Go fierce for fall with these abstract sponge flowers

Floral manicures are always in style, but sometimes you want a design that truly stands out. Traditional flowers are often perfectly formed and symmetrical, but an abstract design will always draw a second glance.

This metallic manicure owes its unique look to transfer foil, stamping gel, a sponge dauber and gold caviar beads. Don’t worry if your painting skills aren’t perfect. These wavy petals give the design a free-form appearance and unique look. If you already have stamping gel in a color that suits your taste, use a single color instead of blending two together.

Materials
- Black gel polish
- UV or LED lamp (Lumcrissy, not shown)
- Nail gel base coat (Gelish Foundation)
- Metallic transfer foil
- Sealer nail gel (Gelish Top It Off)
- White gel paint (Young Nails Mission Control, Fizz)
- Tapered brush
- Red stamping gel polish (Biutee, #02)
- Purple stamping gel polish (Biutee, #04)
- Dotting tool
- Waterproof sticky note pad
- Sponge dauber
- Long liner brush
- Gold caviar beads
- Tweezers

Instructions
1. Apply two coats of black gel polish to the nails, and cure the gel between coats with the UV or LED lamp.

2. Brush a thin layer of nail gel base coat polish onto your nails, and cure the polish with the lamp.

3. Press a square of metallic transfer foil against the tacky surface of the nail. You may need to do this three or four times to completely cover the surface.

4. Set the foil in place with a layer of sealer nail gel. Cure the wet gel with the lamp once more.

5. Paint free-form petals along one side of the nail using the white gel paint and a tapered brush. Don’t worry about making the petals perfect. Slight variations in shape will make the flowers look more artistic. Cure the wet gel with the lamp.

6. Create a custom color by mixing a small amount of red and purple stamping gel together on a waterproof sticky note pad with a dotting tool.

7. Press the sponge dauber into the wet stamping gel, and dab the excess against the sticky note to prevent oversaturating the sponge.

8. Daub the stamping gel against the middle of the white flower a few times to create the colored center. Cure the wet gel with the lamp.

9. Enhance the center of the flower by painting a few straight lines using the long liner brush and the white gel paint. These lines should extend slightly beyond the colored center to give the flower more dimension. Cure the wet gel with the lamp.

10. Apply a small amount of base coat gel to the center of the flower, and use the tweezers to place multiple gold caviar beads in a semicircle. Cure the wet gel with the lamp.

11. Give the nails a final coat of sealer gel to ensure the beads stay in place, and cure the gel with the lamp.