Recently, manicure with liquid stones has appeared in nail art, and in the shortest period of time, the new technique has found its fans. Ekaterina Miroshnichenko, multiple champion of nail art competitions, was the author of an interesting and original design. What is a technique popular among women?
The concept of "liquid stone"
This phrase refers to a sculptural or stained glass gel, which, with the addition of pigments, acquires the effect of a natural semi-precious or precious stone. When performing the technique, a prerequisite is the creation of a frame in the form of a beautiful pattern so that the gel does not spread and acquires the desired shape and volume.
One of the most spectacular is considered a manicure with liquid stones using foil as a border, this technology is called "gold casting".
What kind of stones are obtained in this technique? Absolutely any. For example, adding a green pigment to the gel, we get an emerald, blue turns into turquoise, yellow -this is amber, red is ruby, respectively.
Manicure with stones is quite an expensive pleasure, since the cost of gels and the materials necessary for its implementation is rather big. But by this time, worthy analogues had already appeared that would help achieve the most similar effect.
Revealing the secret of the "precious manicure"
The technique is a three-layer application of a contour onto the plate, then a stained glass gel, and then a sculptural one. Thanks to the latter, the effect of a magnifying glass is created, which is subsequently filled with pigment, and as a result, a precious stone appears.
The idea of a manicure with stones was originally developed for nails extended with acrylic, as they have a comfortable length and good plate density. But the popularity of the new technique has expanded the boundaries of use, and now such procedures are carried out on natural nails.
Required materials and professional tools
Before you start a manicure with stones, you need to familiarize yourself with the list of necessary accessories.
- Gels. This technique provides for the presence of 5 types: gel protection must be without dispersions, the presence of a colored art gel for a jacket, the contours are created from a black gel paint or art gel, but they must have a non-oil dispersion, which after drying in a UV lamp foil, stained glass art gel of any shade, sculptural gel (its consistency must be thick).
- Tassels. To make a manicure with stones, you needpurchase 3 types: angular (with its help French manicure is done), "hair" for drawing a contour and patterns, base for applying the main layer.
- Foil. Nail service professionals recommend using a special foil designed for manicure, but you can replace it with a regular one. The color chosen for the manicure (gold or silver) depends on the stone.
- UV lamp. Thanks to it, not only fast drying occurs, but also better hardening of the stone.
Instructions for creating a basic design
Professionals recommend taking the first steps in the new technique from the simplest, that is, doing a French manicure with stones.
Step 1. Draw a French element on the tip of the nail - a smile, then dry in a UV lamp for about 2 minutes.
Step 2. Apply gel protection and send the nails into the UV lamp.
Step 3. Start creating stones. Using the hair brush and black art gel, draw a contour pattern. At the end, polymerize in the lamp.
Step 4. Gilding. A foil is taken (a little more than a nail) and glued with a matte side, pressed well and torn off with a quick jerk. As a result, the outline will become gilded.
Step 5. With the help of a "hair" brush, yellow and silver gel is applied to the contour - so that 2 shades have a smooth transition. Drying.
Step 6. Apply stained glass gel. The hue depends on the type of stone being reproduced.
Step 7. Manicure with stones should have volume,therefore, a sculptural gel is applied to the substrate, which creates the effect of a hemisphere. Again drying in a UV lamp.
Step 8. Covering the nail with a finishing gel to save the resulting design. Apply with a base brush. Finishing touch: drying in the lamp.
Compatibility of liquid stones and natural nails
As mentioned earlier, the stone manicure was created for artificial nails. Is it possible to perform know-how on natural ones? According to professionals, it is possible only if you first apply gel polish (base) for a jacket on the plate and remove the sticky layer that has formed around the nails. The most effective way to do a manicure is with shellac. This ensures the durability of the base layer.
Manicure with liquid stones on natural nails has one problem: sometimes the paints applied in the process spread. Therefore, before the procedure, the plate must be carefully polished with a buff, providing better fastening.
Trend Options
Looking through the pictures of the "liquid stone" technology, many girls want to start learning with the combined technique. But the masters suggest experimenting with a moon manicure, where almost the entire nail plate has a bright shade, except for the semicircle at the base.
If you plan a manicure for a festive event, then before starting step 8 in the previously presented basic technique, make the base of a liquid stone using the "velvet sand" tool. So a gem inthis option will be on a velvet backing.
The most elegant designs are created on short nails. What are we talking about? Firstly, the stone should not be present on everyone, but only on one finger. Secondly, the size of the stone depends on the length of the nail. Accordingly, the shorter it is, the smaller the stone. In this case, manicure becomes a real jewelry art. However, the end result will be amazing. Just imagine how elegant a scattering of rubies, emeralds and pearls looks on short nails!
In any case, whatever the length of your nail plate, a liquid stone manicure will always arouse the admiration of others and emphasize the individuality of its mistress.
