THIS POST IS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PUEEN COSMETICS. 

I spent literal years wanting a stamping plate featuring mermaid scales because I loved the look of mermaid scale mani's, but it took me ages to get one. Now, luckily, I have a few different options, but this really basic one from the Pueen Nail Party 03 Stamping Plate* is definitely a favorite and one that I will often reach for when I want a classic mermaid scales mani. For this one, I wanted to go for a really soft, low contrast look, which is opposite of my usual technique, and I think it turned out really beautifully. 

Keep reading for more!

For the base polish, I went with this really gorgeous pale mint shade packed with red/gold/green shifting shimmer and flakes because I knew it would really give a true fishy vibe... but pretty. This is a pretty sheer polish, but I think it held up pretty well underneath the design and the shimmer and flakes do a very good job of camouflaging the visible nail line. 

I started by applying two coats of my base polish to all of my nails and letting that dry down. 

I admit I actually came to the idea for the color story because I wanted to use this really pale nude shade (which pulls anywhere from peach to the buttery yellow in this one) based on what shade you pair it with. I kept the stamping really, really simple with this one and just applied the fish scale image to all of my nails in the same direction. For this type of mani, there's not really any room for changing it up from nail to nail.

Once I was happy with my design, I sealed everything in with a nail art top coat and then finished with a matte top coat to bring down the shine. And voila!

I'm honestly so thrilled with how this mani came together. It's so soft - it feels even softer in person than in photos - but that shimmer and glow really comes through. Honestly, I feel like this style of mani is a solid summer go to, easy to put together and super versatile. Love it!

If you're interested in any of the Pueen products I used for this mani, they are all available on Amazon and I highly recommend every single one!

Thanks for reading!