Saturday, January 4, 2014

Caviar in the New Year

When the "caviar" nail trend popularised by Ciaté rolled around, I didn't see what the fuss was about. It just looked like hundreds-and-thousands stuck on the nail, branded to seem like some major nail art innovation. Plainly put, I didn't find it particularly attractive. But as usually is the case with all things fashionable (the Céline luggage tote is another example), over time and with repeated exposure, I found myself warming to the idea. At the very least, I was curious to play around with microbeads myself for the sheer novelty factor.




I used Caviar Effect Nail Art in 11 from Italian brand Layla (currently £8.09 on Look Fantastic). The process was a bit daunting at first but I found tutorials available online very useful. First I painted a clear base coat, then one coat of Chi Chi Wednesday, a black polish with gunmetal shimmer. Rather than sprinkling the beads on top of the nail, I opted to pour out the beads into a small container, tilt the container at an angle to increase the depth of the beads, then press my finger, freshly painted with a second coat of polish, into the beads. It was a bit of a challenge to get a perfectly even surface with no bald spots, but there weren't any major mishaps for my first attempt. The only thing I'd suggest is to use a deeper and larger container than I did (I picked out a small, circular ceramic jewellery box) so the tiny beads don't spill over everywhere as you manoeuvre your finger around for maximum bead exposure.

Thankfully, the end result is a bit more intricate evening gown beading than black sesame seeds, though admittedly it looks better from afar than up close, where the perfectionist in me sees the lumps and imperfections. You do end up using a significant portion of the beads in the bottle for both hands, so an accent nail might be a more cost-effective and less fiddly way to wear the trend. What I liked about the Layla beads were the varied sizes, ranging from very small to absolutely tiny, which meant a smoother distribution around the edges of the nail and less room for gaps. It's not the cheapest, quickest or easiest of manicures, but it's a unique and fun take on texture that you can't replicate with nail polish alone.

Disclaimer: Layla Caviar Effect Nail Art was sent to me for review. Post contains affiliate links.

34 comments:

  1. I think you did a great job, looks very pretty :) I have also been thinking of giving into the whole caviar trend but have refrained till now, not sure why ...But you have sparked up my interest again .. :)

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    1. It took a while for me to come around but I had fun playing around with it for the first time. I probably would just go for an accent nail next time though, much easier :) Hope you manage to experiment soon!

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    1. Haha as neat as those kinds of manicures can go I suppose ;) Thanks Mads

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  3. I've never seen it done so perfectly! How long did it stay on for? xxx

    Verity | Life of Verity

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    1. I try :p Not sure since I had to remove them that night - but they seemed fairly sturdy and stuck on. None of the beads had fallen out or anything in several hours.

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  4. I honestly never warmed to this nail trend… I like it for the pure thought of the texture (I'd be feeling my nails all day long with these beads on them, no questions asked) but the perfectionist in me wouldn't be able to stand the lumpy bits and haphazardness of it all. At least you can say you tried!! ;)

    ♥Cassie
    thriftthick.blogspot.com

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    1. It was a little addictive to feel the rough texture. The imperfections definitely bothered me though lol! Especially since I painted a top coat on my pinky just to experiment with how it'd look - it turned glossy and didn't match my other fingers. It was just too much for my OCD tendencies! :p

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  5. I agree with Cassie's comment! I love feeling up my own nails (wait, what?) if there's texture to them. I dunno, it's a pretty weird thing. I don't think caviar nails are something I'd try personally, but it's still a pretty interesting concept.

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    1. They are a little on the wacky side but I guess it's all part and parcel of having fun with it. It's probably a bit too fiddly for me to attempt with any kind of regularity and I doubt the look would be accepted in an office environment but it was at least fun to play around with just once :)

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  6. I have tried these manicures and the beads just never stay on my nails, I don't know why :(

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    1. I did a super thick coat before dipping my finger into the beads, the beads were like seeds planted into mud :p

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  7. oh they look lovely!!! I wanted to try them as well ( I found them better than the fuzzy one ) but I can't wear any funky manicure at work T-T so no chance for me.. but maybe I can have it for few occasion :) love the midnight black color as well ^^

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    1. I know what you mean - I definitely could not wear these to work! Office-friendly shades are something I have to now keep in mind given my work environment. Maybe you can wear Mulberry stencils on your nails for a more "out there" manicure haha ;) I quite liked the black, I think it was a little edgy and resembled black crystals at a certain angle.

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  8. This looks amazing :3 But sadly I wouldn't be able to wear something like this...the beads would probably fell when I sleep for example.Or When I'm opening my cookie jar (really important task :P)
    Thank you very much for your review! Take care, have a nice day!*

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    1. Opening the cookie jar is very serious business! ;)

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  9. It's a great mani you have there! I'm personally not a fan of the caviar texture, but you make it look really cool.

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    1. I think it's a trend that probably has more detractors than fans (or at least in equal amounts, lol). It was fun to play around with and see what it looked like on the nails :)

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  10. I have some caviar polishes lying around but havent plucked the courage to try it yet, I just worry that they will fall off straight away but your mani looks great so I'm really tempted now xx

    EmmiHearts

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    1. I think if you do a generous coat before dipping your nail into the beads and then press the beads down they should effectively be almost embedded into the nail polish, which makes them stick better. Hope you have fun with trying them out soon!

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  11. I´ve never tried caviar nails but it looks amazing :D

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    1. Thank you :) Maybe you'll be able to try them some day! It's quite fun to play around with.

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  12. Looks gorgeous! I've never tried it before, but I definitely will. Especially for a more elegant event. Thanks for the idea :)

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    1. I think the black definitely makes it less "out there" compared with other colours. It might go really well with a black dress :)

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  13. Looks great, but I don't know if my OCD could handle the texture. I'd probably try to pick if off of my nails.
    <3 Carolyn

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    1. Totally understand - I had to fight the temptation too!

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  14. Your nails are pretty much always perfect! Haha! I think the accent nail idea is a lot better, it looks less messy but gives you the edge and feel of a caviar manicure!

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    1. Yeah, I'd probably just for an accent nail next time. Less labour-intensive and fiddly :p

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  15. I felt the exact same way about caviar nails at first, but it does look really unique!

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    1. They're a trend that's a bit love or hate, but it was fun to play around with them just once to see how they appeared on my nails and experiment with the process :)

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  16. Thank you :) Hope you manage to soon!

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  17. Such a fun trend but I don't think I could wear it on all nails myself, maybe just as an accent <3

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  18. I love how these look, I'm not sure I'd like the feeling of them on my nails, but they're a lot of fun!

    Jennie xo | sailorjennie.com

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  19. Looks great! I tried to do this the other day and it failed so badly hahah
    Emily | PENNY RUGBURN 

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