Vanilla Cream Opaque Shimmer nails

Stiletto · Opaque Shimmer

Easy at home

An opaque shimmer in Vanilla Cream: solid colour indoors, full of Milk Bath sparkle in daylight.

3 bottles: Vanilla Cream, Milk Bath and Wheat. Vanilla Cream and Milk Bath 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 (sheer and crème), so the pattern picks up light differently from the ground.

The stiletto taper means the design has width at the cuticle and almost none at the point, so anything spaced evenly needs to be spaced by eye instead.

Make it yours

Pick a part of the nail, then a shade
Base: Vanilla Cream · Sheer 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 Vanilla Cream Opaque Shimmer nails

  1. 1 Buff, dehydrate and base coat, then cure. Three sheer coats of Vanilla Cream — it is translucent, so it builds rather than covers.
  2. 2 Two coats of Vanilla Cream, floating the brush so the shimmer particles stay lying flat.
  3. 3 Gloss top coat, cure, then cuticle oil once it is out of the lamp.

Questions about Vanilla Cream Opaque Shimmer

  • Is Vanilla Cream Opaque Shimmer 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 Vanilla Cream Opaque Shimmer?

    3 bottles: Vanilla Cream (sheer), Milk Bath (sheer) and Wheat (crème). Plus a base coat and a gloss top coat, which every design here assumes you already have.

  • Does Vanilla Cream Opaque Shimmer 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 Vanilla Cream Opaque Shimmer need?

    More than you would expect. Vanilla Cream and Milk Bath are 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.

You might also like

Try it on a hand Try it in your hand