A ruled grid in Milk Bath over Butter Yellow — lines only, nothing filled.
3 bottles: Butter Yellow, Milk Bath and Old Gold. Butter Yellow 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.
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Bottles for this nail
Tap a bottle to open it on the shelfWhat you need
How to paint Butter Grid nails
- 1 Buff, dehydrate and base coat, then cure. Two thin coats of Butter Yellow, curing each one.
- 2 Rule the Milk Bath lines one direction, cure, then rule the crossing lines.
- 3 Gloss top coat, cure, then cuticle oil once it is out of the lamp.
Questions about Butter Grid
Is Butter Grid 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 Butter Grid?
3 bottles: Butter Yellow (crème), Milk Bath (sheer) and Old Gold (crème). Plus a base coat and a gloss top coat, which every design here assumes you already have.
Does Butter Grid 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 Butter Grid 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.