A ruffian: Milk Glass over the whole nail with a rim of Cherry Red left bare at the cuticle.
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.
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Bottles for this nail
Tap a bottle to open it on the shelfWhat you need
How to paint Cherry Red Ruffian nails
- 1 Buff, dehydrate and base coat, then cure. Two thin coats of Cherry Red, curing each one.
- 2 Paint Milk Glass over the whole nail but stop short of the cuticle, leaving an even band of Cherry Red.
- 3 Gloss top coat, cure, then cuticle oil once it is out of the lamp.
Questions about Cherry Red Ruffian
Is Cherry Red Ruffian 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 Ruffian?
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 Ruffian 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 Ruffian 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.