In the 1960s, tie-dye became a popular fashion staple because of its bright colors and hip appearance. Flash forward to the 21st century, and tie-dye still has fans worldwide. Normally, fabric is twisted and bound with string before being dipped in various colors. The twist keeps the pigment from coloring the entire piece of fabric, which is why tie-dye has characteristic white lines running through its swirl.
If you’re a fan of this splashy color effect, then creating tie-dyed nails is the next great frontier. To achieve this vivid design, paint a series of colorful swirls on the nails without curing in between colors. Then, use a fine detail brush to drag the colors into one another, similar to the way bakers swirl cream cheese into brownie batter. The final effect will be stunningly original.
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Materials
- White gel nail polish
- UV or LED lamp (not shown)
- Red gel nail paint
- Fine detail nail art brush
- Orange gel nail paint
- Yellow gel nail paint
- Green gel nail paint
- Blue gel nail paint
- Purple gel nail paint
- Long-haired fine detail nail art brush
- White gel nail polish
- UV or LED lamp (not shown)
- Red gel nail paint
- Fine detail nail art brush
- Orange gel nail paint
- Yellow gel nail paint
- Green gel nail paint
- Blue gel nail paint
- Purple gel nail paint
- Long-haired fine detail nail art brush
Fierce League
Instructions
1. Apply two coats of white gel nail polish to the nails, then cure them with a UV or LED lamp. This base coat acts like a primer and makes the individual colors more vibrant.
1. Apply two coats of white gel nail polish to the nails, then cure them with a UV or LED lamp. This base coat acts like a primer and makes the individual colors more vibrant.
2. Paint a yellow swirl using the fine detail brush. Tip: The swirl should look like a backward capital “C.” Clean your brush before applying the next color.
3. Using the yellow design as a template, apply orange gel nail paint inside the yellow swirl. Clean the brush again before proceeding.
4. Trace the orange swirl with red gel paint, then apply the same color just outside the yellow swirl. Clean the brush once more.
5. Trace the outside of the yellow swirl with green gel nail paint at the side of the nail and near the top, but leave some white and yellow showing near the cuticle. Clean the brush again.
6. Apply blue gel nail paint to the tip of the nail just above the green, then apply blue near the cuticle. Clean the brush once more.
7. If there is any white showing near the sides, cuticle or tip of the nail, add purple paint to fill it in.
8. Drag the tip of the long-haired nail brush through the paint by starting at the middle and proceeding toward the tip of the nail or toward the cuticle. Repeat this motion four more times to create the tie-dye effect. Cure with the lamp to set the paint.
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