NOTD: Julep Daisy and Parker Gradient

So remember my nails from yesterday with Julep Daisy?  Well I decided to do a gradient on it.  I did this before the Challenge started, I was working on perfecting my gradient for the Challenge and this one turned out pretty awesome if I do say so myself.  I used Julep Parker (orange) for my second colour in the gradient.

It was hard for me to get the right lighting for this because I did it at night, after the sun had gone down.  The way I did this gradient is I painted my nails my base colour (Daisy) and then using my second colour (Parker), I did my first layer of gradient which was approximately 3/4 of the way up my nail from the tip.  Then I let it dry a touch then applied more Parker for my second layer, approximately 1/2 of the way up my nail from the tip. Finally, after letting that dry a little more again, I did my third layer of Parker, approximately 1/4 of the way up my nail from the tip.  I have also included a little diagram of the layers of Parker that I did.

I probably should have added a little more polish at the tip to make Parker slightly darker, but I think this is the best gradient I have done to date (even including the gradient for the Challenge).

So in my quest to find the perfect sponge for creating gradients, I have finally found it!  You know those yellow foamy kitchen sponges with the green scratchy pad on the one side?  That is what you need!  I know there are videos showing to paint the sponge directly with the polish and dabbing it on the nail, but I have found that way doesn't work for me, the polish dries too quickly on the sponge or gets soaked up by the sponge and won't transfer to the nail :(  So I take a small piece off the sponge (rip or cut, depends how Hulk-ish you're feeling ;) ) and hold it in a set of tweezers so as not to ruin the nails on your other hand.  I have also had a suggestion to stick the piece of sponge into a straw and hold it like a pencil/Q-tip.

I will definitely be trying gradient nails more often, I think that once I get it mastered I will be using it more often as a background/base colour to nail art :)

Have you guys mastered gradient nails?  What is your favourite colour combination for gradients?