A pierced nail: a drilled hole near the free edge with a hoop through it, over Gunmetal.
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.
It sits on a stiletto, filed to a point from a wide base, which is the most dramatic shape here and the one that compresses a motif hardest toward the tip.
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Bottles for this nail
Tap a bottle to open it on the shelfWhat you need
How to paint Gunmetal Piercing 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 Drill the hole through the cured free edge with a hand file bit, then fit the ring.
- 3 Seal the drilled edge with a brush of top coat so the layers cannot lift around it.
Questions about Gunmetal Piercing
Is Gunmetal Piercing 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 Piercing?
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 Piercing 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 Piercing?
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.