NAIL ART: Dusty Pink & Green Gradient Succulent Nails

by - March 22, 2021


It's weird... I'm the green nail polish girl. I love green nail polish, I own a ridiculous number of green polishes, and yet for this month's #CBBxManiMonday Green theme, I'm on the struggle for inspiration. For today's mani, though, as soon as the inspiration hit, I had to get it on my nails. I find the gradients in different succulents, particularly different hens and chicks, to be so, so, so pretty and it occurred to me that it could be worth a try to see how a gradient of those dusty greens and purples/pinks would blend on the nails. Sometimes fighting to figure out what to do on your nails in a certain theme can be the worst possible course of action... but if you stop and just sort of let it marinate, a great idea can turn on like a lightbuld while you're hunkered down watching Disney+...

Keep reading for more!


So for this gradient, I wanted to keep the shades very muted and a little bit dusty to evoke the feeling of those succulents that sort of look desaturated and sun bleached. I went with three green shades and two pink shades that all sort of have a slight dustiness to them. The reason that I used five shades (which can feel like a lot on one nail) is because I really wanted a smooth and natural blend and I felt like fewer shades could have felt a little less.. gradual, really.

To start, I applied one coat of the lightest green shade to all of my nails. I went with this shade not only because it was the lightest in the gradient but also because it was going to be closest to my cuticle and I find that just makes me crisper clean up. I applied the gradient using a makeup sponge and did three coats to get the opacity and blend that I was looking for. 


For the stamping, I knew that I was going to reach for this particular stamping plate and I was torn between two images, but ultimately I decided to go with this one because it really gives that vibe of a bed of hens and chicks and I felt like it really worked with the gradient. I also wanted to go with a stamping polish that would stand out and pop the image but would also feel cohesive overall, so I grabbed for this rich plum shade that I really think works overall. I applied the image to all of my nails, alternating the direction I placed the image to give a little bit more visual interest.

Once I was happy with my stamping and cleaned up my edges using a cleanup brush dipped in acetone, I sealed in my stamping with a water based top coat and then finished with a quick dry matte top coat to take down the shine and really drive home the dusty vibe. And voila!


All Products Used
Essie - Can Dew Attitude*
Quo Breathable - Green Goddess
Londontown - Star Moss
Color Club - Can You Dig It?
Color Club - Talk Dirty To Me
Maniology - Viper
Maniology Smudge Free Top Coat
Quo Flash Dry Matte Top Coat
Whats Up Nails B060 Deserted Succulent Stamping Plate
Whats Up Nails Magnified Clear Stamper


Honestly, I struggled a little bit with one nail during this mani and I allllllmost decided to chuck it and start over (my brain does not do well with certain frustrations) but I'm so glad that I pushed through and finished this mani because I'm just really sort of in love with the finished product. If you're looking for a desert/cactus/succulent themed stamping plate, I highly, highly recommend this one from Whats Up Nails!

Be sure to head over to Cosmetic Proof and See The World In PINK today to check out more green themed nails for #CBBxManiMonday!

Thanks for reading!


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