Plum Wine with Milk Glass foil flakes laid on unevenly, the torn edges catching light differently across the nail.
3 bottles: Plum Wine, Milk Glass and Black Plum. Plum Wine against Milk Glass 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.
On a round shape the pattern has a shallow, even canvas and nothing to snag, which is why the small repeating motifs tend to end up here.
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Bottles for this nail
Tap a bottle to open it on the shelfWhat you need
How to paint Plum Wine Gold Leaf nails
- 1 Buff, dehydrate and base coat, then cure. Two coats of Plum Wine. A dark base shows every ridge, so the ridge-filling base coat matters more than usual here.
- 2 Press torn Milk Glass foil onto the tacky layer over Plum Wine in patches — irregular, not squares.
- 3 Two thick top coats to bury the texture, so nothing has an edge to catch on.
Questions about Plum Wine Gold Leaf
Is Plum Wine Gold Leaf 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 Plum Wine Gold Leaf?
3 bottles: Plum Wine (crème), Milk Glass (sheer) and Black Plum (crème). Plus a base coat and a gloss top coat, which every design here assumes you already have.
Does Plum Wine Gold Leaf 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 Plum Wine Gold Leaf need?
More than you would expect. Milk Glass 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.