MANI MONDAY: Graphic 80s Neon Gradient Nails

by - June 22, 2020



Of all of the pairings that I ended up with for this month's #CBBxManiMonday nail art roulette type of theme, I really did think when I landed on "Neon" and "Gradient" that it would be super easy... and it turned out that I struggled with this one quite a lot and actually tried a few different things that just didn't work at all, but in the end I'm super happy with what came out of it. Granted, it's not at all what I thought I was going to end up with when I started, but a lot of times that's what happens when I'm doing nail art, so I'm hardly surprised. 

Anyway, keep reading to check it out!


For this week's mani, I was super inspired by all of the nude to neon gradients that I see on social media that tend to be done using acrylic powders. (Honestly, I'm often inspired by acrylic nail art and find myself wanting to figure out how to recreate those looks using regular polish - which quite often doesn't work out.) Even knowing that it wasn't going to look quite the same, I decided to go for it and do a nude to neon gradient using Essie Rainwear Don't Care* and Color Club Youthquake. I applied a matte top coat because I felt like it would really add some depth. I was pretty happy with how it turned out and I was actually going to leave it there... and then I stared at it for a while.

Ultimately, I decided that I needed some grounding black in a sort of graphic design to really make the mani pop. I reached for the Nicole Diary L07 Stamping Plate, which I think is a bit of a must for any stamping collection because it has such a wide variety of images. I went for this sort of... I don't even know what to call this one... It's sort of a grungy squiggle kind of image. I chose it because it has that sort of 80s MTV vibe that I thought would really work with the neon. 

And voila! 


All Products Used
Essie Rainwear Don't Care*
Color Club Youthquake
Born Pretty Store Black Stamping Polish
Essie Matte About You Top Coat
Nicole Diary L07 Stamping Plate
Born Pretty Store Clear Stamper


I'm honestly a little bit in love with this mani. I think the beige pairs really beautifully with the really bold neon coral and I love the way that the black stamping really both grounds and pops that gradient. If you're in the market for great neon shades, I really do think it's worth taking a look at the ones that Color Club has in their roster... because they are endlessly versatile and amazing. 

Be sure to head over to Cosmetic Proof and See The World In Pink today to check out what pairing they landed on for this week's Nail Art Roulette!

Thanks for reading!



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