Ciate Caviar Pearls: Step-By-Step & Review

Hi ladies. I thought I would bring something a little different to the table today; my first 'tutorial'. I'm no nail expert, and I won't pretend to be either, but here are what I hope are helpful and informative step-by-step instructions for how you can create your very own 'caviar nails' with a little review included too. Enjoy!

Okay, first things first: what you will need. With caviar nails (whether they are Ciate or an alternative brand) you should receive a funnel included, then you will need your pearls/beads, a base coat, a base colour of your choice and some form of clear nail varnish.

Step One is to apply your 'base coat'. I like to use OPI nail envy because it acts as a nail strengthening treatment at the same as preventing stains to the nail, and it also seems to leave me chip free for longer too.

Step Two is to apply your chosen colour. I have used Ciate 'Cupcake Queen' and this is a beautiful and super bright fuchsia pink - let's all take a moment to admire it's beauty now....

Step Three is to apply some form of clear nail varnish onto the nail (I just just used OPI Top Coat) and it's probably best not to use a super quick drying nail varnish either. This is what your beads are going to use to stick to your nail so make sure that you have used a generous, thick layer of your top coat. (As an alternative to this option you can just apply your chosen colour really thick and apply the beads directly to that instead). Work one nail at a time so that your top coat is freshly applied and 'wet' when you add your beads. Remember: this is the only thing that will be holding your beads to your nails so make sure you've not scrimped out on this stage.

Step Four is the fun part: POUR. That's right, you simply take the bottle of beads and tip them directly onto your freshly applied top coat. You will need some form of tray underneath your fingers to catch all of the excess beads that don't hit your finger nails and ideally this needs to be something that you can pick up (so don't use your bathroom sink!) - I just used an empty face mask pot from Lush, so you could use anything from the lid of your body butter, to an empty Chinese takeaway tub. 

 

At first there'll be a lot of excess beads on your nails that will fall off of their own accord but if you wait a minute or two and then gently tap your finger above your tray then the beads won't be wasted. Brush away the beads around your skin on the outside of your nails and.. Ta Dah! You're caviar nails are done! 

Wait!

..Need a refill?

By the time you've done one hand it's likely that your bottle will need a little top up. Not to worry, it's time for Step Five. Super simple, use the funnel that has been provided (if you don't have one I'm sure you could roll up a little piece of paper and make one), then pick up your tray and gently pour the beads back into the bottle ready to use again. 

Now you really are done! There's no need to apply a top coat to your nails because this will smudge together the colour of the beads, just be gentle until they're fully set into the clear varnish you applied before. I applied Ciate 'Candy Shop' caviar pearls that I received inside my Ciate advent calendar and they'll really fun and pretty colour to use. Below are some more pictures of the finished result: 

Warning:

Heavy hands make a mess! Be careful when pouring, those beads bounce!

Review:

The buzz around caviar nails has been around for a pretty long time now, and I didn't ever think it was something that I would buy into, but when I got four bottles of the peals in my advent calendar it seemed silly not to have a little play, and I ended up absolutely loving the results. Other brands have now hopped onto the bandwagon and you can buy these beads as cheap as £1 in pound shops around the country, or have a go at MUA's £3 offering of them too; there's not much of a need to splash out to Ciate unless of course there is a certain eye catching colour combination that Ciate offers that isn't available from elsewhere. 

They aren't particularly long lasting, but they managed to last for one day quite well but it was taking a shower that ended up being their real downfall. I struggled to wash my hair with these on as they snagged on my hair strands, and all that water ended up turned the colours pretty grubby and smeared together. But, if you're wanting these for a one-off special occasion, maybe a party/night out/wedding etc then I would say that they're definitely worth a go! They're simple to apply, look different and exciting and are very eye catching. The whole 24 hours that mine looked okay for I received a handful of lovely compliments on them!

I also quite liked how this finger ended up looking after I had flicked all of it's beads off!

Have you ever tried caviar nails? From Ciate or another brand?

What do you think of them?