Inky Navy Argyle nails

Round · Argyle

Salon or steady hand

Argyle: Powder Sky diamonds over Inky Navy with fine Midnight Navy lines crossing through them.

3 bottles: Inky Navy, Powder Sky and Midnight Navy. Inky Navy against Powder Sky 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.

Round nails are the setting: minimal length, a curve that matches the finger, and the least fragile free edge in the catalogue.

Make it yours

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

Bottles for this nail

Tap a bottle to open it on the shelf

What you need

Base colour cured
Striper brush clean lines
Gloss top level the paint

How to paint Inky Navy Argyle nails

  1. 1 Buff, dehydrate and base coat, then cure. Two coats of Inky Navy. A dark base shows every ridge, so the ridge-filling base coat matters more than usual here.
  2. 2 Block the Powder Sky diamonds first, cure, then rule the Midnight Navy crossing lines over them.
  3. 3 Gloss top coat, cure, then cuticle oil once it is out of the lamp.

Questions about Inky Navy Argyle

  • Is Inky Navy Argyle 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 Inky Navy Argyle?

    3 bottles: Inky Navy (crème), Powder Sky (sheer) and Midnight Navy (crème). Plus a base coat and a gloss top coat, which every design here assumes you already have.

  • Does Inky Navy Argyle work on short nails?

    Round is already the shortest shape here, so yes, this is one of the designs that works at almost any length.

  • How many coats does Inky Navy Argyle need?

    More than you would expect. Powder Sky 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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