So I started out with my bases, applying black to my thumb nail, middle finger nail and little finger nail. On the other two I used Models Own 'Bare Beauty', which is the closest shade I have to skin tone, and is supposed to represent the hint of belly that is on show in my top!

Then I used Models Own 'Pastel Pink' for the flower petals, and then tried to blend in Barry M 'Shocking Pink' in the centre of the flower. For the leaves, I used W7 'Neon Green', which took quite a few coats to achieve a decent finish as W7 polishes are quite transparent and have a very loose consistency.

I neatened up the edges of the flowers and leaves with black polish, then topped the leaves with Missguided 'Misslead' (shimmery yellow), and while I waited for them to dry I applied striping tape to my flesh-coloured nails. I made sure to space it out so that all sections were the same size.

I painted in the black sections on the taped nails, and while they dried I outlined the floral design with a Rio nail art pen. The pen is a sort of gold-ish silver, and I think it really completes the design as well as adding a bit of shimmer! When my striped nails were dry, I removed the tape carefully. Initially my manicure had a shiny finish, but I decided to top them off with Essie 'Matte About You', as you can see in the first picture. I think the mattified effect is especially effective on the striped nails, and I think I'll definitely do a full mani of this in the future!

So here are my nails along with my outfit! As you can see, the crop top only reveals a centimetre or two of my waist, which ensures that it's comfortable to wear as well as being on-trend. I really love this manicure - I've never 'mixed and matched' before, and I think it's definitely something I'll try again! What do you think?