Hello 3D Nail Art!
22 Dec
After seeing many of the nail stylists at Sakura with 3D Nail Art, and after being a Calgel Cult Member for 1 solid year…I decided it was finally time to dip my toe into 3D Nail Art.
Some info about 3D:
- The base of any 3D design is white. Apparently not, as pointed out by the OPI stylist — Lola — who commented below. However, I will say that for the designs they do at Sakura, they DO use white acryllic powder as a base. They mold the design first (like a sculpture) and then they paint over it.
- According to my nail stylist, Acryllic 3D Nail Art is very durable (which is one of my big concerns…I hate stuff popping/falling off my nails)
I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted: something light and classic on my fingers, with one accent design on each ring finger. My nail stylist for the day was Megumi.
We started by doing a bright White Calgel gradation, about ¾ of the way down the nail. The ring finger, we kept all-black.
Now the fun 3D part. Basically, they use this powder for the 3D Art. (I guess it’s kinda like the powder they use when they do Acryllic Tips in regular salons?)
They take a brush, dip it in a solution, then pick up a little powder with the wet tip. Essentially it’s very much like adding water to powder to create clay: moldable and movable until it hardens and dries, so there is definitely play time with the acryllic. But not too much, maybe 1 minute or so.
I asked her to do a Skull & Crossbones on my right hand, and a rose on my left hand. The skull was a little hard to capture on camera, but I got a good play-by-play of the rose.
← skull minus the eyes!
←Megumi at work
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The two 3D Art nails, side-by-side:
Then for the final look, I asked Megumi to add some Pearls to the white gradation, just for a lil sumpn’ sumpn’!
←Thanks Megumi!!
New York, NY 10128
(212) 722-1334
Tags: Japanese Nail Art, Sakura Nail Spa, CalGel Gradation, 3D Nail Art
Seriously.
I am so jealous!! I love it!!!!!!!!!!
That is INSANE! I love it! And I love that you can indicate whether you’ve reached “good Heather” or “angry Heather” with a wave of one hand.
that is awesome!
Nice. I like the 3D rose.
OMG!!!! I really adore all your nail art but this has got to be by far the most gorgeous!!!! I’m soo loving that flower very hot
WOW!!!
that’s an intense look. after reading all about your adventures at sakura, i think im gonna take the plunge and go for it next week.
question- are calgels also able to extend the length of your natural nail? or is it limited to basically being a super durable nail polish in essence? my nails are on the short side, so i’m not sure i have too much space to jazz up with designs. is their an option to extend your nails and at the same time still do the calgel?
Hey Girl! you CAN do an extension using Biogel, but even if you have short nails, I think it’s best to just use calgel on the shorter nail and help them grow out. (gradations look really nice on shorter nail lengths!)
Let me know what you end up getting! xx, hp
you should learn a bit before posting because your 3d facts are just wrong!
anyway.
to answer your question, yes, the white powder is the same we use to sculpt a white free edge in a salon. the solutiohn is a monomere and the powder being a polymere, it creates the chemical reaction you comparred to clay (very nice way of expplain it, btw)
but then, 3d is HARDLY EVER made of white and then painted, because you can find coloured acrylic powders!! or mix pigments with your polymeres to create the shade you’re after! it’s crazy.
anyway, nice skull, I don’t dig the flower that much, too white
lola bernhard, official OPI Swiss Nail Artist
Hi Lola. Thanks for your corrections and sharing your information with my readers. I’m not a nail expert as you are (I’m just a fan) so thanks for bringing a more comprehensive education on 3D art.
Have a good day, HP
Sent from my iPhone.
Lola,
Heather is a client/ customer reporting her experiences, not a nail technician. Your response to her post started off a little nasty, which is not how I imagine OPI would like you to represent their company.
What a shame, because you seem to have knowledge – just not the finesse to share it without alienating people.
Heather – love the skull!
Awww. Thanks Jen!!! I was trying to take the high road, but have to admit that her comment left me feeling a little miffed.
Thanks for coming to my defense. Hope you have a lovely holiday weekend.
Xxxoxoxo, HP
Sent from my iPhone.
I love the white gradation!
My latest blog entry is inspired by all your amazing nail posts. Had to give it a go myself!
Right?! Leave heather alone…she never claimed to be a nail expert! just a girl who loves her outrageous nail art
no need to get nasty.
…anyway, i ended up going to the LES location today!! thank you so much for introducing calgel nails to me. i can’t stop staring at my hands. i kept it simple for my first calgel experience- a clear to light grey/white gradation. i used the picture from your first sakura post that you ever did (you took a picture of some chick’s nails who was also at the salon) as inspiration.
i didn’t go for any extensions as you suggested, which was also Takako’s suggestion. I LOVE THEM! they were also doing an xmas special at the LES location- I also got a free certificate for a 30 minute facial.
curious to see how well my nails will hold up (i’m brutal on them). but for now, i’m an extremely happy gal. i can definitely sense that this will be the beginning of a vicious addiction. i can’t wait to come up with the craziest shit to do to my nails.
thanks, heather!!!!
OMG – you got the light grey gradation???! I’m so jealous!! I’ve always wanted to do that one…Can you send pics? I’ll do a guest post!
I’m so happy you got a chance to go. LMK how they hold up. I DO try and change the topcoat once a week to keep the shine on (use a non-acetone remover on a paper towel to wipe off top coat, then use new layer on top).
Welcome to Cult Calgel!
xx,
hp
definitely! what’s your email?
seouldiva@gmail.com!
my confession is that I don’t love OTT nail stuff, but OHMIGOD that rose and skull is so cool! totally convinced!
The funny thing is, I was never super into nails until I started going to Sakura…now I’m beyong repair!!
A good post and a nice experience for you I hope.
Despite of the comment you tried too tell your story and do your best to explain. There are a lot of people that don’t have any clue of how this is done so every little bit of info is welcome.
Greetings Nail art info