Vanilla Cream with nested arches painted in Clay Pot and Marigold, each stroke following the curve of the tip.
3 bottles: Vanilla Cream, Clay Pot and Marigold. Vanilla Cream and Clay Pot 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 (sheer and crème), so the pattern picks up light differently from the ground.
The squoval shape means straight sidewalls and a soft tip: anything built on a grid or a straight line sits truest here.
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Bottles for this nail
Tap a bottle to open it on the shelfWhat you need
How to paint Sunset Arch nails
- 1 Buff, dehydrate and base coat, then cure. One coat of Vanilla Cream, cured.
- 2 Paint the outermost arc in Clay Pot following the curve of the free edge, then step inward with Marigold.
- 3 Top coat over the arc edges so the ridges do not catch.
Questions about Sunset Arch
Is Sunset Arch 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 Sunset Arch?
3 bottles: Vanilla Cream (sheer), Clay Pot (crème) and Marigold (crème). Plus a base coat and a gloss top coat, which every design here assumes you already have.
Does Sunset Arch work on short nails?
A squoval works short: you lose canvas width rather than length, so the motif just sits closer together.
How many coats does Sunset Arch need?
More than you would expect. Vanilla Cream 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.