Cat's eye manicure: application technology at home with regular and gel polish

When applying a manicure using the “cat eye” technique on your nails, you get an interesting effect of shining light in one narrow strip. The nail visually resembles a chrysoberyl (“cat’s eye”) gemstone. This unique, elegant glare of the coating is obtained due to special varnishes containing the smallest particles of metal. By applying a magnet to the applied coating, you can get a variety of patterns on your nails.

At the same time, the manicure gains shine and a chic depth of color, looks good even on short nails and does not require additional decor. But if you wish, you can add rhinestones, a little velvet sand, paint 1-2 nails - you will get a chic evening manicure.

The nature of the cat's eye manicure

Cat eye manicure

This manicure should convey the shimmer of the stone, its effect looks like a light highlight on a dark shade of varnish . The ability to add depth is very important, because then he will be able to sparkle with a whole range of colors.

Manicure technology is as follows: the varnish contains special metal elements, which, under the influence of a magnet, are arranged in a certain order . A cat-eye manicure is classically created in the form of stripes , depending on the angle at which a special magnet is placed.

In order to emphasize the depth of the created effect, it is necessary to choose the right base color.

For this type of manicure, rich dark colors are most often chosen : black, dark blue, green, burgundy. You can also experiment with combinations of different shades of these and other colors.

Recommendations for beginners

In order to achieve the desired effect, you must thoroughly mix the bottle with magnetic varnish before use. There is no need to shake the bottle, just roll it lightly in your hands.
Before you start creating a manicure, you need to thoroughly polish the nail using a polishing buff. This is done in order to smooth the surface of the nail plate and eliminate irregularities.
If before applying the main tone of the cat-eye manicure, you can make a black base. In this case, the glow of the particles will look much more impressive.
If the varnish has a liquid texture and spreads when applied, then in order to maintain the clarity of the highlight, you need to dry the nails one at a time and immediately after magnetization.
If the gel polish is thick, then you can dry your nails in a lamp all together.
When moving the highlight to the side, you need to bring the magnet to the varnish again, positioning it in the opposite direction. Then tiny particles of metal will be “pulled” to the middle of the nail.
To get a bright highlight, you need to remove the stickiness of the base before applying the top coat. To remove stickiness, you can use both a cleanser and a homemade alcohol solution.
Do not store gel polish with metal particles and a magnet together. The product under constant exposure to a magnet may delaminate and lose its usefulness.

Technique for creating a “cat” effect on nails

It’s not difficult to create a “cat’s eye” effect on your nails at home; it can be done on both natural and extended nails. Cat's eye looks good on short and long nails. It has proven itself quite well as a pedicure.

Manicure with cat eye effect

During the procedure, a certain sequence and accuracy should be followed . Regardless of which polish you choose: regular or gel polish, the application procedure is standard.

The preparatory stage, the main task of which is to prepare your hands for a manicure , consists of removing old varnish, creating a shape, processing cuticles, degreasing and polishing. After these procedures, you are ready to create beauty on your nails.

Basic Steps

Apply a base - a pre-selected varnish of dark shades and dry it.
Then apply a layer of magnetic varnish and immediately hold the magnet at a distance of 2-3 mm from the nail for 10-15 seconds . By changing the angle, you can influence the final drawing.

To prevent the polish from drying before the magnet is brought to the nail, you need to treat each nail separately and sequentially.

Gel polish , in this situation, has its own peculiarity - it is necessary to fix each applied layer in a lamp.

The process of creating a cat eye manicure

First, a base coat , which should be dried in a UV or LED lamp.
A base of dark varnish is placed on the base coat , which is also polymerized under a special lamp. If you want to create a delicate and transparent manicure, you should skip this step.
Then each nail is individually coated with a layer of magnetic varnish . You must first hold the magnet over the coating of magnetic varnish and only then polymerize it. For best results, treat and immediately dry each nail separately.
The finished manicure is fixed with a top coat in an ultraviolet or LED lamp, and finally the sticky layer is removed

Some tips

Special magnet

You should only use special magnets or pens.
Before use the bottle of varnish must be shaken so that the settled metal particles are evenly mixed with the varnish.
In the absence of dark varnish, you can cover the nail with two layers of magnetic varnish as a base layer, only the first layer needs to be dried without using a magnet.
You can use a glossy or matte sealer. This will give you the opportunity to create a new image and experiment.

For the secrets and detailed process of creating a cat-eye manicure, watch the video tutorial:

Tips for beginners to work in the “Cat Eye” technique

Magnets should be stored separately from gel polish, otherwise it will very soon become unusable;
Before use, you need to shake the container with varnish thoroughly so that the metal dust is evenly distributed;
Even if you are in a hurry, do not forget to degrease the plates and apply a base coat before the main coat, otherwise there is a high risk of the varnish peeling off after just a few days;
If there is no dark varnish for the base, you can apply the main varnish as a base and dry without using a magnet, and then a second layer;
The magnet should be kept as close as possible to the painted surface of the nail, but not allowed to touch;
You should work with each nail separately, otherwise the varnish will either harden ahead of time or spread, and you won’t be able to achieve a clear pattern;
After applying gel polish, you should not visit a bathhouse or sauna for the first two days, as a sharp temperature change can cause cracking of the coating.

Manufacturers of magnetic varnishes

Bluesky Shellac

Gel polish "cat's eye" from Bluesky

The manufacturer presents a wide range of gel polishes, the price and quality of which are reasonably related, and the coating is durable.

Masura

Offers a large selection of varnishes with this effect. The line is represented in almost all possible shades.

Kodi Professional

In the Kodi you can find gel polishes in brown, red, green and blue shades. Well imitates texture and characteristic shine.

Cat eye gel polish from Kodi Professional

Dance Legend

A popular Russian brand, known for a wide range of professional coatings. Its line includes more than 10 regular cat-eye manicure polishes in the most popular colors.

TNL Professional

A huge number of deep, bewitching flowers will not leave the most discerning girls indifferent. Thanks to the excellent durability of the gel polish, the manicure will decorate your nails for at least 2 weeks. The main advantage of TNL gel polishes is their excellent compatibility with other brands.

What materials are needed to create a wide highlight with Cat's Eye gel polish?

In addition to the basic set of materials and accessories, which you cannot do without when covering your nails with gel polish (you can learn more about them in our articles “How to apply gel polish correctly: typical mistakes in technology and ways to solve them”, “How to choose starter kits for applying gel polish" and "How to apply gel polish at home"), craftsmen and simple lovers of stylish nail outfits will need:

manicure magnets for gel polish coatings. Without an arsenal of brushes at hand, you can use professional magnets to create patterns that are no less stunning in expressiveness than hand painting. These can be either magnetic balls or magnets with a patterned effect. The most effective tools for volumetric highlights are double magnets or solo magnets, but they are very powerful. If you go by the preferences of professional craftsmen and popular insta-lovers, the five magnetic favorites (in order of decreasing power) look like this: a magnet from Masura, a super-powerful tool from Irisk, a multimagnet and double branded magnets;
high-quality and powerful lamp for polymerization. “Cats” are not capricious when choosing a lamp for drying material, but given that the design turns out to be at least 5-layer (base, substrate, 2 layers of gel polish and a layer of top), it is worth choosing an option that can dry such material efficiently, quickly and reliably layering. You can choose any base and top for the look, and only if the client’s nails, for one reason or another, are not considered to be of a healthy standard, you can turn to the “heavy artillery.” For example, try UNO Strong Base or TNL Strong Base, or take a closer look at the bases for problem nails from TNL Professional.
various options for black gel polishes (or materials as dark as possible in color and close in color scheme to the selected gel polish). When choosing a material for the base, you should pay attention to the degree of pigmentation of the black (dark) gel polish. The best choice would be materials that are dense already on the first layer. Among single-phase gel polishes, you can try 3 in 1 gel polish No. 50 and No. 67 from Tnl. Three-phase shellacs and gel polishes have many more options, and the choice here depends only on whether the client’s nails are allergic or not. In the latter case, it is better to prefer products from the CND or Grattol brands.

Photo by: @nataliborisova_nails /@honey_sweetnezznails

How to make a gel polish highlight brighter, more voluminous and more beautiful?

Gel polish “Cat Eye with Double Stripe” is translucent in texture, and therefore it is necessary to resort to some life hacks, with the help of which the desired volumetric highlight will appear on the nails in all its glory. What is needed for this? Remember 5 simple steps on the way to the cat eye manicure of your dreams:

During long-term storage or transportation, color pigments and magnetic particles tend to settle. This means that before applying the coating (full gel polish, or top coats for the “Cat Eye” effect) on the nail, the bottle of gel polish must be gently rolled in your palms before use, and it is best to mix the entire mass in the bottle for uniform consistency. A stand for the bottle will help you conveniently place the bottle in your workspace and prevent particles from quickly sinking to the bottom again;
It is worth increasing the magnetization time of each layer of “cat gel polish”, and also practice bringing the magnet as close to the coating as possible without the risk of compromising its integrity. If you are a novice master, spend some time training and practicing your skills on tips, then you will be able to tame any cat from your decorative arsenal;
You need to bake layers of 3D and 5D cats very quickly: apply a layer on the nail and immediately, without allowing the material to spread (and the particles in the layer to settle), place your hand in the lamp. Models with a sensor that turns on the device immediately after the client’s fingers are in it will help you quickly polymerize gel polish;
The closest stylization to cat eyes is achieved by simultaneously using two direct and powerful magnets. They can be placed either on the sides of the nail, or magnets can be placed on top and under the pad of the finger. Then the magnetic particles are literally pushed to the surface, and the effect of light penetrating into the thickness of the colored gel polish is created. Such a sight literally blows your mind, and the design itself will bring its owner a lot of enthusiastic compliments while wearing the image. Two magnets can be used simultaneously, without outside help, by attaching them to a metal pusher. In this case, you need to check the polarity of the magnets (they should attract each other) and install them in such a way that one is located after the cuticle line, and the second is behind the free edge. It is then that the juicy, lunar glare will be as voluminous as possible;
A top that can protect it from scratches that distort the depth effect that attracts fashionistas will emphasize, preserve and enhance the beauty of a voluminous moonlight highlight. A good choice would be the self-healing finish Irisk Elite top, which is not susceptible to mechanical damage.

Photo by: @nataliborisova_nails/@emerald_minsk

Cat eye manicure ideas

The cat-eye manicure itself is quite self-sufficient, but despite this, some decorative elements will help it sparkle in a different way.

Rhinestones and sparkles can both emphasize depth and create an overly bulky look, so you should be very delicate. By giving your manicure a matte effect, you can create a completely different look and feel free to experiment.

Cat eye manicure goes well with various reptile skin prints . It is important to choose the right colors here.

It is theoretically possible to create a French manicure with magnetic varnish, but the beauty of the design will be very questionable, but as for the lunar manicure , the “cat’s eye” fits perfectly into it. It is better to make the hole in natural colors, and the main color can be any.

But if you want to add mystery to your manicure, then create a space effect .

Patterns and stickers can be used in combination with this type of manicure, just remember one rule: they should support the existing mood of the design, and not interrupt it.

This manicure goes well with “liquid stones” , emphasizing the depth and beauty of the design.

A cat's eye manicure is mysterious; the most important thing is to convey the natural shine of the stone and emphasize its beauty. You can easily do this if you know the technique of creating and decorating this type of manicure.

Kinds

The coating looks voluminous due to the colored highlights based on the rich tone. By experimenting with magnets, you can place flickering stripes vertically, horizontally or diagonally, and draw patterns and spheres.

The surface of the coating is perfectly smooth, and thanks to the inclusion of shimmering particles that refract light rays, it looks three-dimensional. Varnishes come with one or two colors of highlights.

Irisk

“Irisk” varnishes attract the eye with their beautiful tints and unusual shine. The palette of the “Cat's Eye” collection includes a dozen shades, including noble blue and magical green tones. Finding a polish from the collection is not difficult - on the cap of the stylish black bottle there is a sticker with the image of a cat's eye and the name of the Shine collection.

The consistency is average, there is no wicking, but it is also not possible to apply a thick layer of varnish at one time. The coating is durable.

Blue Sky

Blue Sky gel polishes are often chosen by manicurists. A relative newcomer to the palette is the “Cat Eye” series, which includes 12 rich shades.

The coating is glossy, iridescent, the colors are vibrant and deep. The correction includes not only dark, but also light colors - pink, golden. The gel is easy to apply, has medium density, and does not flow.

Kodi

Gel polishes from Kodi with a “cat’s eye” effect have a three-phase composition. The collection's palette includes the most juicy, rich shades with soft tints formed by the addition of magnetic powder.

The color palette is regularly updated. The consistency is medium, coverage is excellent.

Gellaktik Illussion

Gellaktik Illusion is a collection that includes 3 polishes and a strong magnet for creating designs. It is advisable to apply the coating on a black base from any company. Other substrates are not excluded, but it is on a black background that the effect is most pronounced.

The set includes three options of iridescent shades:

from pink to gold;
from purple to green;
from golden orange to green.

The varnishes are of medium consistency, easy to apply and do not flow. The coating is durable and lasts 3-4 weeks.

"Cat's eye" on nails in color

Most often, manicures contain floral motifs or mosaics. Try different experiments with nail art and base coating.

Benefits of a “cat” manicure

Many women like the Cat Eye manicure because it has certain advantages. One of them is good tolerance, this is due to the absence of aggressive chemical compounds. This design looks beautiful on long and short nails, and it is appropriate both in everyday life and at festive events.

Even a non-professional can perform a “Cat Eye” manicure; this does not require special skills. Thanks to a magnet made of metal pollen, it is possible to create reflections of various configurations in different combinations. A manicure with a “Cat Eye” design, compared to other types, is done quite quickly. The varnishes required for the procedure have a wide palette of bright and deep shades.

There are some caveats to using this trendy nail art. It is not recommended to perform this type of manicure on nails that have undergone extensions and are damaged by fungus. Before the procedure, it is necessary to get rid of these problems and cure the weakened nail plate. You cannot do a “Cat Eye” manicure if you are intolerant to the ingredients of the varnish and the manicure solutions used, as well as if the cuticle is very sensitive.

Peculiarities

The manicure received this name due to its amazing resemblance to the stone of the same name. On nails, the “Cat's Eye” effect is achieved using magnetic gel polishes. On the surface of the nails, the image looks like a small luminous stripe. There is a drawing in the form:

zigzags;
diverging rays;
asterisks and so on.

For the “Cat Eye” nail design, use magnetic varnish of a dark, rich color, because on light shades the lines will merge with the background. The pattern on the nails is formed by the smallest dispersive metal particles in the varnish. Magnetic varnish is completely harmless because it contains natural ingredients. But it still cannot be left on the nails for more than 20 days, since concentrated polymer substances do not allow oxygen to pass through.

Types of magnets

To make a manicure with Cat's Eye shellac, you need special magnets. They can have a rectangular or round shape. Convenient to use magnetic pens.

Bruschi

Rectangular magnets are used to create the simplest design effects:

Straight lines. They can be vertical, diagonal vertical, they can be placed in any part of the nail plate.
French. To create this effect, apply a magnet to the regrown edge of the nail.
Lunar. This is a kind of “anti-French”. The magnet is applied to the base of the nail plate.

There are special bar magnets with raised lines, with which you can create more complex patterns - waves, zigzags, meshes.

Cylinders

Round magnets for obtaining the “Cat's eye” effect when performing manicure with gel polish allow you to create patterns in the form of circles and smooth stripes.

Double-sided magnets on the handle are very convenient, when there is a rectangular bar on one side and a round magnet on the other.

Magnetic pens

This tool looks similar to a regular writing pen, but instead of a rod, it has a magnet. You can create a variety of patterns with a magnetic pen.

While working, it should be held at a right angle to the nail plate and moved slowly - then the lines will be clear.

We reveal the secrets of the unique “cat’s eye” effect in nail art

The story of the birth of a new brand with the fascinating name “cat eye” is interesting. Quite recently, an accidental discovery was made that served as an impetus for the creation of new trends in the entire field of nail art. Magnetic coatings appeared. At first these were not very convenient options - cheap, miniature. With the help of special magnets on the surface of the nails, fashionistas created the most bizarre designs that differed in shades and the tone of the “base”.

It all looked good, there was one significant “but”. The beauty lasted no more than 3-4 days. This is for those who did not do homework. Those women for whom washing dishes and preparing meals are a common task were even less lucky. The manicure lasted until the first wash of dishes and pots. But the creators of gel polishes did not stop, and finally found a way out, which they called a real nail art revolution.

Several popular brands, for example, Kodi, Lianail, and Bluesky, which is very popular in the fashion world, have launched new nail polishes on the market that were not there before. The varnishes contained tiny, almost invisible particles of metal. Such particles are collected using a magnet, creating a unique 3D design that has no equal to date.