Ombré manicure: Pretty pink nails for Valentine’s Day

As much as I love a spa pedicure, I hardly ever get manicures at the nail salon.

• I generally prefer how I file and shape my own nails. I’m that annoying customer who asks the manicurist for her nail file and buffer so I can tweak her handiwork before she paints my nails.
• Salon manicures nearly always chip by day three, so it seems like a waste of money to pay for one when I’ve discovered a DIY manicure that lasts a week.
• I like wearing what’s trendy when it comes to nail polish, and the nail salons I go to in Omaha usually don’t have the latest “it” colors.

With Valentine’s Day approaching, I had the urge to go pink, so I thought I’d experiment with an easy ombré manicure. It took two attempts to nail it (pun intended!), but I liked how much it looked that I thought I’d share the how-to with you.

There are two things to remember when doing an ombré manicure. First, try to use as few coats of polish as possible. The more layer of nail polish, the more likely they are to chip.

Second, apply your top coat while your polish is still damp. Brush it on as soon as you finish painting both hands. At first I applied my top coat after finishing each nail, but polish was too wet and it blended the light and dark pinks together rather than sealing the ombré look I had created.

Ready to learn how to do an ombré manicure?

1. Apply your favorite base coat. I’ve had the best success with this and this.
2. Paint one coat of bright pink polish from the base to the tip of your nails.
3. Apply a second thin coat of pink polish starting at the base but stopping 3/4 of the way up your nail.
4. Next, apply your lighter pink or almost-white polish (I chose one with a little bit of golden sparkle) from the middle to the tips of your nails. There will be only a small overlap between the two layers of dark pink and the single layer of light pink.
5. Finish with a thin layer of top coat. I love this one.

For this at-home manicure, I paired Revlon Colorstay nail polishes in Passion Pink and Calla Lilly. When used with Color Stay base and top coats, they last the longest on my nails–up to a week! (No, this post wasn’t sponsored by Revlon, but maybe it should’ve been!)

So what do you think of the pink ombré manicure? Would you try it at home or do you prefer to get salon manicures?

If you try an ombré manicure, show me your nails on Instagram at @bunnyanddolly!

PS – Fall nail polish trends to take you through spring. Also, should little boys wear nail polish?