For our June #CBBxManiMonday theme, we decided to lean into the same theme we've gone with the past two years: Allyship. Not only is June Pride Month, but here in Canada it's also Indigenous History Month and considering the complicated history as well as the current situations, focusing on allyship feels as important as ever. I wanted to start with a rainbow mani because not only did our local Pride celebrations take place over this past weekend, but I think Allyship with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community is as important as it's ever been lately as that community is currently being targeted in ways that are truly devastating. 

Keep reading for more!

For this mani, I knew I wantes to put together a rainbow gradient, but what I ended up doing was actually an experiment I wasn't sure was going to work. I've seen people doing these really pretty swirled designs using pearly polishes and I've always wanted to try one out, but I didn't really have a pearly polish to work with. Then it occurred to me that the Born Pretty Sea Blue Cat Magnetic Gel Polishes could work beautifully - and I happen to have a full rainbow of shades in this formula in my collection. Again, it was an experiment, but I think it ended up working pretty beautifully.

The shades I used for the gradient are: SB-09 (pink), SB-10 (peachy orange), SB-11 (yellow), SB-12 (green), SB-05 (blue), and SB-03 (purple - on thumb, not pictured). Though there wasn't quite as much contrast between the yellow and orange as I was hoping there would be, I still think this collection created a really pretty gradient. 

I started by applying a layer of Unt Peel Off Base Coat, as I always do when I do gel nail art, and let that dry down completely. Once that was dry, I went in with the two gel polishes and applied each color to one half of the nail. You really don't have to be particularly precious with this part, just try to get to the edges of the nail. Next, using a quite tiny dotting tool, I made swirls in the uncured polish. I started at the center of the nail to blend the two colors and then moved outwards to create the rest of the swirls. I did two layers of this technique to get to the opacity I was looking for.

For the nail art, I kept it pretty simple with the idea that this would create a sort of dreamy vibe. I started with a gel nail art polish in a slightly off white shade and applied a sort of wiggly line down each nail, keeping it wither at one end and finer at the other. Next, I went in with a large dotting tool and applied a dot to the widest area left on the nail and then used the nail art brush to drag through and create the larger stars. Finally, I added a few dots to be further away stars and cured everything.

Finally, once I was happy with the nail art, I added a gel top coat and cured. And voila!

If you are looking for ways to practice allyship with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, I highly recommend looking for local organizations in your area that provide specific support to the needs of the people around you and also be sure to look at the politicians that you vote for and their stance on protecting and supporting this community. The needs of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community are complex and specific and there are amazing people doing the work to address and support those needs, so it's really worth looking into how you can help specifically in your community. 

Be sure to head over to Cosmetic Proof and See The World In PINK to check out their Allyship themed nails this week!

Thanks for reading!