Introduction to Work Wear Wednesdays and Tutorial

Guess what day it is?! Move over "hump day" it is now Work Wear Wednesday! I have decided to create a new series called Work Wear Wednesdays! I will be creating nail art that is work appropriate for professional work environments. We all know that our love of nail art can sometimes be a bit too much for the workplace, especially if your employer is particularly strict or if you have clients you want to impress. This series is meant to be a guide to give you ideas on how to execute simple nail art that you can show off at the office without raising any eyebrows. Every workplace is different, so feel free to work off of these designs to make them your own and appropriate for what you do!

For the first tutorial, I decided to go with a design I have done before. This is the gradient french manicure! I love how beautiful and simple it is, but it has a very classy yet modern look.

For this design I used the following polishes: Rimmel London 60 Seconds in 311 Caramel Cupcake (nude), China Glaze White On White and China Glaze Fairy Dust. The only tool you need to create this look is a makeup sponge and maybe some tape, but that isn't necessary.

1. Paint all of your nails with the nude polish you picked out. This gives you a good base to start. I used more of a tan because it fits my skin tone best and I wanted more of a nude than a pink.
2. If you would like to save time on cleaning up the excess polish around the nails, place tape over your cuticles to protect them.
3. Cut your sponge down to the approximate size of your nail. That way you can get many uses out of one sponge. Wet your sponge and wring out the excess water. Add your nude to about 3/4 of the surface area and your white to the last 1/4 area.
4. Be sure your base color is dry. Roll/dab your sponge onto your nail. This photo is one coat.
5. Add as many coats as necessary to achieve the look you want, ensuring that the two colors are well blended. I only needed two coats using these colors.
6. Carefully remove the tape if you used it.
7. Add the Fairy Dust micro glitter topper if you want.
8. Complete the look on all of your nails and add top coat!

I want to say, I am not the original creator of this design. I am not sure where this look first popped up, but I had been seeing several of these designs and thought it was a beautiful soft look. Chalkboard Nails did a beautiful version a couple of years ago and found a possible source on her website. (Thanks Lisa from Cosmetic Sanctuary for helping me figure this out!)

This simple look is a great way to impress your coworkers without breaking any company rules! I work in a very professional environment and I can see these being popular without being too showy. I hope this series helps some of you in identifying some designs that could be seen as professional chic and not boring. The challenge for me is finding a nail art look that I want to and am able to wear to work! I think today's look achieves that. Remember to come back every Wednesday for a new tutorial! Thanks for reading!