The Aurora Bubble Nail Trend!
You know those candy wrapper nails!
Voluminous, shiny with highly reflective aurora effect on clear nails.
Either way, I’ve given it a go more than a couple of times, and there is really an effect that you are looking for with these!
This is no… Grab some reflective powder, scrub it on, and be done! kind of deal. This is really…
Sit down. Breathe. And take it step by step. But once you get it done, you think Woe! This was all worth it!
Who knew layering a big dollop of gel would be such a trend!
The whole technique consists of two key details.
#1 Cutting a small piece of cellophane foil nail art paper, placing it on the nail, encapsulating it smoothly, and finishing while making it quite plump.
And then …
#2 Burnishing it with an iridescent sheer pigment.
So what’s the issue? The ingredients are quite special. You cannot just pick up any foil cellophane paper. It has to be very translucent but also very dynamic in color.
Oh man, oh man so much trial-and-error- with this design.
Before we jump into the step-by-step of this Aurora nail, do note that your goal is to apply the entire nail without filing or smoothing. If you must do so. Do so after Step 7.
Here’s the step by step! Followed by my mistakes to avoid!
Step 1.
Base gel the nail perfectly smooth.
Step 2.
Apply a non-wipe top coat, or a chrome effect gel, like the one form the Daily Charme Brand
Step 3.
Burnish your Chrome pigment.
Step 4.
Apply your foil paper. The side of the foil should not be forced down.
Step 5.
Seal only the top of your foil. With a thick viscosity gel. Cure.
Step 6.
Seal and fill in the sides with a thick viscosity gel. Cure
Step 7.
Seal the entire nail with enough gel to give the nail a nice rounded look, especially at the center. Flash cure, then cure.
Step 8.
Top coat!… and done!
You have a lot to learn from my mistakes! Ready?
Mistake #1
Using foil paper that is too pigmented. Ideally you want your foil paper to be more transparent. Where it almost looks clear but when you move it around the light you get a lot of different color reflections.
Mistake #2
Using pigment that is not as equally as transparent as your foil paper. Not every iridescent powder is thee powder for this bubble aurora nail art. It seems that while you can try to make certain powders work to give you something comparable to this bubble clear aurora effect, the ideal powder is white in color in the jar. It will apply translucent and subtle enough for this effect.
Mistake #3
Not matching or complimenting your foil paper and your aurora dust. Ideally you want the color of the powder and the foil to be the same. There may be some variation where you will get something that works, but this effect is rather subtle and you want it to look like 1 gem piece, not two separate objects objects on the nail.
Mistake #4
Cutting your embed piece too big. Aim for a rectangle and round off the corners. This shape specifically will keep your nails narrow, and also have them shine in different direction! Kind of like a Swarovski crystal.
Mistake #5
Trying to attach your foil piece completely flush to the nail. For this design you want the paper to be perfectly parallel to the nail. The sides of the foil should stand up. Do not try to flatten the sides. Also while there are certain brands with an adhesive backing to attach to the nail. It is not essential for this design. Two of my better designs were actually done with a non-adhesive type of foil. You would just lay a bit of gel under the foil and cure first, before overlaying.
Mistake #6
Not applying your builder gel in sections. In the beginning of applying your builder gel over the foil, you’ll apply a layer over the center, cure, then fill in the sides and cure. Lastly you’ll grab a dollop to go over the entire nail but especially focus on giving the center a nice round apex! This is the final and crucial most important step to the bubble nail effect.
Alright! So lots to take in and learn from, if you’ve tried this technique and failed like I did you probably were either so frustrated you never wanted to give this a go again, or you probably set out on a mission to conquer this design. If the latter is true go for it! Give this design one more go, avoid my mistakes and let me know in the comments section if you finally succeeded!
Thank you so much for having joined. I’ll link you to the sources of the products used in this video.
Have a merry start to your week, I’ll see you in the next one!
