Crushed Shell Gradient

So I recently found a great sale on Apple Barrel acrylic paint at Walmart and got some of the huge 8oz bottles of paint for $2 a piece. Which is wonderful, considering the little 2oz bottles are just under $1!

Anyway, I decided to sponge (over a one-coat base of NYC French White Tip) a gradient with the 3 colors (sadly, there weren't many options) I'd grabbed: Grape Jam, Caribbean, and King's Gold.

After finishing the gradient, I stared at my nails, thinking now what?


Well... It just so happened that I had some crushed shells in colors similar enough to the paint. Since I haven't played with crushed shells in forever, I decided to place some of all 5 colors of them down the side of my nail.

After they were dry and good to go, I went to bed... Only to wake up to a bubble fest... Which is strange because I used a really thin top coat.

I actually like how they turned out quite a bit, though! Plus, I don't have the motivation to redo them all over again... The best pictures I got, since they weren't yet full of bubbles, were with my phone right after I finished these nails, so those are the ones I am showing you. Keep in mind, though, that these pictures have no rhyme or rhythm, the quality sucks, and they're pre-cleanup.

That's all I have for today! Buenos días. =)

P.S. NailsLikeLace is finally on Tumblr, too!