Hearts in Milk Glass over Cherry Red — two strokes each, tilted at slightly different angles.
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 a stiletto the nail narrows the whole way, so the pattern reads as tapering with it, which is worth allowing for before the first stroke.
Make it yours
Bottles for this nail
Tap a bottle to open it on the shelfWhat you need
How to paint Cherry Red Hearts nails
- 1 Buff, dehydrate and base coat, then cure. Two thin coats of Cherry Red, curing each one.
- 2 Two Milk Glass teardrop strokes meeting at the point make each heart; tilt them differently.
- 3 Gloss top coat, cure, then cuticle oil once it is out of the lamp.
Questions about Cherry Red Hearts
Is Cherry Red Hearts 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 Cherry Red Hearts?
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 Hearts 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 Cherry Red Hearts 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.