If you haven’t been able to tell by now, I’m obsessed with nail studs.  I love how easy they make it to add a pop of color and texture to your manicure.  I received some more studs in this month’s Nail Art Society kit – this time, it included small gold squares – and I just had to incorporate them into this week’s Manicure Monday.  Read on to see what I did to create this manicure!

I knew I needed to use my new nail studs – but with what? Again, I was inspired by fashion.  I planned to wear a purple printed dress to my boyfriend’s holiday party, so of course I had to go with a purple manicure.  I used China Glaze’s Ombre Kit in Grape Expectations, which included Sweet Hook, Spontaneous, Grape Pop, and Crimson.

I initially planned to recreate the print on each nail, but I have to admit that even I wasn’t looking forward to spending that much time on my manicure.  I decided to go with a matte ombre (gradient?) manicure – each nail a slightly different shade than the last.  China Glaze’s Ombre Kits are perfect for that because they give you each of the shades.  Since it includes four shades, I chose to use Jessica Custom Nail Colour in Black Matte.  Since the darkest shade of purple was almost black, it was perfect.

I added three gold nail art studs to each nail, in a straight line down the center.  It was just enough to create a punky accent and still let the purple shine.  Learn how you can add nail art studs to your manicure here.

I finished each nail with NYC’s Matte Me Crazy to seal in the studs and create a fresh, matte manicure.

What do you think of this week’s Manicure Monday? Let us know in the comments!

Check out more great manicure tutorials:

• Manicure Monday: Gilded Gold
• Manicure Monday: Mad About Plaid
• Manicure Monday: On the Dot