Nail Art

Trendy (& Bloomin' Lovely) Blooming Gel Nail Art to Try
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  • Published on:09/08/2024

We're pretty sure we've just found your next go-to mani: blooming gel nails. Stay tuned as we show you the best blooming gel art to try at home (and how to make them look profesh).

From tortoiseshell tips to cute aura designs, there are tons of blooming nail art designs running riot on our social media feeds and Pinterest boards. And you don’t need to be a pro nail tech to do them.

With the help of a few salon-quality home gel nail products, you can easily achieve a blooming lovely mani right at home. We recommend the products below to get you started (p.s., you can even nab free delivery*!)...

Now, let’s get stuck into the beautiful world of blooming gel nails.

What is Blooming Gel for Nails?

Blooming gel is still a gel polish, but it's specially formulated to allow gel colour to spread and create a watercolour effect on the nail. The colour polish you apply disperses, creating a unique design on your nails.

The polish is clear, so it can be used with any gel colours, from soft pastels to bold neons. It has the same consistency as regular gel polish and still needs to be cured under a UV or LED light, but the thinner formula is what makes this magic happen.

Do You Cure Blooming Gel First?


Our Blooming Gel should be applied over a cured base coat. If you wish, you can add a layer of base colour and cure for 60 seconds before applying the blooming gel. Or, leave the blooming gel uncured.

You then apply your chosen gel polish colour to the wet blooming gel and wait before curing it under the light. This allows the colours to spread and blend together, creating that watercolour effect.

You will then need to cure the polish after applying the blooming gel, as you would with any other gel mani.

If you are applying more than one colour for a dimensional look, you will need to apply another layer of Blooming Gel and your second colour and then cure again.

Can You Use Regular Polish With Blooming Gel?

To get the full effect of the Blooming Gel, you'll need to use gel polish. Regular nail polish will not spread and blend the same way and cannot be cured under a LED light.

Gel polish lasts a whole lot longer than regular polish, and you won't find our salon-quality finish in a regular polish formula.

If you want to achieve the watercolour effect and longevity of a gel mani, it's best to stick with using gel polishes with Blooming Gel.

Blooming Gel

How to Use Blooming Gel Polish for Beginners

As for how to actually use Blooming Gel Polish, it's quite simple! You can follow our video tutorial below, which is full of different looks to try out or read through the steps a little further below.

Step-by-Step Guide


Step 1) Prep: Push back your cuticles and shape your nails with a Half Moon Nail File. Use a Buffer Block to remove the shine and oil from your nail plate, followed by a Lint-Free Wipe soaked in Prep & Wipe.

Step 2) Base: Apply a layer of Mylee Base Coat and cure under our Convex LED Lamp for 60 seconds (or 120 under a UV lamp).

Step 3) Base Colour: Apply your chosen base colour over the cured Base Coat and cure.

Step 4) Blooming Gel: Apply a thin layer of Mylee Blooming Gel, but don't cure. Use a nail art brush or Dotting Tool to apply your chosen gel polish colours to the Blooming Gel in dots or strokes. In 10 to 30 seconds, the gel colour will disperse and create a blooming effect. Cure for 60 seconds (or 120 under a UV lamp).

Step 5) More Bloom: To intensify the blooming effect, add more gel polish dots or strokes on top of the first layer and cure. For a dimensional effect, use darker gel colours on top of lighter ones.

Step 6) Top Coat: Finish off with a layer of Mylee No Wipe Top Coat and cure for 60 seconds (or 120 under a UV lamp).

Blooming Gel Nail Art Designs to Recreate At Home

Now you know what and how to use blooming gel, it's time to get creative and try out some designs! A quick search on TikTok will bring up lots of trending designs, and you'll spot some of ours there, too!

But we've rounded up some of our favourite blooming gel designs for you to try at home.

Blooming Marble Nails

Watch on TikTok

This stunning set of marble nails showcases the versatility of Blooming Gel.

Our super talented BA @simlynail has used our Marble Gel Polish Quad to create this stunning blue, white, and pink design. This fantastic quad features our Blooming Gel alongside 3 beautiful nail colours – Luna, Californian Love, and Steel My Heart.

Tortoiseshell Gel Nails

There are tons of ways you can use Blooming Gel, but a tortie look might just be one of the best.

The talented @by.jals has shown us just how chic tortoiseshell nails can be with this pink nude and brown French tip look.

Tie-Dye Gel Nails

For those of you who prefer more of a pop to your mani, these stunning neon tie-dye nails by @emfrancescanails are sure to be your winner.

Use our Blooming Gel with your choice of bright gel colours to create this funky and fun look.

The Roundup: Create Beautiful Blooming Gel Nails At Home

Doing nail art at home has never been easier, and our Blooming Gel makes it even simpler. With little to no effort, you can create stunning blooming gel nail designs worthy of a salon.

Whether you're a beginner or an experienced nail artist, our Blooming Gel is perfect for anyone looking to add some extra flair to their mani.

Shop our new Blooming Gel and other gel nail art essentials below and get ready to elevate your nail game!

*Receive free UK delivery when you spend £25 at Mylee! Or, spend €120 for free delivery to Ireland!

FAQs

Yes, blooming gel should be cured under a UV or LED lamp, but only after you have applied your gel colours. Paint a thin layer of Mylee Blooming Gel over a cured base coat or colour, and dot your chosen gel colours on top. After 10 to 30 seconds, you can cure the blooming gel for a unique and beautiful design.

Blooming gel has a thinner viscosity compared to regular gel polish, which is what allows it to spread and create a unique design.

It depends on how much colour you have applied on top of the blooming gel, but generally, it takes 10 to 30 seconds for the design to fully bloom.

No, blooming gel and top coat gels are not the same. Blooming gel is used to create unique designs, while a top coat is used as a finishing layer for protection and shine.

We wouldn't recommend it as you won't get the bloom effect. Instead, you'll likely get a messy and splodgy look. A proper blooming gel is specifically formulated to create the blooming effect.

As the Head of Brand at Mylee, Merilin is a seasoned beauty industry professional with a strong passion for nail art. 

With a background as a licensed beautician and a track record of shaping and elevating beauty brands, Merilin is dedicated to empowering individuals to express themselves through nail art, making them a driving force behind Mylee's success in the beauty industry.

Merilin Notton

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