A translucent jelly in Butter Yellow, built up in layers so the light goes into the nail rather than off it.
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.
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 Butter Jelly nails
- 1 Buff, dehydrate and base coat, then cure. Two thin coats of Butter Yellow, curing each one.
- 2 Three sheer coats of Butter Yellow, curing between each — the depth comes from layering, not from opacity.
- 3 Gloss top coat, cure, then cuticle oil once it is out of the lamp.
Questions about Butter Jelly
Is Butter 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 Butter Jelly?
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 Jelly 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 Butter 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.