Denae Sambrano of Sparks, Nev., shows how she makes these cathedral-quality stained glass nails. “It’s something that is very easy to do and it looks beautiful on the nails,” she says. Sambrano is an educator for Young Nails, and for these nails she uses Young Nails’ Imagination Liquid Art colors, which are dyes that are added to monomer to create colors. “They come in Red, Blue, and Yel­low, and from these you can create eight different color combinations by mixing them in any ratio you choose. The more drops you use, the deeper the color will be.”


Sambrano also uses pieces of Mylar embedded into the nail to give it depth and a holographic effect.

 

1. Prep nail. Apply two coats of Protein Bond. With a reverse applica­tion apply the pink and tuck in the smile lines on all 10 nails.

 

2. Apply a nail form, making sure to follow the growth channel for proper place­ment. Apply a thin layer of Speed Clear flush to the free edge, making sure the side walls are even. Pinch in the C-curve and remove the form.

 

3. After mixing red and blue Liquid Art drops into your monomer to create purple, pick up a small pearl of glitter mixture and apply a thin layer up to the smile line. (Don’t worry if the color transfers onto the pink; it will just file off.)

 

4. Pick up another pearl of Speed Clear with your sec­ond color of Liquid Art and fade it down the free edge.

 

5. Before the free edge dries, use the tip of your brush to pick up My­lar pieces and place them into the setting acrylic.

 

6. Cap your free edge with Speed Clear. If you have some Mylar pieces that won’t lie flat and stick up through the clear, leave them; they will be filed off.

 

7. Allow the nail to dry and file excess away with your electric file.

 

8. File finish with a zebra 150-grit file and 180-grit combo buffer. Apply Finish, cure for two minutes and condition with Rose Oil.

For more information, go to www.youngnails.com.

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