Terracotta Brushstroke nails
Terracotta Hour with one wide Vanilla Cream sweep — deliberately imperfect, the bristle marks left in.
3 bottles: Terracotta Hour, Vanilla Cream and Burnt Umber. Terracotta Hour and Vanilla Cream 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 (crème and sheer), so the pattern picks up light differently from the ground.
On a stiletto the nail narrows the whole way, so the pattern reads as tapering with it, which is worth allowing for before the first stroke.
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Bottles for this nail
Tap a bottle to open it on the shelfWhat you need
How to paint Terracotta Brushstroke nails
- 1 Buff, dehydrate and base coat, then cure. Two thin coats of Terracotta Hour, curing each one.
- 2 One loaded pass of Vanilla Cream across cured Terracotta Hour, lifting at the end so the stroke breaks up.
- 3 Gloss top coat, cure, then cuticle oil once it is out of the lamp.
Questions about Terracotta Brushstroke
Is Terracotta Brushstroke 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 Terracotta Brushstroke?
3 bottles: Terracotta Hour (crème), Vanilla Cream (sheer) and Burnt Umber (crème). Plus a base coat and a gloss top coat, which every design here assumes you already have.
Does Terracotta Brushstroke 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.
How many coats does Terracotta Brushstroke 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.