Bubblegum Jelly nails

Stiletto · Jelly

Easy at home

Bubblegum as a jelly: sheer on the first coat, deeper on the third, and glassy at any thickness.

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.

The stiletto taper means the design has width at the cuticle and almost none at the point, so anything spaced evenly needs to be spaced by eye instead.

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

Colour gel two thin coats
Base coat ridge filling
Gloss top high shine

How to paint Bubblegum Jelly nails

  1. 1 Buff, dehydrate and base coat, then cure. Two thin coats of Bubblegum, curing each one.
  2. 2 Three sheer coats of Bubblegum, curing between each — the depth comes from layering, not from opacity.
  3. 3 Gloss top coat, cure, then cuticle oil once it is out of the lamp.

Questions about Bubblegum Jelly

  • Is Bubblegum Jelly 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 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 Jelly?

    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 Jelly work on short nails?

    Stiletto needs length, because the point is most of the shape. On a short nail it files down to something closer to almond, and the design still reads, just less sharply.

  • How many coats does Bubblegum Jelly 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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