Holographic Damsel Gradient--Essie and Milani

My last post featured the lovely nail polish Essie Damsel in a Dress. As promised, let me show you how I dressed up the manicure. I wanted to add a little something, but not lose the character of Damsel in a Dress. I chose Milani Hi-Res, a purple holographic shimmer (retail: $4.99).

I began, as mentioned, with three thin coats of Essie Damsel in a Dress:

Damsel in a Dress, alone

I proceeded to dabble on a little of the Milani Hi-Res; no sponge this time, just its regular brush. I started from the free edge of the nail and moved partway toward the cuticle.

First step of gradient

Once the first dabbled layer was dry (it dried very quickly), I added some more of the Milani Hi-Res, moving just slightly further toward the cuticles.

Second step of gradient

Finally, I dabbled a very thin amount of the Milani Hi-Res even further down toward my cuticles. I put a thicker dabble of it at my free edge to balance out the coverage. The holographic effect of this polish is not as strong as others I have seen, so it was a little hard to catch in photos, but still very pretty and stronger in real life. You can see it better in the blurred photo a little further down in this post.

Final result

Zoom in on final result

Indoor lighting

A flash and a blur to highlight the holographic sparkle 

I topped it off with Butter London Hardwear P.D. Quick Top Coat  (retail: $19.00). I wore this mani from Tuesday through Saturday without any chips, which I attribute to the top coat. I also have shorter nails than usual, so that probably helps to reduce chipping as well.

What do you think? Do you like to wear one polish at a time, or mix it up by layering another polish or adding nail art?