My first striping tape mani!

I've done a little taping here and there, but it always makes me nervous. Even after learning the trick of laying down a coat of quick-dry top coat to keep the base color from peeling up with the tape, I still get nervous! I bought a bucket-load of super-thin striping tape off eBay from some place in China about a year ago, and because I didn't know how to use it properly, it has languished in my nail art bin for too long! Now that it worked so well for masking, I might get brave enough to use it and leave it on...

Anywho, for the 12th challenge in The Crumpet's New 31 Day/Slow Challenge, my base color here is Sinful Colors Timbleberry/Thimbleberry. I'd love to know what the polish's real name is! I assume it's the former, since every bottle I've ever seen says "Timbleberry". But I have seen display cases with it spelled both ways...not all at once...you know what I mean! 

I laid down some striping tape in various designs, then sponged over my nails with a gradient of Timbleberry, Sinful Colors Hazard, and a pastel peach knock-off of Butter London's Kerfuffle that I call Kerfuffulous! (This is actually a name my son and I made up long ago for his alias during a silly tea party with his sisters!)

My skin is looking terribly dry here! Even with using lots of cuticle oil and body butter, my hands just stay dry. But at least I usually apply cuticle oil right before taking pics so it's disguised somewhat...

I liked this look better than I thought I would. I would like to improve my gradient technique, too, so that colors blend more seamlessly. Not sure how to accomplish that.