Modern manicure has become an element of women's self-expression. The choice of shapes and decor is very wide - from bright, long nails "stylets" to delicate colors of gel polish on short nails of the "soft oval" shape.
General recommendations for a manicure in delicate colors
Gel polish for short nails (delicate colors of pastel and nude palettes including) involves processing the nail with a classic shape.
Options for the shape of the nail plate for a short manicure:
- soft square;
- oval;
- almond;
- clear square;
- round form.
Today the rules of nail art do not restrict the use of any design to the length of the nails. The most sophisticated layering techniques are applied to short nails as well.
To create a delicate manicure, manufacturers produce entire collections of gel polishes, which often have attractive names, which makes the process of choosing a color an exciting experience. For example, “strawberry smoothie” or “evening mojito”, behind which are hidden pink and light green gel polishes.
However, the basic principles of fashion modeling are applicable to creating designs on short nails - as few horizontal lines as possible. If you place the design composition along the nail plate, it visually lengthens the nail and makes it thinner and more elegant, especially if there is a light main background.
Techniques and methods of manicure in delicate colors
Women handle the creation of various designs on their own. To do this, you must have minimum set of tools for manicure in the gel system:
- LED lamp;
- base and finishing polymer fluid;
- primer;
- any alcohol-containing liquid for cleaning the nail to remove excess varnish and dust after washing;
- orange stick or pusher;
- thin and voluminous flat brush;
- set of gel varnishes and decor.
You can do a regular trim manicure and push back the cuticle with an orange stick without using a hardware manicure cutter, but you cannot dry the gel polish without an ICE lamp.
Popular techniques for performing manicure
| Vehicle name | Necessary materials | Brief description of the process |
| horizontal gradient | a gradient brush with thin and long soft bristles, two gel polishes (similar in tone on the color palette) | on the dried base layer, two colors are applied in a dense layer. The dark strip should be twice as narrow as the light strip. The dark color is pulled together with soft strokes of the brush to a strip of light color. The villi of the brush shade the border of the stripes and make the transition between colors smooth. |
| vertical gradient | fan brush, two gel polishes | stripes of color are applied end-to-end along the nail plate, passing the tips of the pile of a fan brush along the border of the color connection, achieve a smooth connection of the two colors. The design is carried out on the nail treated with the base. |
| stamping | plates, stamp, scraper, stamping paints, varnish for background coating | with a scraper, paint is distributed over the plate, removing excess.The pattern is removed from the engraving with a stamp and transferred to the nail, which is previously covered with a colored monochromatic varnish and dried in a lamp. |
| sliders | a set of slider pictures, a container with water, gel polish for the background | the selected picture is cut along with the paper backing along the contour. Soak in liquid for about 2 minutes. With tweezers or fingertips, slide the thin film with the image onto the nail. Top cover with two layers of top coat. |
| aquarium design | transparent construction gel or liquid base, flat brush, decor and paints to create a background | after the manicure and applying the base coat, the decor is laid out on the nail - glitter, kamifubiki, sequins and painted with colored gel paints, the design is overlapped on top with a thick layer of gel or base, creating the effect of an aquarium, when the drawing is seen, as it were, through thick glass. This design requires a long drying time in the lamp, at least 2 minutes. |
Any of these techniques is complemented, if desired, by decoration. Without additional decorations, such designs look strict and elegant, and with the addition of new elements, they acquire a solemn and bright appearance. The basic colors for the design are dim colors of the pastel or beige range, which go well with white.
Solid color manicure in delicate colors
Simple to perform, but elegant monochromatic manicure. Such a coating with gel polish of any delicate color on short nails can be performed even by a beginner. For these designs, you do not need to be able to increase the length with artificial materials; it is enough to properly align the nail plate with the base and top. The smoother the surface of the nail, the more elegant the manicure will look.
Light shades have one unpleasant feature - to emphasize all the irregularities.
Light colors of varnishes are applied in 2 or 3 layers. It is recommended to level each layer before drying. To do this, turn the hand with the fingernail down (palm up) and hold it for a few seconds before laying it in the lamp.
The force of gravity and the anatomical structure of the nail will do their job - the varnish will drain to the center and level out. After drying in a lamp for 30 seconds, the same manipulations are performed with the next layer.
To add variety to the monochromatic design, the masters in the salons use special rubbing. With their help, any color can be given a pearlescent or metallic sheen, holographic or iridescent overflows. Each manufacturer has its own line of powders.
They are divided into 4 large groups:
- chrome - after application, the nail acquires a metallic sheen;
- aurora - makes the coating iridescent;
- holographic - provide a color change depending on the sun's rays;
- prism - creates a three-dimensional 3D effect.
Despite the simplicity of execution, such designs belong to the category of complex decors. They require careful fastening to the nail, otherwise they will peel off during wear. Experts recommend rubbing the powder into a warm layer of the top without a sticky layer, immediately after removing your hand from the lamp.
For rubbing use:
- finger (preferably with a latex glove);
- silicone brush;
- cosmetic applicator for shadows.
The excess is brushed off with a fluffy brush and covered with a thin layer of top. Then do 2 operations that will ensure the sustainability of the design:
- A file is used to process the free edge of the nail to remove small particles from the end.
- An acid-free primer is applied with a thin brush along the perimeter of the nail (near the cuticle and lateral ridges, along the edge of the nail plate), which will ensure reliable adhesion between the two top layers.
- The design is completed by a layer of topcoat with drying in a lamp for at least 1 minute.
Today there are no strict rules for decorating nails. Optionally, on one hand, you can combine the matte style on the little and ring fingers, mirror rubbing on the index and thumb, and the middle one with sliding or stamping.It is enough to stick to one dominant color and all these techniques will be appropriate within the same manicure.
Manicure in various delicate shades
The combination of gentle light colors allows you to come up with and implement many designs. To do this, you need to choose your collection of light colors. You don't have to buy the entire range of pastel or nude shades from one manufacturer to do this. As a rule, one color does not look the same for different companies.
To create complex designs using partial shades, color varnish is mixed with white or black gel paint, a whole palette of shades is obtained based on one color.
Popular designs in gentle tones:
- Contrast French - easy to do with a stencil. In this design, the smile line is drawn not in white, but in any other light tone. For example, on a beige nail background, there is a pink or blue "smile" line. This design is performed on all fingers. It does not need additional decoration and looks bold and original.
- Geometry - connection of geometric shapes of different colors, limited by straight lines. Borders can be made from glittering self-adhesive tape or using spider gel.
- Reverse stamping - when a black pattern is painted on the surface of the stamp. After transferring the image to the nail, the colored part fades into the background and a colorful picture with clear contours is obtained.
- Abstraction - created by chaotic mixing of different colors, which are applied to the base to spread in the form of lines or geometric shapes. This technique is called wet painting.
Variants of multi-colored designs can be performed on all fingers, or in combination with a solid matte finish. Designs like this look bold by mixing multiple colors. The combination of design in delicate colors and a gray monochromatic coating with a matte effect looks beautiful.
Matte manicure in delicate colors
Gel polish for short nails (delicate colors and white elements especially) looks completely different when using a matte finishing coat. Two identical designs in a glossy or matt finish are perceived differently.
It is easy to achieve a matte effect in a manicure. For this, a special polymer liquid is used - a matte finish coat.
The sequence of actions when creating such a design:
- carry out the procedure of a classic or hardware manicure;
- apply a primer and base;
- cover the nail with colored gel polish;
- perform decoration;
- cover the entire composition with two layers of a matte finish.
It should be remembered that some decorative elements (Yucca flakes, sequins, holographic kamifubiki and foil) lose their properties to shine and shine under this type of coating.
The classic version of an elegant manicure is the creation of a matte main background using soft tones. (beige, pink, blue), on top of which rhinestones are installed (without top overlap). The matt topcoat, regardless of the additional decor, is used for everyday life and office style.
Options for gentle manicure with patterns
Drawings on short nails with a thin brush are only possible for professionals.
For home manicurists there is a few easy ways to create a complex image design:
- stamping (lace jacket or moon manicure);
- sliders;
- dotsom drawings;
- watercolor painting;
- geometry with a spider gel.
Some of the techniques have been described above. Watercolor painting is considered the most difficult to execute. To implement it, you need to practice drawing thin lines. The key to success is a thin linear brush with a few hairs. As a rule, such brushes are produced with long artificial bristles.
Execution technique:
- Apply a soft background coat (white, blue, lavender, mint).
- After drying in a lamp for 30 seconds, remove the sticky layer.
- For painting, it is recommended to use special watercolor varnishes that have color transparency and fluidity. Manufacturers produce a series of such materials called "watercolor drops". With a thin brush, with different colors in the form of strokes, flower petals are drawn. They spread slightly over the background and acquire a transparent appearance. This varnish dries in air for up to 2 minutes. If you get defects in the drawing, they are removed with a brush dipped in acetone.
- After complete drying, the pattern is covered with a thin layer of top without a sticky layer and dried in a lamp for 30 seconds.
- Over the drawing with a thin brush with pigmented gel paint, draw lines that emphasize the elements. It is not necessary to draw the outline completely, just add small strokes. Even beginners can do such drawings.
- If the gel is a paint with a sticky layer, then the design on top is overlapped with another layer of top.
Translucent designs look very delicate and are considered complex and expensive designs.
Simple geometric designs are easy to accomplish with another novelty in the nail industry - spider gel polish. On light backgrounds use a "spider" of silver or white. The structure of the product is such that it produces even, thin stripes. The thickness of the lines can be adjusted and combined into interesting designs.
The decor, if desired, is complemented by broths or kamifubiks. The space between the lines can be painted with different pastel colors using a thin paintbrush. You will get an interesting "stained glass" design that will attract the attention of others with its originality.
Decor on delicate manicure
To decorate a manicure in light, delicate colors, all existing decor elements are used - sequins, rhinestones, broths, kamifubiki, foil, 3D sliders.
Manicure products manufacturers are releasing a new type of decor - volumetric sliders on a self-adhesive base. To fix the element, it is enough to remove it from the base with tweezers and press it firmly against the nail. Such decorations are not covered with a top, so as not to fill in the artificial volume. Figures come in a wide variety of themes - floristry, food, butterflies, shells.
White curly roses or orchids look original on gentle pastel backgrounds. Such designs are complemented by sketches of white monograms and broths or small rhinestones. The decor is created for special occasions, for example, a bride's or graduate's manicure. It is definitely not suitable for gardening, even with gloves.
The volumetric design is appropriate during the vacation period, when delicate blue and emerald pastel tones are applied to the nails and decorated with dolphin figures or shells. Today, women of any age can afford such jewelry, on 1-2 fingers.
To preserve the tenderness of the manicure, the masters do not recommend using large rhinestones and voluminous inlays. We offer options for installing crystals and broths in the form of beads, when from small white peas (broths), threads of sagging beads are formed on the nail plate. Small rhinestones or pearls are chaotically attached between them.
Fashion trends of gentle manicure in 2019
Gel polish for short nails (delicate colors, white decor, rhinestones are appropriate for this) continues to be popular in 2019. The image of a feminine and sophisticated lady does not go out of fashion. This manicure is suitable for any style and color of clothing. Short nails decorated with delicate natural shades are appropriate with a black evening dress and jeans.
Fashionable decoration options:
- lace French manicure, which is performed using stamping or dots;
- minimalism of white strokes with a thin brush on a delicate background;
- white watercolor flowers with thin white lines, no additional decor.
Today, women have the right to choose a style of manicure depending on their character, and not on the surrounding circumstances and clothes. Many people cannot cope with long nails in everyday life. But no one refuses a manicure. Popular designs carry over to short nails. Any gel varnishes of delicate colors with decorative elements adhere well to short nails.
Video about moon manicure on short nails
How to make a manicure with shiny holes: