A magnetic cat eye: Pearl Iris pulled into a bright Snow White band by a magnet held at an angle.
3 bottles: Pearl Iris, Snow White and Iris Bloom. Pearl Iris and Snow White are close in tone, so the design is tonal rather than graphic. It shows up in daylight and softens indoors. The bottles are not all the same finish (shimmer and crème), so the pattern picks up light differently from the ground.
It sits on a coffin, sometimes called ballerina, tapered at the sides and cut off square at the tip. It needs real length and repays it with the largest flat area of any shape.
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Bottles for this nail
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How to paint Pearl Iris Cat Eye nails
- 1 Buff, dehydrate and base coat, then cure. Two coats of Pearl Iris, floated on so the particles stay lying flat, and cure hard.
- 2 Apply Pearl Iris magnetic gel and hold the magnet at an angle for eight seconds to draw the Snow White band out.
- 3 Seal with a no-wipe top coat; wiping the tacky layer kills the effect.
Questions about Pearl Iris Cat Eye
Is Pearl Iris Cat Eye hard to do at home?
Yes, with a steady hand. The motif is freehand, so the first nail is usually the worst one. Budget around 45 minutes 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 Pearl Iris Cat Eye?
3 bottles: Pearl Iris (shimmer), Snow White (crème) and Iris Bloom (shimmer). Plus a base coat and a gloss top coat, which every design here assumes you already have.
Does Pearl Iris Cat Eye 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 Pearl Iris Cat Eye?
Yes. Pearl Iris and Iris Bloom only work as a gel — the effect depends on rubbing or setting the finish into a cured tacky layer, which air-dry polish never gives you.