Bubblegum Chevron nails

Coffin · Chevron

Doable at home

Chevrons in Milk Bath pointing up the nail over Bubblegum, evenly stepped.

3 bottles: Bubblegum, Milk Bath and Deep Fuchsia. Bubblegum and Milk Bath are close in tone, so the design is tonal rather than graphic. It shows up in daylight and softens indoors. The bottles are not all the same finish (crème and sheer), so the pattern picks up light differently from the ground.

It sits on a coffin, sometimes called ballerina, tapered at the sides and cut off square at the tip. It needs real length and repays it with the largest flat area of any shape.

Make it yours

Pick a part of the nail, then a shade
Base: Bubblegum · Crème Open the bottle

Bottles for this nail

Tap a bottle to open it on the shelf

What you need

Base colour one coat
Two gel paints contrast pair
Liner + dotting tool shapes and curves

How to paint Bubblegum Chevron nails

  1. 1 Buff, dehydrate and base coat, then cure. Two thin coats of Bubblegum, curing each one.
  2. 2 Draw the outermost Milk Bath chevron first and step inward, keeping the angle constant.
  3. 3 Gloss top coat, cure, then cuticle oil once it is out of the lamp.

Questions about Bubblegum Chevron

  • Is Bubblegum Chevron hard to do at home?

    Yes, with a steady hand. The motif is freehand, so the first nail is usually the worst one. Budget around 45 minutes 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 Bubblegum Chevron?

    3 bottles: Bubblegum (crème), Milk Bath (sheer) and Deep Fuchsia (crème). Plus a base coat and a gloss top coat, which every design here assumes you already have.

  • Does Bubblegum Chevron work on short nails?

    Coffin is the one shape here that genuinely needs length. On a short nail there is not enough free edge to cut square, and it will read as a squoval instead.

  • How many coats does Bubblegum Chevron need?

    More than you would expect. Milk Bath 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.

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