What types of decor of nail plates are not used by women all over the world, but among them the design of nails "liquid stones" is today considered one of the most popular and demanded. And this is not surprising: the skillful work of an experienced craftsman is able to create a real small work of art, which is guaranteed not to go unnoticed and will be a successful addition to the image along with carefully selected jewelry, outfit and makeup.
Content:
What is design
This “precious” manicure can ideally be performed only by a specialist with extensive experience. In principle, you can master the technique on your own, but you have to be patient and be prepared for serious spending on consumables.
"Liquid stones" is a relatively new technique, it is not without reason that it is compared with jewelry art, because with the help of special casting, similar to stones of different sizes, "gold" and "silver" foil, you can achieve imitation of your favorite earrings or rings.
The process consists of several stages. Let's give an example of a procedure based on the usual "jacket":
- first, the master does a regular manicure, gives the nails the desired shape, and it does not matter whether natural claws or extended ones will be decorated;
- then draws the future drawing of the "jacket" with white varnish along the edge of the nail plate;
- gel protection without dispersion is applied to the completed French manicure;
- now the laying out of the ornament begins, gels of various shades are selected, creating an imitation of casting on the surface;
- gilding is applied to the nail plate, the role of which is played by foil, thus the cast stones receive a "precious" frame;
- with a hair brush, gels are applied to the contour, often of a dark color, in order to get a smooth transition from one shade to another;
then a stained glass gel with a shade that will be in harmony with the future stone comes into play; - the formation of a pebble is the most difficult process, which involves the application of a sculptural gel, giving it a spherical volume;
- a professional will never miss the stage of protecting the created design, for this the nail is covered with a special gel, thanks to which the decor will last for about a month with proper care.
The casting process itself is quite laborious and requires a lot of experience and jewelry precision, so even now it is quite difficult to find a master who is able to create a unique and exclusive creation.
Unless otherwise specified, the master must dry each layer under a UV lamp for at least two minutes.
Why did this type of manicure get such a name?
Everything is simple here. Only you will know that the "stones" on your nails are a specially formed mixture. For everyone else, especially for those who have never seen such a manicure, it will cause admiration and confidence that it is rhinestones or stones that are glued to the nail plates.
Of course, they will not be "liquid" by themselves. A three-layer application, which involves contouring, stained glass gels and sculpting gel, will ultimately be firm and durable.
The compositions themselves are liquid, in fact, the same as the usual varnishes, which harden after drying.
Materials for "liquid" stones
Ideally, there should be many of them in the arsenal of a professional in order to satisfy the needs of each client, which depend on creative ideas or the creation of a specific image. And this is another reason why it is impractical and unprofitable to make such a technologically laborious decor at home on your own.
The master's set consists of:
- special gels - protective, colored, stained glass and sculptural;
professional brushes of at least three sizes; - foil - silver or gold - with the help of which a coating is made that imitates noble expensive metals;
- polymeric materials and sculptural gel of different shades;
- UV lamp, which accelerates the drying process of all, especially the upper sculptural layers.
Of course, you can buy a basic set. But only to a professional master, in order to practice after completing the training and in the near future to diversify the range of their services.
Actual color palette and fresh trends
Despite the fact that decorating nails with such an original decor is a relatively recent procedure, current trends have already appeared in the global nail industry.
Initially, like everything new, women were apprehensive about the new proposals of beauty salons, such a decorative bright coating looked very bright. Therefore, most often some one nail plate was decorated, while others were covered with an ordinary colored varnish, repeating the shade of natural "decorated" marigolds.
Today the trends have changed. The women, apparently, realized that the jewelry on the nails is not much different from the same bright earrings (especially since not everyone can wear them). Absolutely all nails can be decorated with "liquid" stones at once, especially since such decor lasts for a very long time.
There is only one rule (though not everyone adheres to it): everyday manicure should be done in restrained, neutral shades. But when creating an evening luxurious look, you can afford claws, the decor repeating the rest of the jewelry.
Advantages and disadvantages of the coating
Of course, like any manicure, “liquid” stones have their pros and cons. How attractive this technique is, every woman decides for herself, there is no single answer to the question. Those who prefer minimalism will definitely say no to her, as such a bright design will seem too pretentious.
A woman who is a supporter of the classic jacket or monochromatic nail coating will feel uncomfortable with "liquid" stones.
But such an attention-grabbing decor will definitely be appreciated by those who love variety and are not afraid to experiment with appearance. It is for these women that such a skillful manicure will organically complement the image, become a detail that will draw attention to well-groomed hands and nails.
There is no point in arguing about the aesthetics and beauty of such a design, as they say, "there are no comrades for taste and color." It is enough to dwell on its advantages and disadvantages.
The benefits include:
- The durability of the manicure. Pebbles made of soft polymer do not cling to clothing, do not leave clues on it, do not scratch the skin and do not fall off, causing irreparable damage to the entire decorative coating.
- Some consider this design "heavyweight". In fact, this decorative coating does not weigh much more than the usual varnish coating.
- If you carefully wear the stones, then the manicure can last up to a month.
- The original design is practical and does not interfere with ordinary household chores.
But even such an unusual manicure has its drawbacks:
- Like all multi-layered types of manicure, "liquid" stones spoil the structure of the nail plate. Therefore, it is advisable to take a break between design changes.You only need to choose salons where masters work with high-quality materials so that you do not have to completely cut your nails "at the root" and wait for their new regrowth.
- The creation technique requires a lot of experience and almost jewelry skill. One carelessly done manicure will not only ruin the whole image, but also focus on hand flaws.
- As mentioned above, nails need to be given a "respite", between the next application of pebbles to do therapeutic and restorative procedures in the salon or at home.
Casting from "liquid" stones will look ugly on short nails, as the technique needs "space". If you prefer a shortened version of the claws, choose another, more suitable design. Moreover, in the modern nail industry there is a choice of original options for short nails.
How to make "liquid" stones at home
If you are ready to spend a considerable amount of money on a basic set of materials, and also if you love creativity in all its manifestations, then you can try decorating marigolds in this way at home.
Ideally, of course, it would be better to see how a professional master works in order to partially adopt the skills of working with different materials. If this is not possible, then you will have to hone the technique yourself.
Here's a quick tutorial on how to create a fashion design:
- first of all, the nails themselves are prepared and covered with a base varnish;
- with the help of a dark gel, textured patterns are applied to the plate, which will subsequently "hold" the casting;
- the drawing is fixed in a UV lamp for two minutes;
- then pieces of foil are applied to certain areas and quickly torn off so that a golden imprint remains on the surface;
- the location of the stone is sketched with colored gels;
- the composition is polymerized again for two minutes under the lamp;
- on top, a stained glass gel that matches the color is applied, and to make the pebble itself look natural, a sculptural gel is used to cover it;
- the resulting manicure is covered with a fixing gel.
The process of creating a trendy nail design does not take little time, but it is extremely important to fix each stage in a UV lamp!
Fashionable design of "liquid stones": trends of 2019
Of the current trends, one can single out one that involves wearing a ring with a large precious or semi-precious stone, the color repeating the main color of the manicure.
Also, many women (especially "stars" of show business) do not limit themselves at all in color combinations. And sometimes on one nail you can see a whole "rainbow" of gel stones.
The fashion for restrained, neat nails, which does not lose its relevance, is also manifested in fashionable manicure. Very often, the traditional "jacket" is used as a base for pastel colored stones.
The most skilled craftsmen decorate their nails with imitation of real jewelry. This decor is especially appropriate if a grand appearance is to come, where the image must be in harmony with every detail.
An interesting, so to speak, "to taste" trend - oriental motifs, when exotic shades and ornaments are used.
Luxurious, but at the same time "light" manicure will allow you to create natural prints - floral, animalistic motifs, images of butterflies and miniature seashells, framing a "liquid" pebble with stained glass patterns.
And, perhaps, the most appropriate image for such an exquisite manicure is the image of the bride. Only he is able to emphasize the solemnity of the event. But it is important not to overdo it with shades. No saturated colors! Only pastel and delicate colors are chosen for such a manicure.
Here are the most popular trends in the creation of "liquid" stones in 2019: oriental ornaments:
- vegetable and flower patterns;
- geometric shapes and abstractions;
- animal prints;
- the effect of vintage, artificial aging, patina;
- the use of velvety sand, which is poured under the base.
The main trend of 2019 is still the option when only the end of the nail is decorated with small stones.This is an original, but at the same time elegant style that will go well with any modern woman's look.
Some more ideas
