Every at-home nail enthusiast should know the basics of rhinestone nails. Whether long or short, any set could benefit from the reliable shine of a well-placed nail rhinestone. Recent nail trends like the popular Korean "diamond nails" — which make it look like your whole nail is a single nail rhinestone or diamond — remind us of just how versatile nail rhinestones are.
With hard-to-ignore sparkle, statement gems are a walking advertisement for your salon and an easy upsell because they're fast, easy and you don't have to be particularly artistic to accomplish good results, says veteran nail artist Gina Silvestro. A client who requests this add-on is no shrinking violet, so it's important that this glitzy look shines and stays put.
If you're ready to take your nails to that next level and interested in learning how to apply nail rhinestones to nails, then you've come to the right place. With the right tools, creating your favorite rhinestone nail designs can actually be pretty easy.
So today this article is written to introduce what is nail rhinestone and how to apply rhinestones to nails. And I will also give you some useful tips.
Introduction to Nail Rhinestones
Let me give you a quick background about nail embellishments first.
Nail rhinestones are colorful embellishments for your fingernails. These stones resemble gemstones in jewelry, but are smaller and cheaper. A nail gem may be made of rhinestones, paste, plastic or glass with different designs to choose from. Nail techs and nail enthusiasts alike enjoy incorporating nail rhinestones and charms into their nail creations to make their nail ideas come to life!
Nail rhinestones come in a wide variety of colors and styles, they can be clear like diamonds, colored like gemstones, candy-inspired charms, furs, and anything you could possibly imagine.
Aside from nail designs, you can also create unique patterns for your phone case, your glasses, handmade cards, clothing, furniture, plates, and electrical appliances.
The Sizes of Nail Rhinestones
The most popular size of nail rhinestone is a #5, which ranges from 1.75mm to 1.85mm (depending on the company you buy the nail rhinestones from). This is great for a variety of rhinestone-inspired nail art styles, in which you use anywhere from one stone to more than 20. There's a smaller size, a size 4, that's harder to come by and can only be used if you have really good eyesight. There are also larger sizes that are good as accents (using one or two on a nail).
How to Apply Rhinestones to Nails
STEP 1: APPLY YOUR NAIL RHINESTONE ADHESIVE
Once you're ready to apply your nail rhinestones, start by applying a layer of nail rhinestone adhesive to the area where your nail rhinestones will be placed. You don't need to apply it to the entire nail. We recommend applying the adhesive one nail at a time and then curing once you're happy with your placement. This will help ensure the nail rhinestones stay in place.
Quick Tip: Some people like to use a thicker substance to apply rhinestones. This usually comes in a jar and has a consistency similar to hot glue or jelly. This can be more difficult to work with and may only be necessary if you're working with really large, heavy gems. Plus, when you work with thicker adhesives, you may notice that lots of products tend to build up around the stones.
STEP 2: PLACE YOUR RHINESTONES
Using your nail rhinestone applicator, pick up a stone with the wax end. Place the nail rhinestone on your nail, and if necessary, use the tip of your applicator to gently correct the stone's positioning.
Quick Tip: If you don't have a rhinestone applicator or wax pencil, you can use tweezers to pick up the stones and a toothpick to position them.
STEP 3: CURE YOUR NAIL RHINESTONES.
Once the nail rhinestones are applied, cure the nail under your LED lamp. If you're working from home and don't have a lamp, we recommend using a nail polish top coat to apply the rhinestones (but keep in mind, this won't last as long as the gel adhesive will).
Check out our full nail rhinestone collection — complete with applicator and adhesive.
STEP 4: APPLY A TOP COAT.
Once your stones are cured, feel free to apply a top coat. You'll want to apply the top coat around the stones and never on top of the stones (so if your entire nail is covered in stones, skip this part). Applying a top coat on top of your stones will seriously reduce their sparkle and make them look cloudy.
Quick Tip: Even though you don't want to apply a top coat on the stones, applying the top coat close to and around the stones can help lock them into place even more.
MORE TIPS TO KEEP IN MIND
· Protect your stones: When you wash dishes (or wash your hair), consider wearing gloves to protect your stones from unnecessary water damage. If you take baths or swim often, limit the amount of time your nails spend soaking in the water. This can cause them to pop off sooner.
· Place your stones: We already said this earlier, but it's worth mentioning again — If you're not used to rhinestones on your nails or if you want them to last a really long time, consider placing your stones closer to your cuticle. The closer your stones are to the tips of your nails, the more likely it is that you'll bump into something and knock them off. This is especially true if you work with your hands a lot at work or at home.
Tips For Making Rhinestones Last Longer On Your Nails
"Closer to the cuticle is the best placement for crystals because the nail plate doesn't flex there, so it's a more stable surface," says veteran nail artist Gina Silvestro. Don't get too close to the cuticle though, cautions Van Nuys, California-based nail artist Yvett Garcia.
"It will make it harder to seal the gaps without touching the skin, and when the nail grows out the gem will easily snag on things." If placing gems on natural nails, stick with an arrangement of smaller stones. If a large stone is placed at the stress point where the natural nail may bend, there's a good chance it will pop off, says Silvestro. So as follow, I will give you some tips to make rhinestone last longer on your nails.
- Pick the Right Adhesive. The key to lasting crystal nail art is figuring out how to secure crystals on nails. We have the answer for you and it's called GEMGEL Adhesive. Believe it or not, GEMGEL Adhesive was designed with the strongest resin adhesive - the same adhesive they use on the space shuttles!
- Use the Right Amount of Adhesive. You want to make sure there is enough GEMGEL Adhesive for the rhinestones to sit slightly into the gel without the gel covering too much crystal. You do not want the rhinestone to be buried in the gel. We recommend using a bead about half the size of the crystal you're about to place.
- Consider Your Rhinestone Placement. The placement of the rhinestone also matters —you want them to be closer to the center of your nail bed or near the cuticle so that they last longer. If they are close to the tips, they run the risk of being knocked off easier.
- Try a Top Coat Around the Rhinestone. As we mentioned earlier, adding a top coat over your rhinestone will cause it to lose clarity and sparkle. But adding a top coat on your nail and around the sides of your rhinestone helps lock the design in place for longer. Of course, if your entire nail is covered with rhinestones, skip this step!
- Wear Gloves to Protect Your Nails. If you wash dishes on a daily basis in your household, it's going to affect the wear of your polish and nail art, unless you invest in some cleaning gloves to protect your hands. In fact, if you are going to have your hands immersed in water for any length of time it's always a good idea to wear gloves for protection. This also keeps your hands from drying out as much. You can also protect your hands when washing your hair and not soaking your nails when bathing. Water is especially hard on manicures done on your natural and flexible nail bed.
Different Ways to Apply Different Rhinestones on Nails
Small rhinestones
Small rhinestones are small in size and flat on the underside, and it is easy to set them. Follow the steps above to reinforce it on the nail surface and then wrap the gaps in the drill with transparent extension glue.
Large rhinestones
Large rhinestones need to be glued with crystal liquid mixed with crystal powder or professional jewelry inlay glue, using the same steps above, and finally wrapping the jewelry with transparent extension glue, so that the metal jewelry fading or pearl surface peeling off can be avoided while being stable.
Sharp bottom and round bottom drill
These two kinds of rhinestones are more special because the bottom of the contact area with the nail surface is small, so it is not easy to fix, when pasting, it is still necessary to use crystal powder or jewelry inlay glue to make a base on the surface of the nail, and then the stereo rhinestone is embedded in it, and finally the hem can be.
Special-shaped crystals
Irregularly shaped rhinestone jewelry belongs to special-shaped jewelry, for this kind of uneven shape and can not fully fit the nail surface of the special-shaped jewelry, the same can be used jewelry inlay glue or crystal liquid mixed crystal powder to inlay, make a solid base and then inlay it.
Nail Art Designs with Nail Rhinestones
You can make an attractive nail design with your rhinestone without any professional training. Try these suggestions for a pretty look.
· Single - Place a single nail rhinestone near the tip of the fingernail. A single stone gives nails a nice flash without too much shine. Paint your nails a single color. Apply the rhinestone while the nail polish is wet. After the polish dries, use a white or silver nail polish to paint on a line or starburst around the gem.
· Flower - A flower design is easy to make. Place a large gem in the center of your fingernail. Surround it with teardrop-shaped stones to make a flower.
· Gem covered - Cover the nail completely with gems in a variety or in one color. Glue the gems into place and cover them with a top coat of nail glue or a clear polish.
Conclusion
Sparkly nails are so much fun and they're so easy to do! To give your nails a little extra shine, pick up some nail rhinestones and gem gel or nail glue. And nail rhinestones are a great way to add some bling to your nails and make them look dazzling. You can buy these nail rhinestones in many different colors and sizes, and they are easy to apply. In just a few simple steps, you can have nails that will make all your friends jealous!
Nail rhinestones are flashy, colorful decorations for your fingernails. These decorative stones may be clear like diamonds or come in dozens of different colors, ranging from neon to pastel. Gems come in round, teardrop and even square shapes. They look like gemstones used in jewelry, only smaller. Sizes range from 1mm to 2mm. Gems may be rhinestones or made from paste or even glass. Professional nail technicians and nail fashion lovers enjoy making sparkling nail art creations with nail gems.