A butterfly in Milk Glass and Oxblood over Cherry Red, wings drawn as four filled shapes.
3 bottles: Cherry Red, Milk Glass and Oxblood. Cherry Red and Milk Glass 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 (crème and sheer), so the pattern picks up light differently from the ground.
On an oval the design is not stretched or compressed anywhere, which makes it the most neutral setting of the lot.
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Bottles for this nail
Tap a bottle to open it on the shelfWhat you need
How to paint Cherry Red Butterfly nails
- 1 Buff, dehydrate and base coat, then cure. Two thin coats of Cherry Red, curing each one.
- 2 Block the four Milk Glass wing shapes first, then add the Oxblood markings and the body last.
- 3 Gloss top coat, cure, then cuticle oil once it is out of the lamp.
Questions about Cherry Red Butterfly
Is Cherry Red Butterfly hard to do at home?
It is the hardest tier on the site. It is doable at home, but the technique is the point rather than the colour. Budget an hour or more 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 Cherry Red Butterfly?
3 bottles: Cherry Red (crème), Milk Glass (sheer) and Oxblood (crème). Plus a base coat and a gloss top coat, which every design here assumes you already have.
Does Cherry Red Butterfly work on short nails?
Oval is one of the better shapes for a short nail: it lengthens the look of the bed without needing free edge to do it, so the design carries over unchanged.
How many coats does Cherry Red Butterfly 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.