Caviar nails at home

Caviar nails are a current hype what concerns nail art: it's great for the Holidays, it's easy to do at home and it's something new, elegant and opulent. I did this look wih the Essence 3D Pearls in "It rains money" (they also have a colorful variant "Candy Buffet"). All you need is a base coat, a color that matches the pearls, 3D pearls (you can get micro beads in all colors for no money on eBay or most craft shops) and if you want to - a top coat.

I went for the metallic "It rains money" 3D pearls as I like their subtle glow. Black or dark grey caviar nails are my faves as well. You can get this jar for the ridiculous cheap price of €1,99.

Start off by filing your nails, evening them out, smoothening and buffing the surface. Right now H&M sells a super clever and useful set with a nail file, brush, buffing file and cuticle pusher for €2,95.

Begin with a base coat (all used polish is by O.P.I.) and let it dry completely. Then apply one layer of opaque white polish. We're using a color close to the color of the pearls as the pearls won't cover your nail entirely. You don't have to wait until it's fully dry, after about 3 minutes you can move on to the next step.

 

Now this step depends on your personal preferences. Some prefer to sprinkle some beads over their nails, I opt for pushing my finger into the jar as this results in capturing more pearls in the layer of polish. Either way - make sure you layer paper or tissue on your working table as the beads will most likely be all over the place.

Push the beads gently into your nail and use a cuticle pusher (or something else) to remove superfluous beads. You get a much nicer result if you create a straight line and edge. That's the main reason we used a layer of colored polish: to define the "beaded" area.

Your nails may seem dry very quickly but it will take quite some time for them to dry completely. If you want to apply a top coat for a long lasting effect, make sure you wait long enough (+ 30 min!). Otherwise the upper layer might come off with the beads. If you are using different beads than I am - you might want to test a few beads with the topcoat on a piece of paper, just to make sure the color doesn't change or come off as a reaction with the polish.

And you're done! Feel free to show me your result on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook...