Ink Wash with regular Milk Bath dots, the one dotted design here that is meant to look mechanical.
2 bottles: Ink Wash and Milk Bath. Ink Wash against Milk Bath is a hard contrast, so the motif reads from across a room, and any wobble in the line reads with it. The bottles are not all the same finish (jelly and sheer), so the pattern picks up light differently from the ground.
It sits on an almond, tapered at the sides and rounded at the tip, which narrows the nail and lengthens the finger, and stretches the motif slightly as it approaches the point.
Make it yours
Bottles for this nail
Tap a bottle to open it on the shelfWhat you need
How to paint Polka Noir nails
- 1 Buff, dehydrate and base coat, then cure. Ink Wash, cured.
- 2 Dot an even Milk Bath grid, offsetting every other row by half a step.
- 3 Top coat to flatten.
Questions about Polka Noir
Is Polka Noir hard to do at home?
Yes. There is no freehand work that has to be accurate. Budget about 30 minutes for a full set, and two colours keeps it simple: cure the first before the second goes near it and nothing bleeds.
What polish do I need for Polka Noir?
2 bottles: Ink Wash (jelly) and Milk Bath (sheer). Plus a base coat and a gloss top coat, which every design here assumes you already have.
Does Polka Noir work on short nails?
Almond needs a little length to hold its taper. On a short nail the shape reads closer to round, and the design still works, it just stops elongating the finger.
How many coats does Polka Noir need?
More than you would expect. Ink Wash and Milk Bath are 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.