Matte Oilslick 3D Mermaid Shell Nails - Chameleon Chrome Nail Art Quickie @thenailengineer

More oilslick menacing mermaid action, with this 3D shell effect nail art tute!
Find me on instagram @thenailengineer / / thenailengineer
Facebook as always; / thenailengineer
⬇⬇⬇ Click Read More / Triangle for product info & links ⬇⬇⬇
Since my oilslick mermaid tute ( • Oilslick Mermaid - Cha... ), I've had so many requests to do a detailed tute for this 3D shell design. On the original, I did a shiny nail, which I topcoated OVER the 3D detail, to blend and smooth, for a more subtle look. This time, I went a little extra, with this dramatic textural, contrasting look, similar to the water drop technique, by using a matte base, then the shiny builder. There are so many ways to wear this look, so why not experiment with your favourite products?!
Products used:
The Gel Bottle Inc 003 / Jet Black on all fingers
Rubber Basecoat (as a protective layer over my chrome)
Rubber Topcoat (for the shell detail, aka spermy blobs)
Hit the bottle here:
www.thegelbott...
I used Born Pretty Chameleon Chrome 38616_2, aka BRB20 in the item pics. Get pretty here:
www.bornpretty...
I only chromed one finger (sweary, over a base of non-wipe topcoat); the other two (pointer & base for shell ring finger) were patted into the tacky layer of my gel polish. Why only chrome one? She’s a hairdresser and chroming a hairdresser’s pointer is just asking for trouble, unless she’s coming back for weekly #topcoattopups!!!
And I cannot believe how perfectly my cheap Ebay Unicorn / Transparent / Iridescent Flake (#002) matches it (thumb & pinkie). I have a bunch of both unicorn (transparent) and chameleon (metallic) flakes from this supplier, and you can see them swatched here:
• The Sailor
Sadly, some are no longer available so I’m currently in the process of trialling some Born Pretty Flakes and I believe these 39254 flakes in colour #2 are the same ones:
www.bornpretty...
Finally, the super matteness was achieved using Missu tack-free topcoat - my favourite way to stay velvety matte for at least 3 weeks between manis. Get yours here and use my discount code jess10 for 10% off!
www.missubeauty...
🎶Music🎶
The Sailor - RV Wonderspunk (love that handle!)
Lyrics & Vocals: Keralea Pollock © Keralea Pollock, 2017, SOCAN
Video: • The Sailor
Channel: / @keralea
Meizong - Salt Mines: • Meizong - Salt Mines [...
Video: • Meizong - Salt Mines [... / • Meizong - Salt Mines [...
Channel: bit.ly/ArgofoxTP / / @argofox
Stream on Spotify: bit.ly/ConundrumSp
Support on iTunes: bit.ly/ConundrumiT
Download on SoundCloud: bit.ly/meizongs...
Support Meizong:
/ mrmeizon. .
/ meizongofficial
/ dj-meizong
/ mrmeizong
Release: / sal. .
License: bit.ly/CCAttrib...
Argofox
/ argofox
/ argofox
/ argofox
/ argofox
/ discord
NES Little Mermaid, The
Video: • NES Little Mermaid, The
Channel: / @weirdgamer89
Music provided by Argofox:
Inova - Octane
• Inova - Octane [Argofo...
/ inovaofficialproductions
/ inova
/ inova_official
/ inovaedm

[@nailsofinterest]

Cool as always!! 💜💖💜💖💜

[@dee-dd4ih]

Yay my nails made a cameo appearance 😁 fave mani ever!! Howling at the "finger my bush "comment 🤣🤣🤣

[@jpeterson2150]

Great idea for hairdressers! I've never thought they could wear jewels but this works. Tfs!

[@pattiespolishcorner3274]

Great mani 😊💕

[@jaids_place]

Very pretty ♥

[@BajaRosie]

i always struggle with getting a clean line of light when applying my chromes onto gel polish directly, it always looks so lumpy and bumpy from the polish underneath even though i have applied the gel polish onto a finished filed nail, i noticed you also had some of the bumpy looking chrome also, is this just unavoidable?? or do i need to do the sandwich technique?? it especially looks horrible on natural nails i find!! any feed back would be appreciated thanks!!

[@TheNailEngineer]

I don't have any "bumpy looking chrome" in this tute, thanks! 😳🤣 More to the point, if you thought my nails looked lumpy, isn't it kinda silly to ask me for tips on how NOT to get lumpy nails? 🤔 You can really see how smooth the application is around 6:10, when I'm moving the light around to catch the chameleon flip. Nowhere to hide when you move the light around.
I think maybe you're mistaking the reflections on the chrome nails (mostly the outline of me and my camera) in the static pictures as bumps? Anyhoo, since you asked so nicely, here are my tips to avoid lumps and bumps:
1) Even out the nail surface
The nails I'm doing in the video had an overlay of builder gel, the surface of which is always refined to a smooth even finish; this really helps to get a smooth surface for application.
2) Make a smooth gel surface
The longer green & purple set in the intro and outro pics actually are natural nails, with no builder gel so no, chrome doesn't have to look "horrible on natural nails". The easy way to get a smooth gel polish surface is to start with a thicker self-levelling base. I love The Gel Bottle Inc's Rubber Basecoat (link in description box above). Failing that, you can apply an extra coat of base colour, cure, wipe off the tacky layer, then buff the surface smooth with a fine sponge buffer & cleanse, before applying your non-wipe topcoat.
3) Use a very bright "daylight" LED lamp
People think their application is smooth when they apply product indoors, in regular artificial light, then get outside and see faults which were invisible while they were working. It's really important to have good desk lighting, and remember to move the finger in all directions or even better, the light (mine's a multi angle-poise architect's lamp with a rotating base which clamps to my table top), before you cure the base colour and non wipe topcoat, to ensure all is smooth. If you're a nail tech, a desk lamp is an essential investment and if you're posting on social media, it'll help you to get great pictures too.
4) Choose the right applicator
I see a lot of people using sponge wand "eyeshadow" applicators to do chrome and yes, it can work fine, but it can also lead to a gritty, uneven application and the application of too much pressure. My favourite tool is a soft silicone wedge applicator, as shown in my "Bitch I'm a Mermicorn!" tute. It's too bendy to apply excessive pressure, it gets in all the nooks and crannies and the pointed end is great for sweeping around sidewall and cuticle, to remove cast-off pigment. My second choice is to wear a clean nitrile glove and use my finger. The body heat helps to get a quick and smooth application, without getting skin oils on the nail (see below).
5) Wear gloves and DO NOT EVER touch the surface of the nail
You could have the driest skin in the world and any touching will deposit skin oils on the nail, which will in turn lead to pitting and lumpiness in anything you apply over. You may get away with this with other products, but not chrome and unichrome. If it's your client is doing the touching / moving around and brushing the nails against hair / skin / clothes, then you need to remind them that unless they have extra time or money to spend, they need to make sure nothing touches the surface of the nail from refining / dehydration / primer stage, to application of topcoat.

[@BajaRosie]

I apologize i seem to have offended you, for starters i mean absolutely no disrespect, and im truly asking for advice as im ready to throw my chromes in the bin!!! the "uneven line of light" lets call it instead of lumpy/bumpy can be seen in the still photographs on the middle finger in 0:22 around the cuticle as if the polish pooled and index and middle at 0:26..do not look smooth at all,,,you are correct in the video they look flawless, is this just a "trick of the light" as i always take pics of my clients before they leave and they look perfect, but then when i look back at the photos to post they look horrible with that "uneven line of light"...just like i am seeing in your still photos,,,again i mean i don't mean any offence as i truly enjoy watching your videos and learn loads from you which is why i asked because i have not seen others working with these same chromes that work on clients. to me it seems like its uneven underneath the top coat if that makes sense? or maybe its just how the duo chromes look i don't know it just FRUSTRATES me to no end!!!! especially when i do it on just a gel polish mani it looks the WORST!!! do i need to buff the color coat??? do i only apply it on a "sandwich technique" nail??? or am i just losing my mind and nothing is there its just a trick of the light? thanks

[@TheNailEngineer]

Relax hun, it takes a lot to offend me. If I was offended, I wouldn't have taken 45 minutes to carefully word my best tips for smooth chrome application. Yeah, I thought it would be the static pics. 0:22 is (L-R) the reflection of a person holding a camera and the gable-end of a house, with some conifers to the right of it (at the cuticle). The reflections at 0:26 are again L-R, my rectangular phone, me and bits of fence / trees / greenhouse in my garden. Like I say, you can see in the video, when the light and the nail is moving, that there aren't any lumps. This is the problem with highly reflective nails - they will not only show up any imperfections but they will reflect everything too, which can look like imperfection when you have no reference point for what you're seeing. It's called matrixing - like when you see faces in a carpet or wallpaper pattern. The only way you could avoid this is to take your pictures in a blank white room, using a selfie stick and indirect light, so that the nail can't reflect anything.
In my previous comment, buffing the colour coat is one of my tips. I know it's a long comment but that's because it contains all my knowledge on the subject.
As for the sandwich technique query; I can't comment because I'm not sure which technique you're referring to, since I'm neither using hard gels, like Celina Ryden, nor regular nail polish, as with a gelly sandwich. If you mean why not apply the chrome closer to the nail, then put builder on top instead, then refine the nail (like Celina); I'm not sure that would work, because we're not just talking about gel colour here; we're using pigment which requires both colour and a base layer to adhere to. On the natural nails at 0:22, all I have under the chrome is basecoat, black gel polish base and non-wipe topcoat. None of these layers can be skipped, or the chrome won't work, and in fact, they need to be there, to smooth out the nail. I am a firm believer that your base is the most important part of your mani and no matter how much clear you put on top and how smooth you file it, if there are lumps beneath the chrome, it will show - in fact, it will probably be magnified, as encapsulating tends to give that paperweight effect. The thinnest I think you could get would be to go straight on the nail with a one-step gel (thus skipping base and non-wipe), but since filming my hack video (ruclips.net/video/MnpTIx3DzDs/видео.html), I've found that a) one steps are mostly less opaque, so you often only save one layer, not 2, and b) the chrome just doesn't wear as well.

[@BajaRosie]

ohhhhhh thank you so much!!!! in my rush to apologize as i thought i offended you i didn't realize i needed to expand the reply and that you had actually answered my question!! Thank you sooooo much for giving me such a thorough reply!! ok i think i know where im going wrong now,,im going to try a different base coat, im not gonna use the one step polish like i was and buff the base coat if it still doesn't work..i use the silicone applicator..yes when referring to sandwich tecqnique i was talking about encapsulating the color aka celina's technique,,,but i realize now how what works for one method (natural nails) won't work for the other (hard gel) necessarily....i have the short silkline LED lamp, but im absolutely going to get more lighting....THANK YOU so much i now have some place to start trouble shooting!!!.....im also going to go and look back at my pics and see if its the reflecting of objects and i was just being hard on myself and not my skill level...again thank u so much