Nails With Daniella: Sophisticated Superhero Manicure

My friend Daniella C. is a seriously talented nail artist (check out the Disney Princess manicure she did for me before my trip to Disney World), and we'll be collaborating once a month to bring you some fun, intricate, interesting nail designs. This time, it's this amazing manicure that we're calling Sophisticated Superhero.

For awhile now, Daniella and I have tossed around the idea of glitter ombre nails. Daniella is a master at this technique -- I've coveted her designs for over a year -- and I was thrilled when we chose this as the basis for this month's look. While we originally thought we would use a darker color as the base (like Daniella's in the picture of both of our manicures, above), a trial run with five different colors made us decide on a nude base instead!

Here are the colors Daniella used to create the design:


Deborah Lippmann Fashion (nail base color)
Chanel Graphite (ombre base color, and one of our favorites)
Sephora by OPI Only Gold For Me Top Coat (the bold glitter flecks)
Sephora Nail Glitter in Silver (for glitter definition)
Maybelline Color Show Nail Lacquer in Clear (to make the glitter stick to the nail)

We started with two coats of Deborah Lippmann Fashion. Fashion is my all-time favorite nude -- it somehow blends into the skin and stands out at the same time. It's the perfect base for this manicure because it adds just the right amount of definition and really makes the glitter designs noticeable.

To create the ombre effect, Daniella poured Chanel Graphite onto a paper plate and dabbed a makeup sponge into it. She then very carefully brushed and sponged it across each nail, leaving one on each hand ombre free so we could create the superhero part of the manicure -- a lightning bolt! (More on that in a moment.) Starting from the middle of the nail, Daniella brushed more and more Graphite up toward the tip.

Next, Daniella dipped the clear nail polish brush into the Sephora silver glitter, to make it adhere better to the nail. She traced the ombre with the glitter-covered brush and then an orange stick to further define it.

Now came the piece de resistance. Using the orange stick, dipped into Graphite, Daniella carefully drew lightning bolts on my left index finger and right ring finger. Check it out up close:



Isn't that AMAZING?

To finish the look off and add even more definition, Daniella poured bits of Only Gold For Me onto a paper plate and then liberally coated the ombre and lightning bolts with it. The oversized chunks of glitter add flash and drama against the nude base and the shimmer of the Graphite.


A look at the paper plate and some of the supplies used to create the look!

My overall feeling about this look? I LOVE IT! I've been staring at my nails nonstop since Daniella painted them last night. They're dramatic, they're bold, they make me feel like a Sophisticated Superhero!

Stay tuned for more fabulous nail looks with Daniella! I can't wait to see what she creates next.