Espresso Charm Drop nails
Espresso kept bare so a single charm has somewhere to sit.
3 bottles: Espresso, Bare Rosé and Bitter Chocolate. Espresso against Bare Rosé is a hard contrast, so the motif reads from across a room, and any wobble in the line reads with it. The bottles are not all the same finish (crème and sheer), so the pattern picks up light differently from the ground.
The almond taper pulls anything vertical along with it, so swirls and sprigs suit it and evenly spaced dots need allowing for.
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Bottles for this nail
Tap a bottle to open it on the shelfWhat you need
How to paint Espresso Charm Drop nails
- 1 Buff, dehydrate and base coat, then cure. Two coats of Espresso. A dark base shows every ridge, so the ridge-filling base coat matters more than usual here.
- 2 Bed the charm into a blob of builder gel on cured Espresso and flash-cure it before it slides.
- 3 Seal around each piece with gel glue and cure, checking nothing has a lifted edge.
Questions about Espresso Charm Drop
Is Espresso Charm Drop 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 Espresso Charm Drop?
3 bottles: Espresso (crème), Bare Rosé (sheer) and Bitter Chocolate (crème). Plus a base coat and a gloss top coat, which every design here assumes you already have.
Does Espresso Charm Drop work on short nails?
Almond needs a little length to hold its taper. On a short nail the shape reads closer to round, and the design still works, it just stops elongating the finger.
How many coats does Espresso Charm Drop need?
More than you would expect. Bare Rosé 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.