Tangerine Cat Eye nails

Almond · Cat Eye

Doable at home

Tangerine magnetic gel drawn into a single Milky Ochre streak of light, angled slightly differently on each nail.

3 bottles: Tangerine, Milky Ochre and Rust Ember. Tangerine and Milky Ochre 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 (crème and sheer), so the pattern picks up light differently from the ground.

It sits on an almond, tapered at the sides and rounded at the tip, which narrows the nail and lengthens the finger, and stretches the motif slightly as it approaches the point.

Make it yours

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

Bottles for this nail

Tap a bottle to open it on the shelf

What you need

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

How to paint Tangerine Cat Eye nails

  1. 1 Buff, dehydrate and base coat, then cure. Two thin coats of Tangerine, curing each one.
  2. 2 Apply Tangerine magnetic gel and hold the magnet at an angle for eight seconds to draw the Milky Ochre band out.
  3. 3 Seal with a no-wipe top coat; wiping the tacky layer kills the effect.

Questions about Tangerine Cat Eye

  • Is Tangerine 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 Tangerine Cat Eye?

    3 bottles: Tangerine (crème), Milky Ochre (sheer) and Rust Ember (crème). Plus a base coat and a gloss top coat, which every design here assumes you already have.

  • Does Tangerine Cat Eye work on short nails?

    Almond needs a little length to hold its taper. On a short nail the shape reads closer to round, and the design still works, it just stops elongating the finger.

  • How many coats does Tangerine Cat Eye need?

    More than you would expect. Milky Ochre 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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