How To: Fire Cracker Gradient Nails (VIDEO)

With summer around the corner, add some sizzle to your nail game with Fire Cracker Gradient polish.

To begin this look, make sure your nails are clean and filed to a rounded tip. Feel free to shape your nails in your preferred style.

Once filed, coat your nails with a base polish. This can be a strengthening base coat or your favorite clear polish. I chose to begin using OPI's Nail Envy after hearing rave reviews online. You can get this polish at any beauty supply like Ulta or Sally Beauty Supply.

After you've finished your nail prep, add an intial coat of White Nail Polish to your nail. I used Brucci's Snow White. Think of this project like a painting and think of the White Nail Polish as your canvas. The white will assist in making the colors stand out, as opposed to working with a bare or clear nail.

Make sure your newly white nails are completely dry before taking the next steps.

Next, you are going to want to use a make-up sponge to aid in your application of the gradient to your nail. Simply, layer your colors from light to dark in small strips. For this color scheme, you'll have your Orange Nail Polish (Le Metier de Beaute's Penny Lane) on the bottom, a Red-Orange Nail Polish (Revlon's Delicious) in the middle, and a Red Nail Polish (Essence's Fame Fatal) on top.

Before the nail polish dries on the sponge, lightly dab the sponge on your nail. You'll want to start off slowly to make sure you have aligned the colors correctly. The Orange should cover the White Nail Polish at the bottom of your nail and the Red Nail polish to coat the tip of your nail. Repeatedly blot the sponge until you have the desired look.

You may have to reapply your polish onto the sponge every two or three nails. Don't worry about getting the polish on your finger, you can easily use a Q-Tip to remove the excess polish.

Finish your manicure by a coating of a clear top coat.

Will you be following this Summer nail trend? Let us know in the comments below!