Gunmetal under a woven check — wide Soft Cobalt stripes one way and the other, Graphite threads over the top.
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.
Coffin nails give the most surface of any shape here, which is why the heavier finishes tend to live on them; they also need the most length to work at all.
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Bottles for this nail
Tap a bottle to open it on the shelfWhat you need
How to paint Gunmetal Plaid 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 Lay the wide Soft Cobalt bands in both directions first, then the fine Graphite lines over them.
- 3 Gloss top coat, cure, then cuticle oil once it is out of the lamp.
Questions about Gunmetal Plaid
Is Gunmetal Plaid 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 Plaid?
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 Plaid 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.
Do I need a UV lamp for Gunmetal Plaid?
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.