Crackling and irridescent, these nails look like something from the center of the earth. Utilizing foil, stamping techniques, and glitter, the nail artists at Style Factory in Dresden, Germany show how to create this sparkling, cracked
What you’ll need:
- Cover gel
- Black Gel
- Loose glitter in blue and magenta
- Blue foil
- Stamping set with lava-like plate design
- White polish
- Magenta gel
- XL Stamping Image Plate D (available here)
- Glossy top gel
Step 1: Prepare nails as usual.
Step 2: Apply the cover gel to the nails with a brush. Cure the gel for 2 minutes and wipe the inhibition lay with nail cleanser. Go over the nail with a buffer.
Step 3: Apply the black gel with the brush, taking care to avoid the cuticle. Cure it. Paint the remaining nails with the black gel, covering the nails completely. Cure the nails for 4 minutes.
Step 4: Before removing the sticky layer, press your blue foil onto it and leave it there momentarily.Wipe a dry lint-free wipe across your foil to press more of it onto the nail. Remove the foil. Brush off the nails to remove any loose pieces of foil.
Step 5: Apply builder gel on the portion of the nail that you want to apply glitter to. Use a fan brush to apply the glitter to each nail and allow it to cure for 2 minutes. Gently brush it off afterwards.
Step 6: Apply the builder gel to the whole nail and allow it to cure for 2 minutes. Wipe away the inhibition layer. File and buff your nail to the desired shape.
Step 7: To create the cracked stone look, use white polish and your stamping tool to apply the pattern to your client’s nails. For step-by-step help with stamping, see our sister magazine’s article here.
Step 8: For a multi-colored stone effect, on one nail fill in one part of the pattern with magenta gel. Sprinkle your multicolored glitter over before the nails dry. Cure for 2 minutes.
Step 9: Apply the builder gel spherically with the brush. If needed, hold the nail upside-down to allow the gel to flow into the desired shape. Now is also a good time to tight up any part of the crackle pattern. Cure for 2 minutes.
Step 10: Seal the nails with your top gel and finish by curing for 4 minutes. Cleanse the inhibition layer and add cuticle oil. If you got any polish from the stamping on the fingers, remove it with acetone.
[Images: Style Factory]
