A few days ago, I reached for my trusty bottle of China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy. (It’s one of my all-time favourite polishes, and I’ve worn it over 10 times.)
After removing that manicure, I was still in the mood for a neon, but I couldn’t decide on one to wear. So what did I do? I decided to wear 4 of them at once in a Neon Ombre/Skittle Manicure!
All of these colours come from the China Glaze Poolside Collection. I’ve worn 5 of the colours from this collection and have blogged about 3 of them.
I’ve seen ombre and skittle nail art everywhere, and I’ve always wanted to try it. Finally I joined the bandwagon! 😉
In person, these colours are as bright as highlighter markers! They scream summer to me, and I’m still wearing it because I can’t bring myself to remove it yet.
Neon Ombre/Skittle Manicure Swatches
All swatches have:
- OPI Natural Nail Base Coat
- Yellow (thumb & pinkie): 4 coats of China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini
- Pinkish Red (index finger): 3 coats of China Glaze Pool Party
- Coral (middle finger): 3 coats of China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy
- Orange (ring finger): 3 coats of China Glaze Sun Worshiper
- Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
Natural Light Photos
(Psst! In case you’re wondering what colour that green is, it’s China Glaze Kiwi Cool-Ada!)
Flash Photos
How cheeky! The pinkie finger snuck in there. 😉
I’ve blogged about 5 of the polishes from the China Glaze Poolside Collection, in case you’re interested:
- China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy Swatches & Review
- China Glaze Pool Party Swatches & Review
- China Glaze Kiwi Cool-Ada Swatches & Review
- China Glaze Sun Worshiper Swatches & Review
- China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini Swatches & Review
If you can’t narrow down which polish to wear, do you sometimes wear them all at once? Which neons are your favourites?
I like this manicure! Now that Spring is finally here it is time to pull out those bright colors again 😀
Sabine recently posted: Winter Farewell: Rescue Beauty Lounge – Catherine
Hey Sabine!
Heck, anytime you’re feeling down and need a quick pick-me-up, neons always do it! 😀 Glad you dig it.
Loving how it looks on you! That’ll look great on my daughter with her skin tone!
Hey The KnitMaster!
Thanks! 🙂 Now whenever I can’t decide on a colour to wear, I’m just going to wear them all. Haha!
how fun!!! makes me want to go sit by a pool and drink fruity umbrella drinks =))
Gosia recently posted: Hunger Games mani… and my first nail art!
Hey Gosia!
Totally! 🙂 I may go swimming next week. We’ll see! 🙂 But, by then, I’ll have changed my manicure to something else. Not sure what colour just yet. Haha, or maybe I’ll do another skittle manicure if I can’t decide on one colour. 😉
Your mani is making me crave a good smoothie 🙂 I’m really loving pool party as well, that has to go on my list!
Frosso recently posted: Finger Paints Tiffany Impostor
Hey Frosso!
And you talking about a smoothie is making me crave one! Yum!
Do you ever make your own smoothies? A few years ago, I used to make them all the time. They’re so easy to make, so delicious, and so nutritious.
The only thing that could have made that mani any more fun would have been for you to be holding a pina colada!! lol
Hey Melissa White!
Haha, very true! Y’know what? I’ve NEVER had a pina colada before. Does that shock you? Hmm…I think my favourite summer alcoholic beverage (even though I don’t have it often) is the mojito – so refreshing!
So fun and pretty! It makes me want to go to the beach!
Hey Hannah Lynn!
And if you wore this look to the beach, the sunshine would make all the neons pop even more. Good idea!
Loved it!
Great skittle manicure. I would love to own that collection!
Marcia recently posted: Hunger Games Inspired Manicure with China Glaze! (mini tutorial)
Hey Marcia!
China Glaze made my favourite neons. From that Poolside Collection, I highly recommend Flip Flop Fantasy, Pool Party, and Kiwi Cool-Ada. The others are okay, but don’t pop quite as much or they’re streakier. Also, if you wear them, you MUST wear a top coat for them to look good. By themselves, they just dry really dull and streaky.
Neon skittle nails, awesome! There’s such gray, dreary weather right now where I’m at and this post really brightened my day! Makes me want summer to get here already :). I did notice how you needed to use at least 3 coats for each color–is that typical of neon nail polish? I’ve never worn or owned any neons.
Hey Jessica!
Nothing like a wild manicure to brighten up a gloomy day. 🙂 Colour therapy in a bottle…or in this case, bottles! 😉
For all the neon polishes that I own, yes, it seems to be pretty typical to use 3 coats for the best finish. Although, you could use 2 coats for Flip Flop Fantasy and Pool Party. But neons dry dull and somewhat streaky. It’s only when you apply a top coat that the look appears more finished. So, when I’m painting my nails with neon polishes, I like to use at least 3 coats to ensure that the finish is less streaky.
Also, with yellow, I find that no matter how many coats I use, it always ends up streaky. Here, I used 4 coats, and in person, you can see it’s streaky. Oddly, my photos of it turned out less streaky than in real life!
I love this, but what color did you paint on your thumb nail?! lol!
Hey Ashley!
On my thumbs, I have China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, which is the same colour that’s on my pinkie finger.
I wish I was drawn to bright neon colors. They look so good on your and other people’s nails. I have bought a couple colors but they just sit in my stash staring at me, mocking me. Maybe I’ll try them as a pedi and see how that goes.
Nail Nut recently posted: Revlon Royal
Hey Nail Nut!
Bust those suckers out! 😀 They look even more brilliant on your nails than in the bottle. Trust me – when you wear your first neon manicure, you’ll keep looking down. And don’t be surprised if everyone around you also stares at your nails. They really get a lot of attention!
This is so much fun!!! It makes me excited that summer is just around the corner =) I never do skittles manicures but this makes me want to do one soon =) I’m a huge fan of neons so this is right up my alley.
Jacqui recently posted: Retro Sunday Squared with Polished Claws Up – Maybelline Glitters
Hey Jacqui!
Yeah, it was a lot of fun to wear! 🙂 I didn’t want to remove it. And now that I’ve tried out a skittle manicure, I want to do another. 😀 Hope you try a neon skittle! 😀
This looks so fab – it might be among my all time fav skittle manis – I feel now I need to get all the other colors used here. I have and also am in love with Flip-Flop Fantasy. Just this week something came up on my HS list serv about wearing thongs and were they called flip-flops or go-aheads (which is a So. CA term from the 50s and 60’s I think)…I said as close as I come to wearing flip flops now days due to I cannot break my toes into the toe thing anymore is my polish called – you got it…FFF!
Hey beachgal!
Wow, really? Thank you! 😀 Glad that you loved it as much as I did. Yes, you need that China Glaze Poolside Collection – it’s fab!
You’ve done tons of nail art and it’s all been so cute, but this is my new favourite!
It’s fun and so cute on you!
Hey karen!
Thank you! 🙂 And this look was the easiest of all to do, so that’s even better!
This is such a fun mani!! I love it!
MariJo recently posted: Model’s Own – Pinky Brown
Hey MariJo!
Glad you liked it. I didn’t even plan the colour combination, so I was really surprised how nicely it turned out. 🙂
You should try it. I always say that I can imagine certain polishes looking good on you, but THESE, I KNOW will be a knockout on you!
OK… I swear I have looked at this post over 4 times and love it each and every time more! I am just now getting around to commenting though.
I have tried the ombre manicure only once thus far… but I ADORE your NEON take on it!!!! This is playful and yet so well put together!
I agree, it is a great way to play with a number of shades… all at once. 😀 (and it is not illegal or frowned upon which is a bonus 😉 ).
I would agree that Flip-Flop fantasy is a STUNNING SHADE! 😀
Marta recently posted: Cinderella wears Polka Dots
Hey Marta!
Thank you for the huge compliment! 😀 I’m glad you enjoyed it so much. Funny thing is that I didn’t even plan the order of the colours. It was only after I finished painting my nails that I realized the colours went together nicely. This is a combination I’ll have to sport again for those times when I MUST wear a neon, but can’t pick just one. 😉
Flip Flop Fantasy is back-up worthy! I’ve put the biggest dent in that polish compared to any other colour.
I am totally doing this neon ombre skittles this summer! While looking at your photos, all I could think about was lounging by a huge body of water (sea, lake, pool, heck, I’ll take what I can! :P), slathered in sunscreen with a book in one hand and a pina colada within reach…man, that would be awesome right now! 😉
I think I need a neon green and yellow tho. Any recommendations? 😀
Carmela recently posted: The Hunger Games and China Glaze Capitol Colors: The Savagery featuring Luxe and Lush, Stone Cold, and Fast Track
Hey Carmela!
I know how much you like pina coladas. 🙂 They’re your ‘vacation drink’. I’ve never tried it. Am I the last person who hasn’t?
China Glaze Kiwi Cool-Ada from the same Poolside Collection is an amazing neon green. Yes, it dries matte, is streaky, and shows some visible nail line even with multiple coats, but it really is radioactive-looking. This is the only neon green I have in my stash, actually!
As for a neon yellow, I suggest NOT buying China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini. It’s the streakiest in the Poolside Collection, and I wasn’t impressed with it, even after 4 coats. That’s pretty much my cut-off. If a polish needs 5 or more coats, I can’t be bothered. That being said, neons dry faster, so maybe to you, 5+ coats isn’t such a bad thing.
I much prefer Essie Funky Limelight over the China Glaze because Funky Limelight has a tinge of green even though it’s predominantly a neon yellow. It seems more…electric! However, it’s still streaky, and that colour’s getting harder to find now…
Hey Mary,
I’m officially addicted to your blog, for nail polish in particular! I’m just wondering what you use to clean up your nails after you have painted them, or how you get your cuticle edge SO perfect. I can’t seem to create the beautiful, perfectly curved edge you have in all of your pictures 🙁 Every time I look at your pictures, after I look at the colour watch I admire how clean your cuticles are 🙂
colour swatch*
Hey Erica!
THANK YOU SO MUCH! 😀 Yes, I had to yell that because when you get excited, you just have to raise your voice, right? 😉
I really appreciate you taking the time to leave me a comment and encourage me. Plus I love flattery. Haha, it’ll get you more swatches and reviews on nail polish! HAHAH! 😛
Actually, unless I’ve done full-nail stamping with Konad image plates, I don’t do any clean up. When I paint my nails and do just a regular manicure (i.e. no nail art), I just take my time applying the polish. I place the brush in the middle of my nail near the cuticle, but still leaving a slight gap. Then I brush downwards. I repeat on the sides as many times as needed to get a better finish. With the second coat, usually the area near the cuticle looks better.
When I saw this nail look I was hoping terribly that I had all the colors and I did!! WHAT A MIRACLE! So excited to paint my nails… I’m about to do it now!:)
Hey Lessa!
Yay! If you took photos of how yours turned out, feel free to post it on my Facebook wall so everyone can see and enjoy it! 🙂