Take your nail art to the next dimension with this fluttering butterfly decal

Fashioning art for your fingertips is always a super fun way to express your imagination. You can play with patterns, experiment with colors, and even create unique and beautiful designs. But if you've been creating nail art for a while, you may be getting bored with the limitations of the form. Being restricted to just the nail's surface can feel like a real creative block.

This gorgeous nail style manages to break through those barriers and take your look to the next dimension — literally. By creating a custom decal using your gel polishes, you have endless possibilities for your future nail looks. And this 3-D butterfly is as adorable as they come.

Materials
- Essie Nude Gel in "Riviera Chic"
- Presto Tokyo Swag Yellow Gel in #3
- 3d Attacker Brush in "Art-01"
- Akzentz black and white drawing gel
- Medium fluffy filbert brush
- Angel orange drawing gel in "Plain Orangutan"
- Plastic sandwich bag
- Presto blue and teal gels in 142 "Quieto" and 152 "Garbo"
- Eye shadow applicator
- Teal opal flakes
- Kupa no-wipe top coat
- Tweezers
- Small sharp scissors
- Akzentz gel lamp (not shown)

1. Begin by applying two coats of nude gel polish to the bottom half of your nail. Cure under a gel lamp.

2. Use a thin liner brush to apply a small circle of yellow gel about halfway up the nail.

3. Use a medium-fluffy filbert brush to apply black drawing gel in sheer petal shapes around the yellow circle. Cure under the lamp.

4. Use the same brush to apply white drawing gel over the black petal shapes. Cure once more.

5. Apply a small amount of orange gel around the edges of the yellow circle using a thin liner brush. Cure under the gel lamp.

6. Use a black gel on a thin liner brush to add some detailed outlines to the yellow circle and white petals. Cure again.

7. On a plastic sandwich bag, use a liner brush to sketch out the center of a butterfly shape using the yellow gel.

8. Use a teal gel to fill in the lower and upper wings.

9. Use a blue gel to accentuate the outer portions of the wings.

10. Cure the butterfly under the gel lamp.

11. Use a black gel on a thin liner brush to add detail to your butterfly. Outline the wings and add lines connecting them to the body. Cure again under the lamp.

12. Apply teal opal flakes to your butterfly's wings using an eye shadow applicator.

13. Fold the butterfly in half down the center of its body to give a 3-D effect.

14. Apply a gel top coat to the butterfly, and cure once more.

15. Use tweezers to remove the butterfly from the plastic sandwich bag.

16. Use small sharp scissors to trim the butterfly of any excess topcoat.

17. Apply a layer of topcoat to your nail. While it's still wet, use tweezers to place your butterfly next to the painted flower.

18. Cure under the lamp to secure in place.