Swarovski Crystals - How to achieve this look

[claire glass]

Hellllooooo there I am doing a friends nails for a wedding. I have tried to attach a photo so if I have been successful this is the look I want to achieve with swarovski crystals.

Never done crystals before- total newbie so please give me a step by step guide from start prep to end with a suggestion about the different sizes i could maybe get.

Been deliberating over what ones to buy so it's just time to get on with buying them & give it a whirl. HELP!!

 

[rachael204]

http://www.salongeek.com/nail-geek/160247-swarovski-crystal-pedicure.html

If you do a search there are loads of threads on crystal mani/pedi xx

 

[nailzilla]

There looks to be a few different sizes.....why not order three different sizes, say 2mm, 4mm and 5mm.......and have a little play, you never know yours may turn out better. Be aware of your clients nail size....an teeny weeny nail may not look good with a big rhinestone incorporated into the pattern. I personally have a huge variety of different sizes and colours as different clients suit different sizes. In my gallery I have a similar designed nail with different sized rhinestones. Hope this helps x

 

[Princess Layla]

I tend to do just the ring finger with this as most of my clients wouldn't cope practically with all this bling! I use 3 sizes of crystal and set in fibreglass resin either over shellac or acrylic extensions depending on what my client wants. With the extensions I mix a little glitter into the acrylic so that we have sparkle in the gaps, with the shellac I dab a bit of glitter before top coat like rockstar! It's very effective and everybody loves it! I will have a look to see what size crystals I use and get back to you! I find the most effective crystals are the ab the ones that shine different colours.
What systems do you use, are you familiar with fibreglass? X

 

[Baggybear]

The same photo has been discussed previously in these threads:

http://www.salongeek.com/nail-geek/153472-crystal-sizes-quick-reply-needed-please.html

http://www.salongeek.com/nail-geek/153017-swarovski-manicure.html

 

[claire glass]

Thanks so much for all the pointers - I've never used fibreglass & I don't know much about it all. For extentions I use harmony l&p & the gel polish I use is artistic gloss. If u were to just do it on the ring finger what would you do on the rest?
I'm really new to all this - big change in career for me but loving it. Wish I'd done it years ago & this forum is so amazing. Thanks to u all xx )...... amazing.

 

[beautyinmotion]

which is the best place to get the crystals from? i think the resin is good when applying gems to nails..hope this helps x

 

[nailzilla]

Yes you could do the ring finger only then leave the rest as French or painted in a complimentary colour. At the end of the day it all depends on what the client prefers........it is art and everyone has different tastes. Why not get a couple of tips and have a little practice and play around.
I get a tip, put a little ball of blutac on the back and sit for hours just designing new ideas......have a little go see what you come up with!

 

[hellishbellish]

I have never got round to buying the crystals myself but a CND Educator told me that the best thing to do as well as sealing into the gel layers is use gelbond and cure. She also said that topcoat doesn't dull the crystals, and her nails were VERY bling!

 

[Essential Bliss]

I set mine into gel and they usually last well but I haven't done a huge amount of crystal manicures or pedicures yet.
These look like they have glitter underneath,so maybe do glitter first then the crystals over the top?
Agree with just the ring finger,what about that design on the ring finger then the rest either all silver rockstar or just glitter tips x

Essential Bliss Beauty Therapy

 

[Baggybear]

When doing a crystal pedicure I use a soak off gel as I don't fancy buffing through all the crystals to get them off.
I do prep, apply thin layer of clear gel as a base, cure, applt thicker layer and place crystals until the whole nail is covered and the crystals are where I want them, cure, brush over small amount of gel to seal crystals in, cure, wipe away dispersion layer.

 

[debz982]

Baggybear.. I love your pictures.. They look so bling and cute :0)

 

[Lolla]

Baggy did you ever try it without the gel over the top? Remember a little while ago someone said they last just as well without, as long as the crystals are 'lipped' by the gel, think you said you would try it? xx

 

[Baggybear]

Baggy did you ever try it without the gel over the top? Remember a little while ago someone said they last just as well without, as long as the crystals are 'lipped' by the gel, think you said you would try it? xx

No I've not tried it yet, I am hoping to do my own toes again for valentines day and did say I would be trying it on myself (if it's possible to do so in the silly positions I end up in trying to get the crystals on my own toenails lol) if it doesn't work on me I have a friend who is a willing voluteer and will keep me updated on if she looses any of the crystals etc...

 

[nailzilla]

Whether gels or acrylics I pop a layer of uv gloss top coat on and pop the gems in position then cure then pop a little more uv topcoat on cure once more and all done!

 

[paula's beauty]

Can it also be done with shellac, base 10secs, colour 2mins, crystals and top coat?

 

[waxcetera]

Can it also be done with shellac, base 10secs, colour 2mins, crystals and top coat?

Whilst I'm trawling through all the threads for an answer, thought I'd bump this thread too. Had an accident with my thumb but rest of my shellac is fine and I love my current rockstar, so thought I'd do just the thumb as crystals. Havent tried it before, just trying to find best procedure for doing it with shellac, I have no resin though.

 

[Baggybear]

Can it also be done with shellac, base 10secs, colour 2mins, crystals and top coat?

Whilst I'm trawling through all the threads for an answer, thought I'd bump this thread too. Had an accident with my thumb but rest of my shellac is fine and I love my current rockstar, so thought I'd do just the thumb as crystals. Havent tried it before, just trying to find best procedure for doing it with shellac, I have no resin though.

There have been a few people say they tried it with Shelac and the general agreement was it doesn't last as long as resin or gel because it isn't a gel (and doesn't have the strength of the gel) but if your going to do it then from what I've read for best results it should be:

Pep, base, cure, colour, cure, colour & crystals, cure, topcoat, cure.

Most people use a light or shimmery colour as you don't really see the colour between the crystals on the finished nail.

 

[valleygirl]

I haven't done a full crystal nail but I have added some to my Shellac to give it that bit of sparkle and it lasted on my fingers for the full 2 weeks and had lots of comments about them.
I just put them onto the tacky layer of my colour coat and then put top coat over it, you do have to be careful that you get the top coat round all the edges of the crystals or else they may not be as secure as you want. The top coat didn't alter the sparkle at all.

 

[claire glass]

Great replies - thanks. Pics are great Baggybear. Just ordered crystals so can't wait to give it a go. Crystals defo not cheap - anyone give any ideas on how to price this?
xx