- Blooming gel is used to create diffused nail looks like marble, watercolor, and tortoise shell designs.
- It’s applied to the nails right before you add the colors you’d like to “bloom.”
Nails have officially entered a state-of-the-art realm. Trending shades and shapes aside, the most standout manicure moments of late deal in technique and technology, with innovative applications making for ethereal, eye-catching nails.
Case in point: Blooming gel. While regular gel is meant to stay in place when applied, blooming gel helps move and manipulate whatever polishes are layered on top, explains nail artist Mazz Hanna.
“It’s basically a base that helps create marble, watercolor, and tortoise shell effects without needing advanced brush techniques,” says Hanna. Other achievable options include smoky finishes, aura nails, subtle watercolor, and snakeskin. “It’s such a fun and easy way to get detailed nail art without having to be super precise.
Meet the expert
- Mazz Hanna is a nail artist, founder of an eponymous nail-care brand, and advisor of nail artist talent agency, Nailing Hollywood.
- San Sung Kim is a nail artist.
Although clear itself, this gel is the secret to trippy, multi-colored, and multi-dimensional designs. Among the many benefits of blooming gel is its DIY appeal, as the simple layer allows you to mimic expert application.
“Every time you use it, you will get a slightly different look due to the fact that you cannot control how the colors will spread out on the nails,” says nail artist San Sung Kim. “I love this trend because anyone can [use it to] make their own masterpiece.”
How to Use Blooming Gel
According to Kim, blooming gel is applied right before you add the colors you’d like to “bloom.” Blooming gel can be used to play around with a single hue, but the most abstract and quirky creations often feature a wide spectrum of colors. It’s this sort of personalization (mixed with the organic dissipation) that makes these manis so cool.
To apply, start by prepping the nail and curing your base color. Then, “apply a thin layer of blooming gel and leave it uncured,” says Hanna. Next, drop in your design using gel color on the wet nail, allowing it to spread on its own. “Once it blooms into the shape you want, you cure it, then seal it with a topcoat.”
Kim suggests experimenting with different sorts of blooming gels, as each features a different viscosity, affecting how colors will spread and bloom. And if you’re heading to a salon, Hanna suggests bringing a reference photo. “Blooming gel can look totally different depending on how it’s applied, so having a visual helps make sure you and your nail artist are aligned,” she says.
Here, 10 examples of blooming gel nails to inspire your most expansive manicure yet.
Acid Test Blooming Gel
Blooming gel is an invitation to get a little weird—like, tripped out weird. The multi-dimensional dots and waved designs showcased in this manicure owe something to ’60s psychedelics, lava lamps, and vivid vintage prints.
Marbled Baby Blue
Baby blue nails are one Y2K trend with real staying power, and a thoughtful finish has the power to elevate the cutesy hue to something a touch more elegant. Marbled pale blue and twinning French tips echo the ocean’s fluidity.
Natural Patterns
Whether inspired by wings, petals, or something in between, this manicure—which finds pastels topping clear polish—demonstrates the more minimal possibilities of blooming gel.
White Blossoms
Flowers are natural, which means they are soft and imperfect. Creating blossoms with blooming gel allows you to dream up petals that feel dreamy, organic, and delicate, making a few white blooms all you need to make a statement.
Ameoba Reverse French
If you’ve ever found the magnified contents of petri dish to be decidedly stunning, this mani is for you. This reverse French looks like something you’d discover examining natural matter through a microscope, the negative space balancing the saturated cells of color.
Sea Creature Tips
Royal blue blooms over a base aquamarine make for some seriously memorable (and aquatic) tips.
Tropical Blush
Hawaiian print is forever, and when executed in a monochromatic pink palette, the campy detailing becomes something more aspirational. Plus, if you prefer sticking to a singular color scheme, blooming gel’s mutable nature means that each nail can still showcase a wholly unique motif.
Angelic Details
Alabaster tips, petals, and gilded additions team for a playfully glamorous polish job.
Garden Party
Although rainbows of color guarantee a standout mani, a palette of muted hues can be just as noteworthy. Here, Rosy pinks, gray greens, limoncello yellow, and cream transform a botanical design into something unexpected and refined.
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