Dreaming Nails

Cobalt Diagonal Block nails

Coffin · Diagonal Block

Easy at home

A diagonal split: Cobalt and Milky Cobalt cut corner to corner across the nail.

3 bottles: Cobalt, Milky Cobalt and Deep Cobalt. Cobalt and Milky Cobalt 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.

It sits on a coffin, sometimes called ballerina, tapered at the sides and cut off square at the tip. It needs real length and repays it with the largest flat area of any shape.

Make it yours

Pick a part of the nail, then a shade
Base: Cobalt · Crème Open the bottle

Bottles for this nail

Tap a bottle to open it on the shelf
Cobalt Base · Crème
Milky Cobalt Motif · Sheer
Deep Cobalt Accent · Crème

What you need

Base colour one coat
Two gel paints contrast pair
Liner + dotting tool shapes and curves

How to paint Cobalt Diagonal Block nails

  1. 1 Buff, dehydrate and base coat, then cure. Two coats of Cobalt. A dark base shows every ridge, so the ridge-filling base coat matters more than usual here.
  2. 2 Tape corner to corner over cured Cobalt, fill with Milky Cobalt, and lift the tape while it is still wet.
  3. 3 Gloss top coat, cure, then cuticle oil once it is out of the lamp.

Questions about Cobalt Diagonal Block

  • Is Cobalt Diagonal Block 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 Cobalt Diagonal Block?

    3 bottles: Cobalt (crème), Milky Cobalt (sheer) and Deep Cobalt (crème). Plus a base coat and a gloss top coat, which every design here assumes you already have.

  • Does Cobalt Diagonal Block work on short nails?

    Coffin is the one shape here that genuinely needs length. On a short nail there is not enough free edge to cut square, and it will read as a squoval instead.

  • How many coats does Cobalt Diagonal Block need?

    More than you would expect. Milky Cobalt 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.

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