I was rifling through my stamping plates a few weeks ago (during my ‘nail art equipment’ Periscope) and I got very nostalgic when I saw my Konad plates. This M57 plate, the one with the zebra-tiger and leopard print, was the very first plate I ever lusted after and pretty much kicked off my nail art obsession. I vowed to use it again soon and I think Day 13 of the challenge, animal print, is the perfect opportunity.

2016 is going to be an epic year for comic book movie adaptations so I really have my work cut out for me. I realised today that I’ve never done Deadpool and the shame swept over me pretty fast. I’m no stranger to a bit of Harley Quinn Nail Art but with her latest incarnation and updated look from Suicide Squad, I thought it was a good time to create an fresh nail art look to go along with it. It’s a nice mix of the old and the new with her ombre pigtails inspiring the gradient and the classic harlequin pattern throwing back to the old school.

It’s nearly time to wave goodbye to 2016 and I know a lot of us will be happy to see it go. On the whole, it really does seem like 2016 was a pretty terrible year but perhaps that’s because I live in the same pop culture as everyone else on Twitter and I just got sucked into it all. Whatever your thoughts on the last 12 months, I hope everyone is rounding off the year with fun festivities and killer nails!

There’s a perfect time and place for gradient nails so bright and juicy that they’re just begging for attention. The time is summer and the place is everywhere! Here are 6 colour combos that’ll get you started and don’t forget to scroll to the end for a gradient tutorial!