Pearl Iris Opaque Shimmer nails

Stiletto · Opaque Shimmer

Easy at home

An opaque shimmer in Pearl Iris: solid colour indoors, full of Snow White sparkle in daylight.

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 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.

Make it yours

Pick a part of the nail, then a shade
Base: Pearl Iris · Shimmer Open the bottle

Bottles for this nail

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What you need

Base colour cured
Effect powder chrome, flake or magnet
No-wipe top keep the shine

How to paint Pearl Iris Opaque Shimmer nails

  1. 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. 2 Two coats of Pearl Iris, floating the brush so the shimmer particles stay lying flat.
  3. 3 Gloss top coat, cure, then cuticle oil once it is out of the lamp.

Questions about Pearl Iris Opaque Shimmer

  • Is Pearl Iris Opaque Shimmer hard to do at home?

    Yes. There is no freehand work that has to be accurate. Budget about 30 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 Opaque Shimmer?

    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 Opaque Shimmer 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 Pearl Iris Opaque Shimmer?

    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.

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