Earlier this year, I did a mani featuring an orange gradient tip and even at the time I knew that I would be bringing back the look for a Halloween mani. I changed up a few things - obviously! - but there is definitely no denying where the inspiration came from. I really love designs that are sheer over the nail bed and then have an opaque gradient tip. Whether worn as is or paired with some stamping, I feel like it's super versatile and pretty much always looks great. 

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To start this mani, I applied one coat of my current favorite sheer nude polish - Cirque Color's Georgette. I highly, highly recommend adding a sheer nude that works perfectly with your skintone to your collection because it really has become a bit of a staple for me in my nail art. If you're similar in skintone to me, Georgette is a fantastic option and has a gorgeous formula.

For the gradient tip, I used Dimension Nails Julia Butterfly, which is a STUNNING bright orange shade, and feathered it out using clear polish on my sponge. This is my favorite technique for this type of design because it really makes it a no brainer. I did two passes of sponging to get to the opacity and blend that I was looking for.

Once I was happy with the base, I added a layer of a gold flakie topper (in this case, one that has been discontinued and that I haven't yet found a good replacement for yet) just to add a bit of twinkle to that base.

Next, I went in with my stamping. I kept it REALLY simple this time around, using witchy images from the Manitude x Spell Check stamping plate. To bring everything together, I chose all images that had these sort of ray-like details to them because I felt like it would add a level of cohesion, and I think it really did that. I applied the images in black stamping polish, placing them on the nails in the position that felt right for each image.

Once I was happy with my design, I sealed it in with a nail art top coat and then finished with a glossy top coat for shine and volume. And voila!

I definitely can't get enough of this style of mani and I know without question that it will also be popping up in this year's Christmas nail art designs because it's just my so versatile. I also love love love this stamping plate and wish I would have maybe reached for it another time or two this year!