Today, we’re going to show you how to do rose quartz nails, as well as gorgeous green emerald nails! Our rose quartz nails and emerald nails are created using the same technique, so you can choose to do both as shown in our tutorial video or pick one to do at a time.
The marble-like manicure effect of rose quartz nail art is hugely popular at the moment, and though it looks incredible, the technique is easy to achieve once you know how to.
Whether you’re a training nail technician, looking for inspiration for your next salon visit or want to add to your own at-home nail art repertoire, these stunning crystal-inspired nails are a must this year. So, watch our video tutorial and follow our step-by-step guide to learn exactly how to get the look.
You Will Need:
- Urban Graffiti Base Coat
- Urban Graffiti Interlude Gel Polish OR Nude Gel Polish
- Blooming Gel
- Urban Graffiti Snow White Gel Polish
- Urban Graffiti Top Coat
- Urban Graffiti Pink Fairy Wings Gel Polish
- Flat edge nail art brush
- Fine detailer brush
Step 1: Apply two thin coats of pink gel polish
To prep, remove the surface shine from your nail, clean off the nail using our Gel Residue Wipe Off Solution and apply and cure a base coat before starting.
Start your rose quartz nails by applying a thin layer of pink colour to your nail. This needs to be transparent pink, so don’t use too much here. Cure this under your lamp (30 seconds with LED/120 seconds with UV). Next, apply a second thin coat of the same colour, but don’t cure it this time. Make sure it’s even and isn’t too thick – you want to maintain that transparent, crystal-like effect.
Note: We’ve used a combination of Interlude Pink Gel Polish mixed with Blooming Gel for this tutorial, but you can get the same effect with our nudes, which have a more translucent look.
Step 2: Add your rose quartz nail art
Now you’re ready to apply your white gel polish, which will form the rose quartz nails effect. Taking a flat-edged nail art brush, sweep the white gel from the top corner diagonally down to the side. Continue this process of sweeping diagonally across until you have approximately three lines. The lines should be slightly waved, and they don’t need to be too uniform!
Make sure you haven’t got too much white gel polish on your brush; this almost needs to be translucent too. Mix the white with a little bit of Blooming Gel if you need to. Then when you’re finished, cure again under your lamp.
Step 3: Add another two pink coats
Next, add another layer of your pink. If you’re using Blooming Gel, add a little more first to make it more translucent. You’ll see that it will add a pink hue to the white you’ve just applied and add depth to the look. Cure your first layer.
When this is cured, add another thin pink coat, but leave this wet.
Step 4: Add more rose quartz nail art
Now, follow the same process as before with your white gel polish, but this time, start your lines from the other side. Just as before, work your brush diagonally down the nail a couple of times. Again, you don’t want too much white on your brush; it needs to look translucent. Cure this under your lamp when you’re done.
Step 5: Add another two pink coats
Next, just the same as before, add another pink coat and cure it under the lamp. Once cured, add another thin coat and leave this wet. These layers add the depth we need for a crystal-like look and help create our gorgeous rose quartz effect.
Step 6: Use a finer brush to add detail
Next, take a fine detailer brush to add the finishing touches to your rose quartz nails. Taking a little bit of white gel polish, gently paint several slightly wavy lines diagonally across the nail again. Cure when finished.
Step 7: Add another pink layer and seal with a top coat
Once you’re happy with your design, add a final thin pink layer and cure this again under your lamp. To seal the look in place and add a glossy finish, apply and cure a top coat.
At this point, you can leave your rose quartz nails as they are! Or move onto our final step to add a little extra sparkly detail.
Step 8: Add a glittery border and top coat
If you want to add just a little more pizazz to your final design, add a sparkly border. Using your (cleaned) fine detailer brush, carefully line the outside of your nail with our shimmery Pink Fairy Wings gel polish to complement your rose quartz nails. Add a top coat again to lock this in place and cure one final time.
And you’re done! This beautiful rose quartz nail art is perfect for special occasions but can be just as easily worn day-to-day too.
To get emerald nails, you just need to follow the same simple process! The colours we’ve used for our emerald nails are:
- Urban Graffiti Bottle Green Gel Polish
- Urban Graffiti Midori Gel Polish
- Urban Graffiti Champagne Bubbles Gel Polish
You can see exactly how Kirsty does it with our video tutorial below:
