White nail polish, as the choice for classic manicure options, hasn't gone out of style in the past decade. French designs, however, like the use of neon pigments is impossible without white gel polish. The versatility of the material lies in its perfect combination with any colors and shades.
General characteristics
White can be used both for the base coat and for the drawing in color designs. Any starter kit for a beginner master includes varnishes and paints in white and black.
Materials that are used by masters in salons (they are also used in home manicure):
| Type of material | How to use in design |
| gel polish | to create a background coating for the entire nail, it is applied in 2-3 thin layers, without pressing the brush during work. |
| gel paints | have richer pigmentation, often have a thick consistency, are used for painting on the background coating and for designs with a monogram pattern. |
| gel-paste | are used to create voluminous patterns (monograms, flowers, branches with leaves) on the background coating with gel polish, after applying the top, do not overlap with anything on top, are resistant to abrasion and color loss. |
| spider gel | creates fine white threads on the surface of the nail, has a specific elasticity, is applied with an orange stick dots, is used for minimalist and geometric designs. |
| plasticine | thick white art paste, which is used to sculpt 3D designs on the nail, covered with a top layer without a sticky layer. |
Even a beginner will be able to design nails with white varnish with the correct use of materials. For the first steps in decorating nails, trendy, uncomplicated designs with a stone structure are chosen.
If you have certain skills and materials, you can create volumetric drawings with art pastes with the application of neon pigments or acrylic powders, creating a "knitted" manicure.
White is used in manicure regardless of the season, focusing only on the client's preferences.
For example, a themed wedding manicure using a nude colored base and white gel polish is often used for everyday office manicure. Not to mention, these colors are involved in creating the classic jacket that women of all ages love, regardless of occupation.
Techniques and methods
White nail designs can be difficult to apply due to the physical properties of the material. It should be borne in mind that white pigment does not always dry out qualitatively in low-power LED lamps. Craftsmen complain about the difficulties in laying out white acrygel or art-paste, which require doubling the drying time.
What designs are created using white:
- classic jacket;
- moon manicure;
- drawings of monograms;
- creation of abstract colored designs (the most popular of them today is the structure of the stone);
- floristry, which is created both by sketches and modeling;
- stamping with white paint;
- applying neon pigments to the drawing, which is made with white gel polish.
Today, according to Pantone, for the winter season, olive and blue are considered popular colors for the base color coat (which is moving from the top tints of last year this season). White monogram designs look gentle and at the same time bright on them.When sprinkling the pattern with white acrylic powder, voluminous winter patterns are obtained.
Solid color design
Due to the density of the white pigment in the varnish, it is not possible to apply it evenly (without bald spots) from the first layer. Therefore, it is recommended to put a small amount of varnish on the brush and count on applying in 2-3 layers, drying each layer for at least 30 seconds in an ICE lamp.
Technique for applying a solid white gel polish coating:
- Push back the cuticle with a pusher or an orange stick and clean the area under it from pterygium (thin skin that covers the nail under the cuticle and lateral ridges).
- With a file, shape the free edge and buff the entire plane of the nail, removing the glossy shine.
- Treat the nail with a dehydrator to remove dust after sawing off the shape of the free edge and clean the surface of the nail from the fatty film.
- Apply primer (when hands are wet in daily life, it is recommended to use an acidic primer). Wait for the complete drying of the nail surface in the air.
- Apply a layer of base, which is used to level the surface of the nail after manicure and removing the previous material. Dry the layer for 30 sec. in the ICE lamp.
- Squeeze off excess liquid from a bottle with white gel polish and apply the first thin layer of varnish. Do not press on the brush, but work with the tips of the pile. Dry for 30 seconds in an ICE lamp.
- Apply a second layer with a large amount of varnish on the brushes, while using a thin brush, bring the colored material to the edge of the cuticle and under the side ridges. Dry for 30 sec.
- If, upon visual inspection of the surface, stripes of color are clearly visible on the nail, a third layer of white gel polish should be applied.
- Cover the nail with a top without a sticky layer using the surface leveling method. Place the drop in the apex area and distribute it over the nail. Turn the hand over with the palm up for 1-2 minutes. Dry for 30 seconds in a lamp.
In one color, you can design a nail using negative space (an unpainted area of an arbitrary shape). For example, the nail is covered with a colored base of beige or pink.
Leave an unpainted strip in the middle of the nail, and color the areas at the side ridges in white. On a strip of nude color, apply a drawing with white art paste or stamp. You can sprinkle the drawing with white acrylic powder with glitters, you get a solid volumetric design.
Options in different shades
White goes well with any color. With it, you can change the color of any gel polish, turning it into pastel. For example, by choosing one bright color, gradually add a drop of white varnish to it, the shade with each batch will become lighter in tone.
So by placing several halftones of the same color on the palette, you can create geometric gradients using the layering technique.
A nail design that mimics the texture of a stone is also created using white polish:
- Get a manicure and apply a base coat.
- Apply the first layer of white gel polish, smoothing at the cuticle and under the side rollers. Dry in a lamp for 30 sec.
- Apply a second layer, do not dry or apply to the skin around the nail to avoid material leakage.
- On a wet layer, using a thin brush, draw wavy lines imitating the veins of the stone. Do not place them very close to each other, so that when the paint spreads, one color spot does not turn out. Veins can be painted with black, blue, green or brown gel paint, depending on the type of stone being created. For marble, black is used for drawing, and for malachite, green.
- Allow a few minutes for the material to spread over a wet white surface and dry in an ICE lamp for 30 seconds.
- With a thin brush, paint the veins over the blurred stripes with a gel paint of the same color. The lines must be made in different thicknesses and lengths so that they resemble the structure of the stone. Dry in a lamp for 30 sec.
- Cover the top with a top without a sticky layer, which is fixed in the lamp for 30 seconds.
This decor is applied to 2-3 fingers of one hand. The designs look strict and elegant, suitable for everyday manicure. The peak of popularity of these designs falls on the last year, but today they remain in trend. The ease of making the pattern guarantees success even for a novice master. The basic rule is not to apply too many lines, tightly to each other.
Matte manicure
A matte manicure is created using a special top coat, which, after drying in a lamp, ensures that the coating does not have a glossy shine. Depending on the quality of the material, its matting capabilities are manifested. For some manufacturers, the gloss may appear after 6-8 days.
Nail design with white varnish under a matte top serves as a good basis for attaching rhinestones and using shiny decor (foil, glitter, self-adhesive tapes). A white smooth nail without shine perfectly sets off the shine of the jewelry decor, subtly emphasizing its beauty. These designs look festive and elegant. They are applied to nails of any length.
Variants with patterns and drawings
The simplest solution when using white gel polish is to create contrasting designs with a black pattern.
As a picture, use:
- geometric patterns;
- monograms;
- dots points;
- stamping;
- floristry (drawing or using a slider);
- lace (slider or stamping).
Monochromatic drawings of any complexity can be easily done independently, using the stamping technique. To do this, it is enough to purchase a plate with an engraved pattern, a stamp and colored gel polish for stamping. The color of the picture can be any, depending on the preferences of the client: color, gold or silver. All shades of gel polish for stamping look good on a contrasting white background.
Watercolor flowers look gentle and graceful on a white canvas. It is quite difficult to draw them with a thin brush and only experienced craftsmen can do it. For beginners, there are sliders that are printed with flowers that mimic the watercolor painting technique.
This trick is also used by the craftsmen in the salons to reduce the design time. On top of the film, two layers of topcoat are applied with a pattern. Such designs can be additionally decorated with broths and rhinestones.
Decor ideas
The neutral white color on the nail surface serves as an ideal substrate for rhinestone inlays. Depending on the color and size of the selected stones, the craftsmen achieve different effects from the decoration. For example, the combination of large holographic rhinestones with smaller multi-colored stones framed by silver broths create a grandiose picture of jewelry.
And the use of champagne stones on a white background framed with white broths will create a gentle, romantic manicure.
A favorite of designs is considered to be a moon manicure, in which a hole is separated on a white nail coating by a thin thread of small pearls and silver broths. This design is as popular and considered a classic nail art as the French.
A quick and easy way to decorate your nails is to use self-adhesive tapes. As a rule, zloty or silver stripes of wound thickness are used. They are placed along or across the nail plate.
It is recommended to avoid crossing the stripes in the design, as unnecessary thickness forms at the place where the ribbons overlap, which is difficult to align with the top. Ribbon designs are complemented by small rhinestones or Pixie crystals on one or two fingers of one hand.
Salons often use the technique of printing foil on a sticky layer of white gel polish. Creates the effect of bright strokes on a white surface. Such designs are within the power of beginners, but remember that the transfer foil must be covered with two layers of top, drying each coating for 30 seconds in a lamp.
Fashion trends
The fashionable trend in nail decor for 2019 remains the creation of inscriptions on the nails. Positive (and not only) motivational texts are placed on a white cover. They stand out in contrast and are easy to read. This type of design has long gone beyond the limits of youth fashion, today it is successfully used by ladies of any age: housewives and business women.
Drawings in the style of minimalism look elegant on a white background - the intersection of straight stripes or points. For example, a black straight strip is drawn in the center of a nail covered with white varnish, along which dots are placed. Some of them are attached with small (ss3) rhinestones of black or ruby red color.
Combinations of white varnish with neon pigments are considered popular this season. It can be bright color spots on a white solid-colored coating or a design with rubbing neons into a drawing made with white art paste.
White gel polish is a grateful material for a master in creating any type of nail design. He is necessarily included in the starter kit of the beginner master. It is convenient to use stamping for creating lace patterns in a delicate, feminine manicure. This color is irreplaceable when creating a classic jacket on nails of any length.
Author: Anna Beauty
Video about manicure with white varnish
Fashionable design in white: