A butterfly in Soft Cobalt and Graphite over Gunmetal, wings drawn as four filled shapes.
3 bottles: Gunmetal, Soft Cobalt and Graphite. Gunmetal and Soft 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 (chrome and crème), so the pattern picks up light differently from the ground.
The stiletto taper means the design has width at the cuticle and almost none at the point, so anything spaced evenly needs to be spaced by eye instead.
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Bottles for this nail
Tap a bottle to open it on the shelfWhat you need
How to paint Gunmetal Butterfly nails
- 1 Buff, dehydrate and base coat, then cure. Two coats of Gunmetal, floated on so the particles stay lying flat, and cure hard.
- 2 Block the four Soft Cobalt wing shapes first, then add the Graphite markings and the body last.
- 3 Gloss top coat, cure, then cuticle oil once it is out of the lamp.
Questions about Gunmetal Butterfly
Is Gunmetal Butterfly 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 Gunmetal Butterfly?
3 bottles: Gunmetal (chrome), Soft Cobalt (crème) and Graphite (crème). Plus a base coat and a gloss top coat, which every design here assumes you already have.
Does Gunmetal Butterfly 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.
Do I need a UV lamp for Gunmetal Butterfly?
Yes. Gunmetal only works as a gel — the effect depends on rubbing or setting the finish into a cured tacky layer, which air-dry polish never gives you.