Red gloss and matte mix

So, I did my first manicure for the challenge.  Day one is nice and easy: use the colour red.  Interpret that how you will!

For me, it was late at night, and I have an early start tomorrow, so it was simple, but still (I like to think)  a bit different.

Day One: Red Nails

Excuse the messy edges: this is my worst nail polish habit: I don't fuss about to avoid painting my fingers, because a bit of a scrub with the nail brush in the morning shower usually takes care of any spill over!

I've used OPI I've got the Blues for Red as my base colour; two coats was plenty for the coverage I wanted.  It's a lovely deep red, and most importantly for my purposes today, has lots of shine.

I've freehanded the diagonal tip using Revlon Matte Suede Ruby Ribbon.   The great thing about the Revlon Matte Suede range is that they don't preserve brush marks at all, so I could apply it diagonally and didn't end up with any giveaway marks.

I didn't use a top coat: just because I didn't have the time to mess around with matte and shiny top coats, and I didn't want to sacrifice the effect.  This does mean the polish will probably wear off fairly quickly, but I can live with that.

I love this look: it's simple, it's easy to do, and it's subtle enough for a formal office environment (such as my workplace).  The hardest bit is making sure your matte polish and your shiny polish match up properly.