For me, getting a manicure is a treat yo self sorta thing. I don’t do it often, though there’s nothing better. Since the holidays are a chaotic time, I’ve enlisted the help of nail polish maven Mackinleigh Isherwood, owner of Mack Gives Back, to give us an easy, at-home manicure that’ll be a hit for the holidays.

Here’s what you need to get started.

A basecoat: Orly – Bonder

A base polish: China Glaze – With Love

A glitter polish: Mack Gives Back – Tinsel

A topcoat: Seche Vite

Start off with a basecoat to protect your nails from staining and to help your manicure last longer, then paint two coats of your base color of choice. I used a bright, cheery red that is perfect for Christmas, but you can use any color you like.

Next, take your glitter polish and wipe off about 75% of the polish on the neck of the bottle. It should look something like the picture above.

Using the glitter that is left on the brush, start ¾ of the way down your nail and paint towards the tip. The glitter should be rather scarce at this point.

Follow the same procedure as before, but only wipe off 50% of the polish, and paint the top ½ of your nail. This will start to build the gradient towards the tip of your nail.

For the tip of your nail, simply paint the glitter as you would a normal polish.

Finish your manicure with your favorite topcoat and you’re done!

Thanks Mackinleigh! Check back next week for a New Year’s Eve nail tutorial!