How to create a blooming cactus manicure

Cactus flowers are a delightful surprise amid the desert landscape, and this playful manicure takes inspiration from their beauty. Recreating it at home requires little more than drawing half circles and straight lines.

To give these prickly succulents dimension, you'll need three different shades of green paint. A cactus is lighter on the edges than it is in the middle, and you can achieve this gradient effect by dragging the brush through all three colors in one stroke. No manicure would be complete without a little bling, so top these petite plants with a gold flower charm.

Materials
- White gel polish (not shown)
- UV or LED lamp
- Light, medium and dark green gel paint
- Extreme Post-it notes
- Toothpick
- Fine detail brush
- Red gel paint
- Orange gel paint
- Base nail gel
- Wax rhinestone picker
- Gold flower nail charms
- Matte gel top coat

Instructions
1. Apply two coats of white gel polish, curing them between coats with the UV or LED lamp.

2. Place all three shades of green gel polish side by side on an Extreme Post-it note. Lightly blend the colors together with a toothpick so they go from light to dark without interruption.

3. Drag the tip of the fine detail brush through the paint, starting with the light green, and paint a half circle on the nail. Draw a straight line perpendicularly through the half circle to create a cactus. The paint should have a gradient effect.

4. Repeat step three so each nail has more than one cactus. Cure the paint with the lamp.

5. Place red and orange paint on a clean portion of the Post-it note. Dip the detail brush in the paint and paint dots on the tips of each cactus. Cure the wet paint with the lamp.

6. Apply a single layer of base nail gel to each cactus design, and use the wax rhinestone picker to place a gold flower nail charm onto the design. Cure the gel with the lamp.

7. Seal the design with a layer of matte gel top coat, and cure it with the lamp.