Nail Embellishments

Nail embellishments are an easy way to create simple or show-stopping nail art without the need of drawing something.

¿Qué son los adornos?

Embellishments are usually solid decorations such as small metal pieces, pearls, resin charms, sequins, studs, polymer clay slices, crystals, etc. We can use them with any nail coating, although some work better with one medium than another.

¿Cómo utilizamos los adornos?

With nail polish:

Sticky decals can be applied on dry nail polish color, and then covered with a top coat.
Los adornos planos pero flexibles pueden presionarse sobre el esmalte de uñas aún húmedo. Después pueden cubrirse con otra capa de top coat para protegerlos.
3D embellishments, if they are small, can be pressed onto a still wet nail polish top coat. It would be better not to cover them with another layer of top coat as they will lose their sparkle. Plus, they will create a weird “bump” on the nail.
For bigger embellishments, use an adhesive that will provide you with that extra hold you will need.

With UV gel polish:

Aquí se aplican las mismas reglas que con el esmalte de uñas. La única diferencia es que los adornos aplicados sobre la superficie del top coat se fijan mejor.
For an even better hold, use a striping brush and your top coat to seal the edges of your embellishment. Think of how a jewel is secured on a ring!

With UV gel:

When using embellishments with UV gel, we have two options. We can apply them on top of the enhancement, or encapsulate them in it.
To apply them on top of the enhancement, we can follow the same rules as with UV gel polish. Of course, using the UV gel top coat of our preferred system instead. We can also use a bead of UV builder gel to hold bigger embellishments, or even a cluster of them.
Para encapsular adornos dentro de la mejora, tenemos que seguir estas reglas:

• Always start with a thin layer of clear UV gel that you will cure before adding any embellishments. This will act as a base for our embellishments, and as protection of the natural nail.
• Aplique los adornos hacia el centro del realce, donde tendrá la capa más gruesa de gel UV cubriéndolos.
• Be aware of the thickness of your embellishments and their placement. You do not want to file them by mistake when you are finish filing your enhancement!
• Utilice el gel UV constructor más cristalino posible para encapsular su arte. ¡Sería una pena ocultarlo en una mejora turbia!

Con L&P:

When using L&P, we have the same options as with UV gel. The difference here is that our L&P base layer needs to be uncured when we press our embellishments into it, otherwise it will not grab them. And of course, we need to use a UV top coat to seal the enhancement if we want to add embellishments on its surface.

Cosas para recordar:

• Make sure the widest part is held in place by the coating. This can be added using a small brush.
• Elige bien el tamaño, ya que los adornos suelen ser planos y no se adaptan bien a las curvas de la uña.
• If using a lot of tiny crystals to embellish a nail, use a fine ‘spiders web’ of UV gel applied by a small brush to help secure them without covering their facets.
• There are specially designed tools for picking up embellishments and accurate placing but an easy option is a small piece of ‘Blu-Tak’ shaped into a point.
• Cuando crees un grupo de adornos (normalmente cristales), utiliza piezas más pequeñas para sostener las más grandes. Fíjate en las joyas para inspirarte.