Love is in the air. Or maybe that's just l the smell of the nuts for nuts truck wafting down broadway. Either way, I  can always dig a cute, pink, valentine's day themed manicure. Corals and ladylike pinks are HOT colors for spring so why not try incorporating them in to your beauty routine now?

To create the ombre effect I started with a 2 coats of Shades by Shades by Bareille, Blossom as a background base. I then used a makeup sponge to dab on thin layers of Deborah Lippmann, It's Delovely, being sure to sit a few minutes between coats. Then I applied OPI by Sephora, Lost Without My GPS followed by a bit of CND, Firefly just on the very tip to darken out the ombre effect. I sealed it all with Seche Vite, Fast Dry Top Coat as usual. Just for fun, I added some reflective heart nail art pieces from my Cina, Flirtini nail art kit. To do this I applied a bit of clear, placed the heart with the tip of an orange stick and then sealed with more clear.

As most of you know, I am abso-obsessed with all flakie polish. It's such a cool effect and adds so much dimension to your nails. When I was given Barielle Elle's Spell I totally sqeeled. Red Flakies are perfection for the holidays. Unfortunately, this polish doesn't do so well on it's own, so I think layering is a must. I chose to go a with red-on-red. However, the red flakies would probably look KILLER on top of gold, silver or white. Who knows, it could even elevate a rich chocolate brown color to the next level.

I used Essie Limited Addiction for my base color. I applied 2 coats, waiting a few mintues between coats. Then I applied 2 coats of the Barielle Elle's Spell, which I also let dry between coats. I finished it all off with a coat of Sechie Vite Fast Dry Top Coat. Enjoy!

(as always, click picture to see detail)

Do you love rocking a red nail in the winter? Have any other suggestions for flakie layering?