Rhinestones on nails: ideas for a beautiful manicure, photo and video instructions

What are rhinestones, when did they appear in the nail industry?

Shiny pebbles are glass with a high lead content. Imitation of precious stones was widely used in jewelry. From time to time, craftsmen created jewelry, making them from cut glass.

The shine of rhinestones has been amazing since the 18th century, but they began to be used in the beauty industry relatively recently.

People first started talking about rhinestones on nails in the 90s of the last century. But such a manicure was considered rare. He emphasized the privilege of a woman, her static nature.

In the 2000s, such a manicure ceased to be a luxury. Now any girl can decorate her nails this way.

Design features, how to choose rhinestones for manicure

Every girl can carefully and beautifully stick rhinestones onto her nail plates, but first, you should decide on the parameters of the “decorations”.
Rhinestones come in different shapes, colors, and even materials. Let's talk about it.

Material

Shiny pebbles are made from various materials. If we talk about expensive imitations, then crystal crystals are used for them.

Rhinestones also come in:

Plastic.	This material is cheap, accessible and such decorations can be found everywhere.
Glass.	Heavier and more expensive “pebbles”, which shine brightly in sunlight, shimmer.

Size

Before gluing shiny pebbles onto your nails, decide on their size. There are rhinestones:

Small ones.	This size of decoration can be used for manicure on short and long nails. They look impressive and resemble a scattering of precious stones.
Large ones.	It’s good to combine pebbles with small ones; they can easily decorate long nail plates.

Form

You can find rhinestones of various sizes and shapes, let's talk about the last parameter:

Pebbles come in round, classic shapes. These are often used to create a spectacular manicure.
Square. The form is less common, but can also decorate the nails of any woman.
Diamond shape. It will be more difficult to attach such rhinestones, and also to find them. They are rarely used to create everyday manicures, more often for holiday ones.

Color

The color palette of rhinestones is varied. You can find bright pebbles of red, blue and other shades. But more often they use the classic ones - white.

If you want to create a classic manicure, then give preference to white stones, but a bright and spectacular look will be complemented by the same rhinestones on the nails.

Let's talk about the combination of shades:

when the varnish is transparent, matte, the shade is calm, then you can decorate it with rhinestones of various shades, this combination is considered acceptable;
bright nail polish: it is better to decorate this manicure with classic, small-sized white stones.

Manufacturer

A good choice would be E6000 and GS HYPO CEMENT. It is better to choose one-component and transparent products that do not leave traces.

Learning to glue rhinestone decor

Since manicure decorated with rhinestones has been breaking records in popularity for many years now, we simply cannot teach you how to do it at home. Moreover, this task is absolutely not difficult and even the most inexperienced girls can cope with it. It would seem like a small glass decor for nails, but the aesthetic pleasure and admiring glances from the outside are simply off the charts.

Gluing process

Initially, it is necessary to prepare the “field of activity”. You can do a classic manicure, shape it, remove the stratum corneum (cuticle), and sand the surface if necessary.
Apply base polish of the desired color to the nail plate.
While the base coat is drying, pour the decorating stones you plan to use onto your work surface.
Apply a second layer of base varnish and while it is still fresh, apply the rhinestone. You pick it up with an orange stick or a toothpick, place it on the nail plate in the right place and press down lightly. It is better to start gluing work from the little finger, so you have less risk of accidentally ruining already painted nails.
Stones are laid out on the nail plates in different patterns and patterns. After laying out the desired pattern of pebbles, secure it with a topcoat.

Decoration options (decorations)

Advice from experienced manicurists and some decorating rules

So, what do nail industry experts advise? We turned to leading craftsmen serving domestic stars for help, and this is what they say and advise in creating designs with shiny stones:

If you are not sure of the accuracy of the distribution of stones in the selected pattern, then you should not fix them with a base varnish. Because you risk displacing the entire decor.
To attach the stones, use special glue (this can be gel if your nails are extended). Alternatively, in extreme conditions or if it is impossible to obtain all the necessary materials for decoration, you can use a transparent varnish applied to the base varnish. Rhinestones are attached to the transparent coating.
If your “hand is not full yet,” then there is a little trick. Soak an orange stick or toothpick in transparent varnish (you can use plain water) and use it to “catch” a small pebble that you couldn’t catch before.
Do not touch the stones on the nail plates until the coating is completely dry. Otherwise, you risk ruining your entire manicure.
Don't put too many stones on it, it's vulgar. There should be a moderate amount of them. An overloaded design will not cause delight. It is allowed to completely “glue” the nail plate with small rhinestones on one nail.
The most popular are transparent and beige pebbles. They are universal and can be applied to any nail design. The remaining colors, when used, must duplicate the shade of the nail art on the nails. It is allowed to use a contrasting option if the nail plate is covered in one tone.
Do not use large rhinestones, as they visually reduce the length of the nail plate. They are used if the length is maxi or in aquarium design.
Simply glued pebbles in a chaotic order cannot arouse interest and be considered a design. Gluing them is a special science. Before working on such a design, you need to consider the shape, length, style, and chosen color.
You should not use rhinestones on your nails if another technique has already been used on them. In such cases, they will look very overloaded. Remember, sometimes just one rhinestone can make a manicure elegant and luxurious.

How to properly stick rhinestones on nails at home

Before choosing a product for gluing rhinestones on nails, study the rules of the procedure. Let's describe it step by step to make it clear how to proceed:

Remove the remnants of the old varnish, hold your hands in warm water for a while. Shape your nails using a nail file.
Remove the pterygium and straighten the cuticles. Use a remover.
Moisten the cuticles and treat the plates with an antiseptic, then dry your hands and degrease your nails.
Apply primer and dry your nails.
Now take the base coat and apply it to the nail with a brush, forming an even nail shape and smoothing out any unevenness. Dry this layer in a lamp.
Apply colored gel polish and dry it. If a deeper shade is desired, apply the color again. Don't forget to dry each layer in a lamp.
Cover the last layer of color with the topcoat and cure in a lamp. After drying, if necessary, remove the sticky layer from the nails using a special liquid.
To glue the rhinestones, use a rubber base. Apply the base where you plan to glue the pattern.
Using a special pencil for rhinestones, lay out a pattern of pebbles. Dry this layer in a lamp for 3 minutes.
After the rhinestones have cured, use a thin brush to apply a rubber base coat or topcoat between the rhinestones to secure them in place. Dry the layer in the lamp again.
Remove the sticky layer. Your design is ready.

Necessary tools for gluing rhinestones on nails

Before you begin the procedure, take care of your tools.

The following tools will help you attach shiny pebbles:

It is better to take rhinestones with a special pencil for rhinestones or tweezers;
Use a rubber base coat or special nail gel to attach rhinestones to your nails.

Step-by-step technique for gluing rhinestones

For gel polish

First, the nail is coated with gel polish in 2 layers and dried with a UV lamp for 2 minutes.
The base is applied with a thin brush (or dots, if you have one), and the places where the decorations will be placed are outlined.
You can apply rhinestones to gel polish with an orange stick, wax pencil or dots. During application, the stones need to be lightly pressed into the surface of the nail. It is convenient to use a toothpick to adjust the placement of the rhinestone. Next - to dry.
The base is again applied to a thin brush, the contours of the stones are outlined, and the nails are dried.
The top covers the parts of the nails that are free from rhinestones. The final touch: the nails are dried and treated with a clinser to remove stickiness.

Using glue

A base is applied to the nail, then colored varnish.
Glue is applied to the dried varnish in those places where decorations will later be placed. It will be convenient to do this with a thin brush.
Rhinestones are glued to the designated places. With a pencil, dots or stick - whatever you have.
Decorated nails are additionally treated with another layer of varnish.

What to glue correctly, choose the means

What should I use to glue rhinestones on my nails? More often they use specialized products that are sold as a set. This glue is identical to that used to fix nails.

You can also attach pebbles using transparent glue, which is not intended for this purpose.

These methods are suitable if you do a regular manicure without using an LED lamp.

Important! Do not use super glue, it is toxic. Contact with such a product will change the quality of the skin.

You can buy glue for fixing nails in a specialized store or order it online.

Nail decor rules

It is important not only to firmly and securely glue the rhinestones onto your nails. You also need to take into account that your nail designs should be beautiful, not vulgar.

To implement classic design solutions, it is recommended to use neutral base shades and an appropriate palette of rhinestones.
It is not recommended to glue large rhinestones on long nails. This measure will visually make your nails shorter. It is better to choose small size rhinestones.
If you are going to stick rhinestones on your nails, it is not recommended to use feathers and other decoration elements.

For gel polish

The best option for gluing rhinestones onto gel polish are rubber base coats or special gels. These products perfectly fix small pebbles and broths on the nails.

It is important to properly dry the chosen product. So, a rubber base or top coat with a glued rhinestone pattern must be dried in an Ice lamp for 3 minutes.

But when using a special gel, drying in a lamp will take 4 minutes. But this tool allows you to attach a fairly large pebble to your nail.

With special glue

You can use glue to fix rhinestones if you apply regular polish to your nails. In this case, the procedure looks like this:

Prepare your nail shape.
Apply the desired color of varnish and let it air dry until completely dry.
When the varnish is dry, apply droplets of glue, forming a future pattern of stones.
Using tweezers or a rhinestone pencil, place your rhinestones on the nail plate, in the areas where the glue drips, creating your own design.
To be safe, apply clear varnish over the created design and dry it.

Iron-on stickers with rhinestones

This option can be considered an alternative. This is a ready-made pattern that can be glued to the nail plate.

Stickers are attached to varnish, acrylic or gel polish. They are soaked in warm water, the film is removed, and applied to the nail.

Manicure application

There are two ways to glue rhinestones to a manicure: using varnish or cosmetic glue. The second option is considered more durable. Nail design begins with the application of base varnish. After drying, 1–3 layers of colored varnish are applied to the base. Experts recommend preparing the nail plate a day before decorating with rhinestones. During this time, the varnish will dry well, and the glued stones will stick firmly and for a long time.

Apply a little glue to a brush or toothpick and drop it on the places where you plan to place the glitter. If there is a lot of glue, it can flow over the nail and make the decor ugly and sloppy. Make sure the bottom of the stones is flat. Glue cone-shaped decorations only on extended nails, having previously drilled a recess of the appropriate size into them.

The nail design is completed by fixing it with varnish. Try to distribute it over the nail plate as evenly as possible, then the rhinestones will not cling to clothes and hair.

Are there any alternatives, other ways of gluing rhinestones?

Transparent varnishes also glue rhinestones; this method can be used as an alternative. It is better to act according to the following scheme:

paint your nails, wait until they dry, repeat the procedure again;
They begin gluing onto the varnish when both layers are dry, place the rhinestones on the nail plate, then apply transparent varnish again.

Important! Such a manicure will not last long and soon the pebbles will begin to fall off. This is the main drawback of the fastening. In addition, it is very difficult to attach a rhinestone pattern to regular varnish.

Liquid rhinestones will also help decorate the nail plates, but working with them requires certain skills and abilities. And this is a separate technique in the nail art industry.

Benefits of manicure with rhinestones

This is one of the new trends among nail artists. A manicure with rhinestones is suitable for a party, a special event, or a wedding. This manicure has a number of other advantages.

Reusable use of rhinestones. They can be applied several times.
The proposed pattern can first be placed without attaching it to see if it is suitable for manicure.
Nails with this manicure have a chic look that cannot be recreated with other techniques.

Mistakes when choosing, working and caring for rhinestones

Proper care will help “extend the life” of the designed pattern.

Let's look at the mistakes that girls make that lead to poor design wear and problems with nails:

Use super glue, in the absence of a special tool “at hand”.
Glue is applied to pebbles, not to nails, which leads to damage to the rhinestones.
They take the rhinestones with their hands, and not with tweezers or a special pencil, which makes it difficult to place them correctly.

If the pebbles have darkened and turned yellow, then it is time to recycle them, throw them away, they are not suitable for further use.

How and with what to remove rhinestones

It all depends on what they were originally attached to:

if we are talking about gel polish, when a top or finishing coat was used for gluing, then you must follow the instructions for removing shellac from nails;
when transparent varnish was used as a fastening, no special means are required, the pattern will disintegrate on its own, and the design can be removed with ordinary acetone;
if you used special glue to fix or plastic nails, then these pebbles will be difficult to remove. You will need acetone and patience.

Rhinestones on nails, ideas for manicure

This season, intricate designs and ethnic patterns are in fashion, but creating such patterns at home will be difficult. We will offer several options that are easy to implement and look impressive.

Flower:	We place a large stone in the center, and arrange small ones around it, imitating the petals of a flower. The design looks beautiful on short and long nails.
Line:	Geometry is on trend this season and is widely used in nail design. The pebbles are placed vertically, laying out a line.
Crescent or Moon:	We lay out the pattern in a semicircle near the cuticle or at the bottom of the plate.
French:	At the bottom of the plate we lay out the stones in a semicircle, imitating a French manicure. This design looks impressive and is suitable for a special occasion.

You can come up with a design yourself by placing a large pebble in the middle part of the nail, and small ones around it.

Well-groomed and beautiful nails “speak” that a girl takes care of herself. She is preparing for the celebration, devoting time to her beauty. Whatever design she chooses, rhinestones will be able to complement the image and become its important detail.

Recommendations from experts on nail design with rhinestones

The procedure for decorating nails with rhinestones is quite simple, especially if you choose a basic design. However, if you decide to use stones for the first time, consider a few expert tips.

Use classic crystal layouts

Learning how to glue decor to the nail plate does not yet mean making a beautiful and stylish manicure. In addition to the technical nuances, there is an element of creativity. Before fixing the rhinestones, you need to think through the pattern down to the smallest detail and draw it on paper. This way you won’t spoil the material, and your manicure will work out on the first try. If you don’t know which pattern of stones to choose, choose a classic pattern and don’t forget that the pattern for the pedicure should repeat the placement of the stones on the manicure.
Don't put too many stones on one nail. At first glance, rhinestones seem weightless, but for the nail plate this is an impressive weight. If you overdo it with the amount of decorations, the nail will quickly break.
The color scheme of the stones should harmoniously resonate with the overall style of the manicure and your image. For a classic nail design, transparent and pastel rhinestones are suitable, and for a festive design you can use bright and juicy stones. If the manicure involves several shades, the color of the rhinestones should repeat one of them or be contrasting with the main color of the varnish.

Maintain proportions between rhinestones and the size of the nail plates

The main condition for a good and beautiful manicure is strict adherence to proportions . Large stones look out of place on short nails; in this case, the nail plates will appear even shorter.
Moderation is important in manicure with rhinestones. You should not combine stones with other large decor: voluminous flowers, feathers, beads.