Cherry Red Sugar Sand nails
A sugar-sand finish in Cherry Red: fine grit through the gel, so it reads frosted and matte.
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 squoval the design has real width to work across, and the rounded corners are what stop the straight walls catching on things.
Make it yours
Bottles for this nail
Tap a bottle to open it on the shelfWhat you need
How to paint Cherry Red Sugar Sand nails
- 1 Buff, dehydrate and base coat, then cure. Two thin coats of Cherry Red, curing each one.
- 2 One coat of Cherry Red sugar gel, cured, then a second only where you want the texture heaviest.
- 3 Matte top coat, cured — and no cuticle oil over it, which spots the finish.
Questions about Cherry Red Sugar Sand
Is Cherry Red Sugar Sand 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 Sugar Sand?
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 Sugar Sand work on short nails?
A squoval works short: you lose canvas width rather than length, so the motif just sits closer together.
How many coats does Cherry Red Sugar Sand 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.