HOW TO CREATE PRIDE/RAINBOW NAILS

Pride season is well and truly here, with June boasting Pride month as well as a whole host of Pride events taking place during the rest of the summer. Pride is a celebration of love and support for the LGBTQ+ community, with the iconic rainbow flag flying high since the 70s as an instantly recognisable symbol of all things Pride. 

Vibrant, colourful rainbow nails are a fabulous way of showcasing your Pride and spreading the love, no matter the occasion. Fans of our Youtube channel may have already spotted Kirsty’s gorgeous rainbow ombre nails but, if not, we’ve got all the info you need to recreate this design yourself.

So, why not take this opportunity to work a little Pride magic into your look? 

How to Do Rainbow Nails

Whether you’re looking for Pride nail ideas for your local Pride weekends, events and parades this summer, or you’re wanting to rock the rainbow all year round, join us at Naio Nails as we chat you through how to achieve this gorgeous rainbow nails look.

For this look you are going to need:

• Rainbow gel nail polish. Kirsty used the shades
• Heart Breaker, a bright red 
• Mimosa, a vibrant orange
• Sherbert Lemon, a bold yellow
• Shamrock, a bottle green
• Royal Blood, a bright royal blue
• Glastonbury Nights, a rich purple
• Snow White, a bright white
• A nail topcoat – we used Urban Graffiti Top Coat
• A UV or LED lamp
• A gel brush
• A nail art detail brush
• Nail art paint in black
• AcryGel Tube – It’s Clear Dear
• Nail gems or crystals
• Cuticle oil 

Step 1: Add Rainbow Ombre to the Nails

The base of this Pride nails look is a beautiful rainbow ombre across the fingernails. To achieve this, begin with Heartbreaker (red) and Mimosa (orange).

• Work the red shade down one side of the nail. This doesn’t have to be a perfectly straight line as you will blend into an ombre design later, but aim for an even split down the middle of the nail. Then, take your orange shade and add to the other side of the nail. 

• Using your gel brush, brush gently down the centre of the nail where the two colours meet, in order to blend them together. Clean your brush, then use it to neaten up each side of the nail before placing under a lamp for 30 seconds (LED) or 2 minutes (UV). 
• Go back in with your colour and repeat this process. Aim for a neater finish, pushing the gel closer to the cuticle. Again, cure under your lamp. 
• These two colours are fairly similar in tone so, once dried, you may want to use your gel brush to work a small amount of yellow gel polish onto the top of the orange shade. Once blended in, this will create a slightly brighter orange tone that will ‘pop’ a little more.

Step 2: Create Rainbow Flag Nail Art on the Thumb

The iconic rainbow nails Kirsty designed featured a Pride flag encompassed by two hands in a heart shape. This added detail is a wonderful way to showcase Pride at any time of the year. To achieve this, you will need to:

• Paint the thumb nail with two coats of the Show White gel polish. 

• Using a nail detailing brush, draw the outline of two hands held together to create a heart shape. We’d definitely recommend watching the video for an up-close look of Kirsty’s drawing. This outline doesn’t have to be perfect first time; you just need to make sure you have the shape mapped out, then you can go back and neaten up the details later. 

• Once you have your heart hands outline, use a small detail brush to fill in this heart with a rainbow flag.

• When you have your rainbow flag filled in, you can go back and perfect your heart hands outline. Once finished with your design, use a top coat over the whole nail and pop under the lamp for 60 seconds (LED) or 2 minutes (UV). 

• Finish by buffing the surface of the thumb nail for a slightly more matte finish. 

NOTE: If you’re struggling to create the hand hearts design, a standard heart outline filled with the rainbow flag will also look fabulous!

Step 3: Add Bling to the Nail

What’s a statement Pride nails design without a little bit of bling? Kirsty finished this gorgeous design with a number of standout gems across the cuticles of the rainbow fingernails. 

To bling up your Pride nails, you will need our Acrygel in It’s Clear Dear. This clear solution is not only fab for building up acrylics but is also perfect for adhering gems to nails. Before you get creative with your gems, you will need to buff the top surface of the nails slightly, so that the Acrygel has something to cling to. Then, wipe the nails down with the Gel Residue Wipe Off Solution to get rid of any dust. 

Apply your Acrygel to the cuticle area of the nails, then begin adding your gems. Use similar rainbow colours to those used on the nails, and build up the look using a variety of different sized gems. Cure your Acrygel under your LED/UV lamp, finish with cuticle oil, and voila! Bold, bright and beautiful Pride nails that guarantee to make an impression all year round!

For a more detailed look on how to achieve this Pride/Rainbows nails look, be sure to check out Kirsty’s original design in the video at the top of the page. Or, for all the nail supplies you need to create your own stunning nail designs, explore the collections of Urban Graffiti gel polish, nail accessories and nail art right here at Naio Nails.