Dots of Terracotta Hour on Milk Glass, spaced by eye, which is why no two nails in the set are the same.
2 bottles: Milk Glass and Terracotta Hour. Milk Glass 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 Rust Dots nails
- 1 Buff, dehydrate and base coat, then cure. Milk Glass, cured.
- 2 Dot a loose grid in Terracotta Hour with a 1.5 mm tool, varying the sizes as you go.
- 3 Top coat to flatten the dots back into the nail.
Questions about Rust Dots
Is Rust Dots 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 Rust Dots?
2 bottles: Milk Glass (sheer) and Terracotta Hour (crème). Plus a base coat and a gloss top coat, which every design here assumes you already have.
Does Rust Dots 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 Rust Dots need?
More than you would expect. Milk Glass 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.