Gel Caviar Nail Manicure

Caviar nails have been a bit of a trend lately so I’ve really wanted to give this style a try. For those who don’t know what a caviar manicure is, it’s a manicure that gives your nails a 3D effect by adding micro beads to your nails, resulting in a textured look. 

I’ve read a lot of tutorials on achieving this look using normal nail polish; however I wanted to see if it works using gel polish.

 
This is what you need to achieve the look using gel polish:

1.     A gel polish set- including gel base-coat, your favourite gel colour and a gel top coat.

2.     Micro beads. They come in a variety of colours. You can find them on eBay. I purchased mine from Glow Cosmetics (if you’re in Australia). It was a pack of 12 for $6.95.

3.     A small spoon, a deep tray/container (to catch the beads) and a funnel.

I applied Gelish Soak-Off Gel Polish in 'You're So Sweet You're Giving Me A Toothache'

The tiny bottles of Micro-beads 

Steps

• Choose your nail polish colour and micro bead colour. You could consider matching the nail polish colour with the micro beads to enhance the caviar look.

• Apply base coat and one coat of colour as you normally would using gel polish (curing each coat under UV light etc.)

• Apply a second coat of colour and before curing apply your beads. You can apply them to all your nails or one accent caviar nail. Make sure you gently push down the micro beads so they stick to the polish.

• Then cure your nails. I cured the caviar nail for an extra minute just to make sure it completely sets.

• The top-coat is next. Apply like you normally would to seal the beads. Then cure for the recommended time.

This is how the manicure turned out. I think it’s rather pretty:

 



 

The verdict

I found this easy to do and I like the look of caviar nails. I think it’s a fun manicure and something that’s a little bit different. It might be a bit over powering having the beads on all nails, I like the look of an accent nail.

The caviar nail has lasted a week now. I think the gel gives it a lasting finish. Applying the gel top coat dulled the shine of the beads and I wonder if I had used coloured beads (other than silver) if the colour would have faded while coating with top-coat.

If you’re like me and get bored of having the same manicure in a week, I don’t’ think the ‘gel caviar manicure’ is the way to go as it does seem to last. Maybe give this a go using normal nail polish instead.

Tips

When applying beads do one nail at a time making sure you hold your fingernail over a tray to catch excess beads. Scoop excess beads and funnel them into the bottle to reuse them.

Use a tiny spoon to apply beads to nails, this gives you some precision and I think it’s easier than picking the beads up with your fingers. I used a little Wizz Fizz Sherbet spoon haha!  

Has anyone tried a Caviar nail manicure? Did you like it? Leave your blog post in the comments and I’ll take a look :)