The beauty industry is constantly evolving, bringing new trends from other areas of knowledge, which allows women to always look fashionable, beautiful, elegant and original.
Manicure is no longer just about filed and well-groomed nails painted with varnish. Today it is a separate discipline in the field of beauty and aesthetics, which is constantly developing and supplemented with new techniques and motifs. All these new items are happily picked up by modern fashionistas to look stylish and fashionable. One of the ways to create an original manicure with gel polish is a manicure using a magnet. This manicure is called cat's eye or precious stones.
Gel polish “Cat's eye” and its features
The range of these gel polishes is quite wide, so you can use a varied color palette to create this elegant design.
The main advantage of this manicure is that the technique of its execution is as simple as possible. And therefore, you can cope with this task even at home, without visiting a specialist in a beauty salon. You just need to find a video of creating a cat's eye with a magnet to study the technology thoroughly.
Despite the simplicity of the technology, the finished nail art looks impressive. Because its distinctive characteristic is the presence of a light glare. If you look at this highlight from different angles, it will also move.
This is an important design feature, which was achieved due to the fact that these gel polishes must necessarily contain metal particles.
Of course, just these particles contained in the composition are not enough to create such an amazing effect. To achieve this, you need to use a magnet. It is with its help that you can “collect” these smallest particles into a bizarre pattern.
Each such pattern is unique. It is impossible to repeat it. Craftsmen who have become accustomed to working with a magnet can even create more interesting patterns using this device. For example, waves and spheres.
The most common mistake many novice craftsmen make is using a regular magnet. Because they believe that with its help they will be able to work in this technique, creating a cat-eye manicure.
However, a regular magnet will not work here at all. You need to purchase a special cat eye magnet for polish in the store, which is usually sold complete with such gel polishes. It can also be ordered separately.
It is noteworthy that a few years earlier, when creating a cat's eye manicure, masters preferred to use exclusively a highlight of one color, which was the leading one.
But fashion is fickle, and technology is constantly evolving. And that’s why today you can find gel polishes on sale that can be used to create several highlights of different colors. They are more suitable for creating such a complex design as a chameleon.
What is a manicure using a magnet?
A manicure using a magnet is created with a special gel polish that contains metal particles. If you apply a magnet to such a gel polish coating, the metal particles on the nail will collect, forming a pattern, a shiny shade that resembles a cat's eye.
There are many shades of cat's eyes: green, yellow, lilac, blue and others; the cat's eye effect can be seen in the photo.
Magnetic manicure is also called “cat eye”
Gel polish “Cat's eye”: how to choose the right magnet?
Usually, when purchasing varnishes, buyers pay attention only to their quality. And it is right. But, if you plan to create just such a design, then it is important not only to buy high-quality gel polish, but also to choose the right magnet, without which you simply won’t be able to work.
On store shelves you can find several magnets that differ in shape. And each form has its own advantages.
Step-by-step instruction
Nowadays, specialty stores offer magnetic nail polishes in the form of regular or permanent coatings. Using a spatula is identical in both cases, so let's look at it in more detail using the example of applying gel polish.
- Prepare your nails for manicure: remove the old coating, give the free edge the desired shape.
- Apply the base coat and cure it in an LED lamp for 30 seconds. You can also use a UV lamp, but then the drying time increases to two minutes.
- Now carefully apply the magnetic gel polish and immediately hold the magnet strictly horizontally to the nail. Hold it for a few seconds and evaluate the result. The procedure must be repeated with each nail separately. When you are done with all your nails, dry them in a lamp.
- Similarly, apply the second layer of gel polish using a magnetic spatula. Dry again.
- All that remains is to apply a transparent top coat, dry it in a lamp and remove the sticky layer using a special liquid.
A beautiful magnetic manicure is ready! If you wish, you can decorate the design with rhinestones. As you can see, there is nothing complicated in this procedure, but if you still have questions about the technique, we recommend that you watch the video with step-by-step instructions.
Rectangular magnet
The product in the form of a bar is suitable for creating straight lines. With its help you can make a classic and reverse French. The photo of the cat eye magnet shows just such a design. Some models are equipped with patterns. This makes creating nail art much easier.
But even with a simple rectangular magnet, you can create patterns such as zigzags and stars. On sale you can find magnets equipped with a handle. They are ideal for beginners.
Magnetic pens
This device will help create the thinnest lines possible. To obtain a pattern, you just need to hold the pen so that it is perpendicular to the surface. You should work slowly, without rushing. This is important to ensure that the drawing is as clear as possible.
Of course, if the master plans to create different designs, then it is best to purchase all of the above types of magnets.
Rules for applying gel polish using the “Cat Eye” technique
When wondering how to make a cat's eye with a magnet, for some reason some craftsmen completely forget about one important detail that cannot be ignored.
If you are performing a classic manicure, for example, with a single-color coating, then each layer must be dried in a lamp. But not if the master plans to work in this technique. Because drying is not needed here. At least until the finishing coat is applied.
Otherwise, it will not be possible to distribute the particles over the coating. Otherwise, there are no special differences. As you can see, the application technique itself is quite simple.
You just need to gain experience and get used to working with a magnet. And then creating fancy patterns will not be a problem. The only important thing is to understand how to use a cat eye magnet.
Learning to do a manicure
Now, let's move on to the main part of the article, where I will teach you how to do a manicure correctly and tell you step by step what procedures need to be done:
- First of all, remove the old nail polish using a special product, remove the cuticles
- Next, use a nail file to give them the desired shape.
- Use a medium-hard file to remove the top layer of the nail plate so that the coating adheres to it better.
- Remove dust from the surface of the nails, then treat them with an antibacterial agent and a degreasing agent.
- If you want your manicure to last as long as possible, cover your cleaned nails with a clear or black base polish.
- Make sure that the layer is thin and there are no sagging marks on it.
- Dry your nails under an ultraviolet lamp for 30-60 seconds. If your lamp has low power, the drying time will be about 3 minutes
- The next step is coating with colored varnish. Here you also need to make sure that the layer is thin, so it will dry faster. Make three neat strokes with a brush from base to edge. If you were unable to avoid smudges and unevenness, be sure to correct them before drying. Dry the first layer for 3-5 minutes
- Next comes the most critical stage, where you will work with the magnet. Apply a second layer of colored polish and hold the magnetic plate to your nail. Carefully ensure that the magnet does not touch the undried varnish; it is necessary that there is a distance of approximately 3-5 mm between them.
In the place where the magnetic plate interacts with the varnish, the coating will begin to acquire a pearlescent tint. This occurs due to the fact that metal particles rise and form a peculiar pattern.
- In this state, count to 10, remove the magnet, and place your nail under the lamp. To make the work as effective as possible and the drawing to be clear, work on each nail separately.
- The final stage is finishing gel treatment. It will make your manicure glossy, shiny, and resistant to mechanical damage.
- Be sure to tint the ends of your nails to prevent the polish from peeling off. Dry each finger separately under the lamp, degrease using a special product
Advice from professionals
To make the pattern not only clear, but also stand out brightly, it is best to use dark-colored gel polish as a background. It could even be black gel polish. No need to worry about this making your manicure look gloomy. Because the background will be almost invisible.
Before using gel polish, the bottle must be rolled in your palms. Over time, metal particles settle to the bottom, so you won’t be able to do this without a little shaking. But you can’t shake the bottle in your hands.
The magnet should be stored separately from the gel polish to avoid demagnetization of the metal particles in it.
When working, the magnet must be brought as close to the surface of the nail as possible. But it is important to ensure that he does not come into contact with her under any circumstances. Otherwise, the manicure will be ruined. For the same reason, it is important to remember how to apply cat eye gel with a magnet.
The magnet can be applied vertically and horizontally. This will help create a fancy pattern. Therefore, you should immediately abandon the idea of applying it, for example, exclusively diagonally.
Necessary materials
In my article, I decided to teach you how to do such a manicure, and, first, let's look at what materials and tools we need for this:
- File with fine abrasive
- Special fabric napkins for manicure
- An antibacterial spray is required for cleansing.
- A product for degreasing and removing the sticky layer from the nail plate
- Base (clear varnish)
- Magnetic plates
- Simple set of manicure tools
- Magnetic gel polish (I prefer gels, but you can buy regular polish suitable for this manicure)
- Finish gel (Or just a finisher if you don’t use gel)
- Ultraviolet lamp, since when creating a cat's eye, gel polish or shellac is used (Again, when using gel polishes)
These tools will be quite enough to create a beautiful manicure. If desired, if you want to add colors and additional accessories, you can purchase rhinestones, appliqués, velvet sand, etc.
