Petal shapes drawn in one stroke each: Terracotta Hour on Vanilla Cream, and Studio Black where they meet the free edge.
3 bottles: Vanilla Cream, Terracotta Hour and Studio Black. Vanilla Cream and Terracotta Hour sit a comfortable distance apart: the motif is clearly legible without shouting, which is the easiest range to freehand in. The bottles are not all the same finish (sheer and crème), so the pattern picks up light differently from the ground.
On a round shape the pattern has a shallow, even canvas and nothing to snag, which is why the small repeating motifs tend to end up here.
Make it yours
Bottles for this nail
Tap a bottle to open it on the shelfWhat you need
How to paint Petal Rust nails
- 1 Buff, dehydrate and base coat, then cure. Vanilla Cream, cured.
- 2 Long Terracotta Hour petal strokes from the cuticle outward, one stroke per petal.
- 3 Tip them with Studio Black, then top coat including the free edge.
Questions about Petal Rust
Is Petal Rust hard to do at home?
It is the hardest tier on the site. It is doable at home, but the technique is the point rather than the colour. Budget an hour or more for a full set, and three colours means three chances for something to bleed, so cure between each one rather than working wet on wet.
What polish do I need for Petal Rust?
3 bottles: Vanilla Cream (sheer), Terracotta Hour (crème) and Studio Black (crème). Plus a base coat and a gloss top coat, which every design here assumes you already have.
Does Petal Rust work on short nails?
Round is already the shortest shape here, so yes, this is one of the designs that works at almost any length.
How many coats does Petal Rust need?
More than you would expect. Vanilla Cream is translucent, so the colour builds over three thin coats rather than covering in two. Stop wherever you like the depth — that is the point of a sheer.