Terracotta Diagonal Block nails
A diagonal split: Terracotta Hour and Vanilla Cream cut corner to corner across the nail.
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 squoval the design has real width to work across, and the rounded corners are what stop the straight walls catching on things.
Make it yours
Bottles for this nail
Tap a bottle to open it on the shelfWhat you need
How to paint Terracotta Diagonal Block nails
- 1 Buff, dehydrate and base coat, then cure. Two thin coats of Terracotta Hour, curing each one.
- 2 Tape corner to corner over cured Terracotta Hour, fill with Vanilla Cream, and lift the tape while it is still wet.
- 3 Gloss top coat, cure, then cuticle oil once it is out of the lamp.
Questions about Terracotta Diagonal Block
Is Terracotta Diagonal Block 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 Terracotta Diagonal Block?
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 Diagonal Block 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 Terracotta Diagonal Block 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.