The Gilded Lily Supports Gay Marriage- Rainbow Pride Gradient Manicure

Here at The Gilded Lily we believe that everyone should be free to love whomever they choose to do so. That’s why we believe in showing our support for gay marriage in the upcoming election and you can join in, by trying out our lovely rainbow gradient manicure.

Gradient manicures are artistic and fun, but very simple to recreate at home. The key is using very thick, pigmented nail polishes that don’t need more than one coat to be opaque. Stay away from metallics or anything with glitter. You’ll also need some cosmetic wedge sponges, base coat and top coat. Another way to make sure this manicure is successful is to start off with a thick white polish. You’re going to need a selection of twelve polishes that follow the colors of the rainbow in a gradient (start with a red, then a reddish orange, then a yellowish orange, then yellow and so on and so forth…) Here are the following shades used for this tutorial:

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in White Out

Essie nail polish in Silken Cord

Essence Colour and Go polish in Get The Fever

LA Girl Disco Brite Black Light Nail Polish in Retro

Essence Colour and Go polish in Sundancer

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri polish in Lickety Split Lime

Essence Colour and Go polish in Check Me Out

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Mint Sorbet

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri polish in Blue Streak

Sally Hansen Xtreme in Blue Me Away

Essence Colour and Go polish in Just Rock It!

OPI Nail Laquer in Funky Dunkey

Phewh! That’s a lot of polish, but they’ll really bring the look together. Remember, you don’t have to use these exact same shades, but make sure that any you use are similar in color and don’t need more than one coat of application. Let’s begin the tutorial!

Prep: Start by applying a base coat and letting it dry. Make sure you have a pair of scissors and your cosmetic wedges handy.

Step 1:

Apply a layer of opaque white polish. I would personally recommend doing this a day before, if possible, because you’ll want the white polish to be entirely and I mean entirely dry before moving on to the next step. If not, please make sure to use a fast drying formula.

Step 2:

Cut your cosmetic wedges into little rectangles. This will make the application more accurate.

Step 3:

We’re going to begin with the end of the rainbow and work backwards. Start with the colors you selected for purple, purplish blue, and blue. Grab one of your sponge rectangles and apply a stripe of purple (Funky Dunkey) on it. Follow it with a stripe of purplish blue (Just Rock It!) and then blue (Blue Me Away.) You’ll want the stripes to overlap a little bit. Make sure that they look as if they’re fading into each other. 

Step 4:

Apply the polish on either your pinkie or your thumb (we started with the thumb.) Do this by pressing the sponge onto your nail and using a careful sideways dabbing motion wipe the polish on. Don’t worry if you get some on your cuticles or the sides of your fingers. You can clear up the messiness with a q-tip and nail polish remover once you’re done. 

Step 5:

Prepare your next rectangle. Use blue (Blue Me Away,) greenish blue (Blue Streak,) and bluish green (Mint Sorbet.) Apply the color on the next nail using the same procedure as above. 

Step 6:

On the next sponge, set up bluish green (Mint Sorbet,) followed by  green (Check Me Out) and then yellowish green (Lickety Split Lime.) Apply.

Step 7:

We’re getting there! Repeat the coloration process using yellowish green (Lickety Split Lime,) yellow (Sundancer,) and yellowish orange (Retro.) Go ahead and sponge it on.

Step 8:

Last one, I swear! This time we’ll be using yellowish orange (Retro,) orange (Get the Fever,) and red (Silken Cord.) Apply the colors. 

Step 9:

With a q-tip dipped in nail polish remover clear up the edges and cuticles. Careful not to remove any of the color. 

Step 10:

You’ll want to give your polish ample time to dry before you apply the top coat, otherwise all the colors will bleed together into a hot mess. Once you’re sure that won’t happen, go ahead and top your nails.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial, now go out there and show your support!