Preparing Your Nails
Start with polish-free nails. If you normally use regular nail polish that doesn’t get cured under UV light, just use a cotton ball soaked in nail polish remover. Rub the cotton ball over your nails until they’re perfectly clean. If you have gel nails, wrap each fingernail in aluminum foil with an acetone-soaked cotton ball pressed against the nail. Let them soak for 10 minutes before removing the foil. It’s crucial you remove all old polish before doing your nails. Otherwise, you’ll end up with uneven, oddly shaped nail beds that don’t look smooth.
Trim and file your nails. For the best looking nails, make each one the same length and shape. Trim your nails to match the length of the shortest one so that they’re all even. File your nails so there are no rough edges. Even if you plan on using fake nails over your natural ones, it’s still a good idea to give them some TLC. With the jelly trend, your natural nail line is usually visible through the polish, so you want your nails to look as nice as possible.
Apply clear or semi-clear fake nails if you prefer that look. Position the edge of the fake nail so that it lays perfectly against your natural nail's edge—file it down if it’s too large. Use double-sided tape if you want to change your nails often or glue for a longer-lasting look. The jelly nail trend is super popular when done with long, fake nails that come to a point at the tip. The great thing about the jelly-nails style is that it can be done easily with natural or fake nails. Clear or semi-clear nails are imperative for this look. The whole point of jelly nails is that the color is semi-translucent and see-through, which wouldn’t be possible if your fake nails were a solid color.
Buff and clean your nails so they’re ready for the base coat. Once you shape your nails, take a buffer and rub it over each one. Then, wipe each nail with a cotton ball soaked in 91% alcohol to remove any lingering oils or dust. You can buy all the supplies you need for an at-home manicure from your local drug store. Do this even if you’re using fake nails. Buffing and cleaning them will help the polish stick to the nail better, plus it’ll clean off any oils that transferred to the surface when you put them on.
Creating the Jelly Look
Apply a base coat to your natural or fake nails. If you’re using regular nail polish, any brand of base coat will do. If you’re using gel polish, apply a gel base coat and cure it under UV light for 30-60 seconds. Base coats, both gel and regular, help the colored polish stick to your nails much better. Your look will last longer with it, so make sure not to skip this step! Do your best to keep the base coat away from the edges of your fingers, so it doesn’t touch your skin. If it touches the skin, it’s more likely to lift and peel away. If you’re using gel polish, you should also “cap” your nails, which means carefully applying the base coat to the tip of each nail.
Mix a few drops of a clear top coat with colored polish to create jelly polish. Use a few drops of a regular top coat rather than a fast-drying one so that the colors will mix more easily. Add a drop of an opaque cream polish so that the ending color will be more vibrant. Add more colored polish if you want a deeper or brighter color. Mixing the clear and colored polishes makes the colored polish semi-translucent. There are specialty polishes you can buy called “tinting colors” or “jelly polishes” that don’t need mixed with a clear polish. If you’re doing gel nails, use all gel polishes for this process.
Paint each nail with the mixed polish. Depending on how translucent you want your nails to be, you could do just 1 coat of polish. For a slightly brighter shade, plan on doing 2 or 3 coats. Avoid getting the polish on your skin for the most professional looking at-home manicure. If you’re using long acrylic nails, you could also paint the underside of the nail to add a little extra dimension to the color.
Cure the polish between each coat if you’re using gel polish. Generally, cure your nails for 30 seconds to 2 minutes between each layer of polish. If you happen to get polish on your skin, carefully remove it before curing your nails so that it doesn’t get stuck to your fingers. If you’re using regular nail polish, wait a few minutes between each coat to let it dry before adding another layer. If you don’t wait and let each coat dry, the polish will smudge and look uneven.
Add a top coat to protect your jelly nails. If you’re using gel polish, use a gel top coat and cure your nails again. If you’re using regular non-gel nail polish, apply a clear protective top coat. If you’re doing gel nails, wipe each nail with a cotton ball soaked in 91% alcohol after curing them to remove lingering stickiness.
Design Ideas
Layer jelly polish over cute designs for a unique and whimsical style. Jelly polish is excellent for highlighting fun nail art, like flowers, hearts, stars, polka dots, and other shapes. Just add a layer of jelly polish over the design to encapsulate it. You could even do several coats of polish with a design added between each layer for a fun 3D type of effect. For example, after your first coat of jelly polish, add a star design. Paint another layer of jelly polish, then do a second star. Repeat a third time if you want for a fun look.
Top a layer of glitter polish with jelly polish for a fun, sparkly look. This won’t look quite as translucent as most jelly-polish styles, but it’s still an attractive look. Add a coat of glitter polish on top of your base coat, then add a layer of jelly polish. Remember to cure your nails between each coat if you’re using gel polish. Silver glitter underneath a red jelly coat would look festive for a holiday party.
Apply a sheer, neutral shade of jelly polish for an understated, classy vibe. If you love the look of jelly polishes but don’t want your nails to stand out as much, choose a lighter shade for a lovely, subtle finish. This is a great look for special events or everyday-wear. Blushes, tans, creams, and even browns would look lovely as a jelly polish.
Use a different color or design on your ring fingers for a special touch. This is a classic nail design that you’ve probably seen before. Choose a different shade of jelly polish for your ring finger, or add a decorative element to it to add a little extra flair to your nails. Watermelon-colored jelly nails would look adorable with a ring-finger accent of lime green for a hot summertime vibe. Or, consider adding crystals or gems to your ring finger for some extra bling.
Create a color-blocked look by using both jelly and cream polishes. Paint half of your nail with jelly polish and half with cream polish. You could divide your nail in half vertically, horizontally, or even diagonally. Use tape to create even, distinct lines and keep the polishes from mixing. It’ll work best if you do one color first on all your nails, let them dry, and then apply the second color to the other half. Otherwise, they might easily smudge together. For example, teal jelly polish paired with a cream gray polish would look fetching. Or, stick with different shades of the same color. Jelly hot pink with cream baby pink would look subtle and unique.
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