Skittle gradient manicure with the Illamasqua Pastels Blow, Caress, Nudge and Wink

Since I saw the fantastic tutorial by Sammy from The Nailasaurus I couldn’t get gradient manicures out of my head. I have done them in the past and liked them but I did use a different technique and never dared to make a gradient manicure with one specific nail polish finish: creams.

The gradient nails technique I used back then was to apply a drop of nail polish to aluminum foil, pick it up with a sponge and dab it on my nails. With glitters and rough shimmers it was a bliss and worked perfectly. Because of their texture the not smooth blending was never a problem though but for creams it could have been.

Now thanks to Sammy’s fantastic technique smooth cream gradient nails are no longer impossible. Thank you so much Sammy! ♥

Isn’t it surreal how smooth the gradients look? They look like they are airbrushed but they are sponged. I love this gradient manicure technique. ♥

POST FAQ

Availability Illamasqua nail polishes
Illamasqua nail polishes can be purchased at illamasqua.com for currently £13.50 a bottle or at selected Sephora stores and sephora.com for currently $14 a bottle. The official Illamasqua store ships international.

Coats used
Illamasqua – Blow: two
Illamasqua – Caress: two
Illamasqua – Nudge: two
Illamasqua – Wink: two

Sponging coats used
Three for each gradient

Base coat and top coat
Base coat: OPI – Nail Envy Matte
Top Coat: Essence – Better Than Gel Nails Top Sealer

Illamasqua nail polishes contain 15 ml.

Blow, Caress, Nudge and Wink were purchased by me but a second bottle of Wink was sent to me by Illamasqua for review consideration.

I can’t mention often enough how I love this technique for gradient nails. It is a bliss to use and I have never seen more perfect gradients than with this sponging technique. Sammy’s tutorial inspired me so much that I wanted to try a gradient nailpalooza featuring vertical gradients with four colors which all fade into each other nail by nail – a skittle/ombré gradient manicure.
Also with this gradient nails technique you can vary how smooth the gradient is by using different kind of sponges. For this gradient manicure I used very smooth makeup sponges.

Have you tried gradient manicures and do you love them too?

Thanks for looking and have a great week! ♥

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162 comments on “Skittle gradient manicure with the Illamasqua Pastels Blow, Caress, Nudge and Wink”

1. Maria on 9. May 2012 at 11:38 pm said:

   Your nails look absolutely amazing! Perfect as usual I look forward to trying this out xx

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   • the-swatchaholic on 10. May 2012 at 7:13 am said:

     Thank you so much Maria! *blushes*

     Reply ↓
2. Lilo on 9. May 2012 at 11:36 pm said:

   Those are the most perfect gradient nails I ever saw! Thanks for the links to the tutorial. I tried gradient nails today and they look quite decent, if I may say so myself. But compared to yours…oy vey!
   Lilo recently posted..Im Namen der Hose

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   • the-swatchaholic on 10. May 2012 at 7:12 am said:

     Thank you so much Lilo! I am sure your gradient nails look gorgeous too!

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3. Janelle Moniqeu on 9. May 2012 at 10:50 pm said:

   I love this! I adore how the gradient looks!
   Janelle Moniqeu recently posted..Zoya Zara

   Reply ↓
   • the-swatchaholic on 10. May 2012 at 7:09 am said:

     Thank you so much Janelle!

     Reply ↓
4. cystal on 9. May 2012 at 10:14 pm said:

   wow! amazing! I love how its a gradient across ALL your nails. pretty cool!

   Reply ↓
   • the-swatchaholic on 10. May 2012 at 7:08 am said:

     Thank you so much Crystal!

     Reply ↓
5. lesleykat on 9. May 2012 at 8:07 pm said:

   perfect execution. probably one of the very best gradients I have ever seen.

   Reply ↓
   • the-swatchaholic on 9. May 2012 at 9:21 pm said:

     Thank you so much lesleykat!

     Reply ↓
6. Catwalkqueen on 9. May 2012 at 7:46 pm said:

   I’ll have to try that, it’s so cute! =)

   Best regards from Sweden.

   Reply ↓
   • the-swatchaholic on 9. May 2012 at 9:16 pm said:

     Thank you so much Catwalkqueen! *waves to Sweden*

     Reply ↓
7. Nailart-Addict on 9. May 2012 at 6:29 pm said:

   Oh my I love how you did the gradient skittels. I’m also totaly addicted to the gradients.
   Nailart-Addict recently posted..Golden Rose Magnetic

   Reply ↓
   • the-swatchaholic on 9. May 2012 at 9:10 pm said:

     Thank you so much Nailart-Addict! Aren’t gradients fun? ♥

     Reply ↓
8. Deborah on 9. May 2012 at 6:15 pm said:

   Freaking gorgeous!!!
   Deborah recently posted..Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle

   Reply ↓
   • the-swatchaholic on 9. May 2012 at 9:09 pm said:

     Thank you so much Deborah!

     Reply ↓
9. K. on 9. May 2012 at 4:28 pm said:

   This is stunning!

   Reply ↓
   • the-swatchaholic on 9. May 2012 at 9:09 pm said:

     Thank you so much K!

     Reply ↓
10. Chune on 9. May 2012 at 3:12 pm said:

    Is this the real life or is this just fantasy? Looks amazing and unreal and fairytale-like…

    Reply ↓
    • the-swatchaholic on 9. May 2012 at 9:08 pm said:

      Thank you so much Chune!

      Reply ↓
11. amanda on 9. May 2012 at 1:26 pm said:

    This looks fake its so amazing!!! LOVE IT! Awesome Job!

    Reply ↓
    • the-swatchaholic on 9. May 2012 at 1:37 pm said:

      Thank you so much Amanda! Sammy’s technique makes smooth airbrushed looking gradients possible. It makes so much fun.

      Reply ↓
12. Shamini on 9. May 2012 at 1:02 pm said:

    Your nails look amazing, and I ADORE the gradient! You’re so talented.
    Shamini recently posted..Haul: Oh, the Luxury..

    Reply ↓
    • the-swatchaholic on 9. May 2012 at 1:35 pm said:

      Thank you so much Shamini! ♥

      Reply ↓
13. Silver Anderson on 9. May 2012 at 9:03 am said:

    That is gorgeous and simply amazing. I’m so inspired to try it!

    Reply ↓
    • the-swatchaholic on 9. May 2012 at 9:51 am said:

      Thank you so much Silver Anderson!
      I am so happy I could inspire with this manicure.

      Reply ↓
14. PassionForPolish on 9. May 2012 at 8:47 am said:

    This looks AMAZING!!
    PassionForPolish recently posted..Color Club Shabby Drab

    Reply ↓
    • the-swatchaholic on 9. May 2012 at 9:50 am said:

      Thank you so much PassionForPolish!

      Reply ↓
15. Chiro on 9. May 2012 at 8:41 am said:

    This is beautiful! Which kind of sponge you used?
    Is it normal (?) foundation/cosmetic sponge?
    Chiro recently posted..#028: Argyle french…is it!?

    Reply ↓
    • the-swatchaholic on 9. May 2012 at 9:50 am said:

      Thank you so much Chiro!
      I use simple and cheap makeup/foundation sponges from the drugstore.

      Reply ↓
16. Helz Nguyen on 9. May 2012 at 7:12 am said:

    This is Gorgeous! I love how they look like rainbow effect your nails always looks perfect
    Helz Nguyen recently posted..MAC Hey, Sailor!

    Reply ↓
    • the-swatchaholic on 9. May 2012 at 9:48 am said:

      Thank you so much Helz Nguyen!

      Reply ↓
17. marisa m. on 9. May 2012 at 6:24 am said:

    this made me gasp out loud! gorgeous! one of the best if not THE best gradient i’ve seen pics of, and i’m following over 50 nailblogs!! great work!

    Reply ↓
    • the-swatchaholic on 9. May 2012 at 9:47 am said:

      Aww thank you so much Marisa! *blushes*

      Reply ↓
18. TopCoatIt on 9. May 2012 at 5:45 am said:

    Whoa! Your gradient is perfectly seamless! Absolutely beautiful!

    Reply ↓
    • the-swatchaholic on 9. May 2012 at 9:47 am said:

      Thank you so much TopCoatIt!

      Reply ↓
19. Melissa on 9. May 2012 at 3:35 am said:

    omg pure perfection!
    Melissa recently posted..Some nail mail + haulage bottle spam!

    Reply ↓
    • the-swatchaholic on 9. May 2012 at 9:47 am said:

      Thank you so much Melissa! ♥

      Reply ↓
20. Kate & Zena on 9. May 2012 at 3:29 am said:

    This. Is. PERFECTION. I love it!

    Reply ↓
    • the-swatchaholic on 9. May 2012 at 9:46 am said:

      Thank you so much Kate & Zena!

      Reply ↓
      • Kate & Zena on 13. May 2012 at 8:53 am said:

        You’re welcome. I’ll have to get some non-latex sponges (because I have a sensitivity to latex. When will my sensitivities and allergies end??? Geez, I feel like I’m allergic to the world!) and try this!

        Reply ↓
        • the-swatchaholic on 13. May 2012 at 9:26 pm said:

          Yes allergies are so annoying Kate & Zena.

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