NAIL ART: Flakie Pastel Gradient Mermaid Scales Nails

by - July 05, 2021


For our July #CBBxManiMonday theme, we went with a general Summer theme and I am HERE for it. Although I absolutely know that this is going to turn into an explosion of neon in coming weeks, I'm starting out the month a little bit softer. I've been in love with mermaid scales nails for years and somehow didn't get a stamping plate with a mermaid scales image that worked on my nails until very recently. Don't get me wrong, I've managed to fake it in the past, but I finally got my hands on the Whats Up Nails B038 Stamping Plate, which actually has both a simple mermaid scales image and the more fancy, art deco sort of vibe that I used for this mani and I AM SO EXCITED. Honestly, keep an eye out for more manis using this plate coming up this summer.

Keep reading for more!


I knew that I wanted to do a sort of turquoise to lavender gradient sometime this summer, but it actually didn't occur to me to do a mermaid pattern with it until I was sitting down at my nail desk and my eyes caught the Different Dimension Out Of This World Trio and the idea started to percolate. Admittedly, this is often the entirely coincidental nature of my creative process. Because I knew that the color could get lost and I could end up with mostly just flakies if I did my entire gradient with those three polishes, I instead built an opaque base using similarly toned (ish...) créme polishes and then went in with one layer of stamping using the flakie polishes to get the look I was going for.   


I considered using a metallic stamping polish, but ultimately decided to go with white to keep it soft while still getting a distinct crispness with the image. I went with the more detailed image on the plate for this mani because I felt like it really added something with this particular base and went with the vibe of the colors I used for the base. I applied the same image to all of my nails in the same direction and then cleaned up with a cuticle brush dipped in acetone.

To finish, I first applied a thin layer of water based top coat and then followed with a generous coat of quick dry glossy top coat and voila! (Also, the top coat I used is in a piña colada scent and... it's pretty glorious and beachy!)


All Products Used
Dimension Nails - Loggerhead Sea Turtle**
Essence - Lilac Vibes
Color Club - Holy Chic!
Different Dimension - All Of The Stars
Different Dimension - Rocket Man
Different Dimension - Sky Full Of Stars
Clear Jelly Stamper - 002 Jenny's Gonna Love This
Piggy Paint Shine Top Coat
Cuticula Limitless Quick Dry Top Coat
Whats Up Nails B038 Lost At Sea Stamping Plate
Whats Up Nails Magnified Clear Stamper

** Product gifted from NailStuff.ca - new customers can use code TRYSH for 10% off.


GUH. I am so in love with how these turned out. I'm so in love with this gradient and the fancy mermaid stamping and and and. You know? On a more serious note, nail art has really been helping me recently as me and my family go through a bit of a rough time, so these little bits of excitement are really important to me. There's comfort and distraction for me at my nail desk, so I've been spending a little more time there these past few weeks. Keep an eye out for maybe a little bit more nail art than usual in the coming weeks.

Also, be sure to head over to Cosmetic Proof and See The World In PINK for more Summer themed #CBBxManiMonday nails!

Thanks for reading!


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