Beautiful well-groomed nails are the key to self-confidence for any girl. Despite the many beauty salons, many women prefer to take care of their nails on their own. Each fashionista may be interested in a manicure stretch. What are the features of its design and execution technique?
What it is?
Stretching on the nails also has the name ambre or gradient. Whatever the name of this type of design, it looks very impressive and stylish, captivates the eyes of others. Stretching manicure is a smooth transition from one color to another. For design, various shades of both a close color scheme and completely contrasting colors can be used. It all depends on your preferences and the case for which the manicure is done.
To create a smooth transition, both ordinary varnishes and more modern gel-based ones can be used. As a tool, a sponge or brush is taken, it all depends on the quality of the varnishes and your technique for owning a nail design. In any case, the finished work must be coated with either colorless varnish or the finish layer using a special top.
Popular colors
Despite the fact that this type of manicure can be done with any color of varnish, there are shades that are perfect for it. It is worth remembering that for stretching you need at least two colors of varnish.When choosing flowers, rely on your own taste, imagine how a manicure will look in combination with a general image. If you plan to use a long-term coating, then choose shades that will not bother every other day. These colors include classic and pastel colors.
White
The white color of the varnish is considered classic, but now it is rarely possible to meet a girl with nails covered with white varnish alone. Most often, white is used to combine with other shades or to apply a picture. The advantage of white varnish is the ability to combine it with absolutely any color. It is great for creating a gradient, it dilutes well too bright and contrasting shades.
White varnish is better to use on long nails, short plates will look chopped off, merge with your fingers, so you will not achieve the desired bright effect. Speaking of short nails, it is worth noting that vertical amber is well suited for them, here you can use white varnish. But the bright color should still dominate in combination with white.
The black
Unlike white coating, black varnish is quite popular not only when creating stretch marks, but also on its own. A manicure with black varnish always looks pretty impressive on both long and short nails. You can use matte shades of black or glossy. Black lacquer with volume sparkles or with a holographic effect stands out as a special point. If the dress code allows, then feel free to do a black and white gradient. Such a manicure will look stylish, bright and spectacular. In addition, the classic combination does not bother for a long time.
Pink
Pink varnish is the weakness of all young girls. Along with white and black, pink varnish is a classic in manicure. It is worth noting that there are a large number of shades of pink, each of them looks different. Bright options are best suited to young beauties who are not afraid to draw attention to themselves and their manicure. For older women, pastel pink varnish or with a touch of powder is ideal. Powder varnish goes well with white when stretched.
Orange
The color of the sun and oranges is loved by almost all the fair sex. It gives a good mood, a feeling of warmth and summer. Orange varnish is especially relevant in the summer season, it looks stylish, bright and juicy. If you wanted a little sun on your nails in autumn or winter, then an orange manicure in combination with calmer tones is also not forbidden. Ambre using white or beige shades is perfectly complemented by orange varnish.
Red
Bright cheeky manicure is impossible to imagine without the use of red varnish. It is great for creating a smooth transition to black, as the red-black combination is one of the most successful in the world of manicure. Using red shades allows you to create both horizontal and vertical stretch.
Green
Summer is over, and nobody wants to let it go. You can extend the warm season by making a bright manicure using green varnish. To apply it as an independent coating or in combination with other shades - depends on the intensity of greenery. If you prefer dark green varnish, then it looks great alone. To create a design for stretch marks, lighter versions of green combined with blue are well suited.
Blue
The color of the sky and the sea is also associated with summer in many. If a dozen years ago, blue varnish was almost never found on store shelves, now it is very popular. It can be combined both with darker shades and with light ones. An excellent gradient is obtained when combining blue and white varnishes.
Design options
Vertical stretch
As already mentioned, vertical stretching is suitable for owners of short and long nails.The second case is more advantageous, but if you do not want to visually shorten the plate, then choose a vertical amber design. This type of manicure is best done using a brush, a sponge in this case will not be the best assistant.
The technique for performing this nail design is very simple, you just have to try, and you will fall in love with the process of creating a magic manicure. If you like to create, then try using five or more colors of the coating on one hand, combining them together in turn. Especially relevant is the option of stretching in the summer using juicy shades.
Horizontal stretch
Horizontal amber is only suitable for owners of a long nail plate. Here you can experiment, use both a sponge and a brush as a tool. The horizontal transition allows you to apply three colors of varnish on the nails at once, then the stretch will turn out to be more interesting and attractive.
Using three or more colors
The more shades of varnish you use on one nail, the more spectacular your manicure will be. Of course, it will take much more time to create beauty, it is almost jewelry work. With this technique, absolutely any color can be used, since with a smooth transition they are perfectly combined with each other.
Glitter Stretch
For those girls who can not imagine their life without shine, a stretch with sparkles is ideal. On the shelves of specialized stores you can find many options for glitter. Glitter can be dry or in combination with colorless varnish. If you want to achieve a volumetric effect without spaces, then opt for friable glitter.
Spangles are applied on top of a clear varnish, which keeps them well and does not crumble. Such a manicure must be necessarily fixed with a finish layer.
The advantage of a manicure with sparkles is its durability. Even with simple polish, your nails will be beautiful for at least a week.
How to do stretching yourself?
To create a magical game of paints on nails, it is not at all necessary to go to a nail salon and pay a lot of money. Any girl, if desired, can learn to do manicure stretching on her own at home. To do this, you must have at least two colors of varnish in your arsenal, a separate brush for manicure or a sponge, depending on what technique you choose.
Using gel polish
Gel polish or shellac is an innovative discovery in the field of manicure. From the first days of its appearance, such material has gained recognition among many girls. Manicure using gel polish has many advantages.
- Durability. You can forget about your nails for 10-12 days, which is an essential factor in choosing such a manicure for business and very busy people. Your worries about nails will come to naught; you don’t need to think every morning about how to get your nails in order.
- Flatness of application. The gel texture of the varnish allows it to envelop the plate evenly. The varnish does not dry without a UV lamp, so you can easily adjust its application, wash it with a simple motion of a cotton pad.
- A rich palette of shades. The color scheme is so wide that you can meet a chameleon lacquer or a cat's eye.
Using a sponge
For this manicure you will need a small sponge and varnish in two shades. It is best to use a horizontal manicure technique. To create such a design, it is necessary to apply varnish of the required colors on the sponge nearby, without mixing them. Then, using tamping movements, apply nail polish with a sponge. With these simple actions you will achieve a beautiful and natural smooth transition from one shade to another.
Using brush
Manicure stretching with a brush has a lot of advantages. To do this, you can use a special flat brush for Chinese painting.With it, the design is especially smooth and beautiful. Having adapted, you can work with a regular brush from any bottle of varnish.
A manicure with a brush is considered the least energy-consuming, since the cuticle does not get dirty, and you do not need to spend extra time to clean it.
See how to quickly make stretch sparkles in the next video.