I absolutely love the colors of Mardi Gras! All the beautiful beads, masks, and crowns are so awesome, so I thought it would be fun to paint some Double Ombre Mardi Gras nails. Let’s get started.

Supplies:

Nail Polish Remover
Cosmetic Wedges
Polish Remover Pads
Wax Paper
Clear Base Coat
Dotting Tool or Toothpick
Metallic Purple Polish
Clear Top Coat
Metallic Green Polish
Rhinestones (optional)
Metallic Gold Polish

Remove your old polish, file and buff your nails. Apply a clear basecoat and let dry.

Step 1: Paint 2 coats of metallic gold polish on all your nails and let dry for at least 15 minutes.

Step 2: Now, imagine that your nail is divided into 3 parts, from the tip to the top of the nail.  Drip a couple of drops of Metallic Green on the wax paper. Dab one edge of the cosmetic wedge in the paint and blot it on the wax paper. (This will keep you from painting a hard line, instead of a blend). You will be blending the polish, making the ombre effect.

Beginning about one third up the nail, dab the wedge on the nail, covering the middle third of the nail. I didn’t paint all the way to the end so that the purple would be more vivid. Continue adding green polish until you get the desired effect. Let dry for about 15 minutes.

Step 3:

Repeat step 2, using the Metallic Purple polish. Paint the third of the nail, beginning at the tip. Continue adding purple polish until you get the desired double hombre effect. Let dry.

Note: The nails are beautiful just as they are now, so if you don’t want to add anything, apply 2 coats of clear topcoat and you are finished.

Step 4: Now we are going to paint gold crowns on the nail tips…after all we are all kings and queens of Mardi Gras, right? Paint gold polish in a slightly “curved” line across each nail tip (reverse French tip). Then paint three triangles at the edge of each curved line.

For a little dimension, make the triangle in the center slightly larger than the other two.  Drip a drop of the gold metallic paint on the wax paper and using the dotting tool or toothpick, make a dot of gold on the tip of each triangle. Add three rhinestones to the dots while they are wet if you want the bling.

Now you have the base of the crown.

Step 5:

Drip a drop of green and purple polish on the wax paper and using the dotting tool, decorate your crown as you like. For a bejeweled look, apply colored rhinestones to the dots while they are wet. Since you have applied several coats of polish and polish dots, let the polish dry for at least 20 minutes to keep the polish from smearing when you apply the topcoat. When dry, apply two coats of topcoat and let completely dry.

I think this is a cute look for Mardi Gras, so I hope you will give it a try. And like they say in New Orleans…Let the Good Times Roll!

Until next time…..keep those nails covered.