Mani Monday: Gradient dragonfly stamping

Hey y'all!

I wanted to share a really pretty mani that I created after swatching Belle Glamour's Vampire's Kiss this weekend.  I just fell in love with the color and knew that I wanted to put it into some nail art.  I also really want to work more on my stamping techniques, so this was a perfect way to practice.

As I said before, this mani started with Vampire's Kiss, and then I created a gradient with a wet sponge using OPI Peace & Love & OPI and Revlon's Chroma Chameleon shade Aquamarine (look for a Swatch It post on the two Chroma Chameleon shades I picked up at B&M, coming soon).

Colors Used:
Barry M Gold Foil
OPI Peace & Love & OPI
Revlon Chroma Aquamarine
Belle Glamour Vampire's Kiss

On my ring finger, I reversed the gradient so the blue is at the base and the purple at the tips. I used the BM-410 plate and Barry M Gold Foil for all the stamping designs in this look.  The gold studs came from a wheel which I honestly cannot remember from where it came, but you can find all sorts of shaped metal studs all over the interwebz.  I chose these specifically because they mimicked the dragonfly wings in the stamping.

On my index and pinky, I used the dragonfly image on the stamp plate.

After I'd one the dragonflies, I was looking at other images in that Bundle Monster Create Your Own Collection to add a full nail stamp as an accent, and my eye kept coming back to another image on the same plate as the dragonfly, so I ended up using it on my ring finger.  To me it looks very tribal-mask, but I liked how the curves and lines mimicked the curves of the dragonfly, so I thought it would be a good match.

I didn't manage to stamp it perfectly, but at least it's centered where I wanted it, and reasonably straight.

Next came adding the studs on my middle finger and thumb.  In retrospect, I probably should have turned them around to have the pointy bits pointing toward one another (and more resembling a pair of wings), but hindsight, as they say, is 20/20.

I couldn't stop staring at this mani, and playing with the way the the shades shifted as the light hit them.  I have developed a serious problem with color-shifting polishes and I don't want treatment!

I also think this color combination would look great for a peacock-themed manicure.  I might try switching up the order on the nail as well and perhaps evening the gradient a bit to give Aquamarine more room to shine.

I would love to hear what y'all think about this look!

On a sadder note, I have a Chibi update.  He spent the weekend at the emergency clinic again and is waiting to see a cardiologist today after being down and having irregular breathing problems again.  I'm just heartsick about it, mostly because I hate the thought of him passing on without me having another chance to give him some cuddles and letting him lick my face one more time.  We're planning a trip to visit in a few weeks, so with some prayers and a little luck, hopefully he'll still be around for me to love on him a bit.