A ruffian: Vanilla Cream over the whole nail with a rim of Terracotta Hour left bare at the cuticle.
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.
It sits on a round nail, filed to follow the fingertip, which is the shortest shape here and the one that chips least, so the motif gets a soft frame rather than a pointed one.
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Bottles for this nail
Tap a bottle to open it on the shelfWhat you need
How to paint Terracotta Ruffian nails
- 1 Buff, dehydrate and base coat, then cure. Two thin coats of Terracotta Hour, curing each one.
- 2 Paint Vanilla Cream over the whole nail but stop short of the cuticle, leaving an even band of Terracotta Hour.
- 3 Gloss top coat, cure, then cuticle oil once it is out of the lamp.
Questions about Terracotta Ruffian
Is Terracotta Ruffian 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 Terracotta Ruffian?
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 Ruffian 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 Terracotta Ruffian 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.