Essie - Blanc

For those of you unfamiliar with the syrup gradient technique, it involves taking a sheer polish and using it to gradually build up opacity on the nail. The layers begin about 3/4 of the way down the nail and get shorter and shorter, creating the appearance of a gradient.

I used my smallest dotting tool to add the white polka dot pattern.

I also did a similar manicure a while ago using China Glaze Shell-o as the gradient polish. As you can see, it was before I changed my nail shape!

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No Sponge Required: Spotted Syrup Gradient

Good morning! Today I have some deceptively simple nail art for you. It's a gradient, but without a sponge! Perfect for those of you that don't want to spend the time fussing with tools, cleanup, and blending, or for ladies that are intimidated by the sponged version and want to try something easier first.

I got this idea from Rebecca Likes Nails, who used the jellies from the China Glaze Sunsational collection to create a gradient. GENIUS -- be sure to check out her tutorial! Next, the technique was picked up by Kayla Shevonne. I know Polish Insomniac has been a fan of this style, too!

Press Sample

Basically all this involves is using a jelly polish to create varying coverage, with the greatest amount of coats at the nail tip.

For this particular look I began with a base of 3 coats of China Glaze You Drive Me Coconuts.
Then, using the polish brush and China Glaze Are You Jelly? I painted on one, two, three, and four coats, with the fourth coat being the shortest and ending closest to the nail tip. (Again, if you're confused, stop by Rebecca's post. It's hard to explain and she has a great visual aid!)

You may be saying, "That sure sounds like a lot of coats Sarah." And yeah, technically it is. But these polishes are sheer and thin, so they definitely build well without getting thick. Truly, this didn't feel any thicker than my normal manicures. Winning!

To finish off the look, I added one coat of Maybelline Clearly Spotted. There are three reasons for this.

Reason #1: I love black and white glitter.
Reason #2: I had just purchased it and was eager to use it!
Reason #3 (the most important one): Putting something over the top of the gradient disguises the fact that the gradients created with this technique aren't as smooth as the ones that are sponged. Nothing wrong with that though, the time and mess trade offs are huge.

I am obsessed with the way this turned out. I imagine most of the China Glaze Sunsational jellies would work brilliantly for this and I will be trying out some more combinations soon! Thanks for the inspiration, Rebecca!

The China Glaze Sunsational collection is available this month at fine salons and beauty supply stores nationwide, & I picked up the Maybelline at Walgreens.

What do you think? Have you ever tried a syrup gradient?

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