Noah Sinclair
Water decals are a fun and easy way to spice up your gel manicure. Waterslide nail decals are thin stickers that can be applied to gel nails to create intricate designs. The decals are placed into room-temperature water, which loosens the image from the paper, allowing you to slide it onto your nail. You can use water decals on natural nails with gel polish, or on nail forms. They can be customised by adding glitter or other accents. A top coat is necessary to prevent the decal from lifting off the nail.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of nail decals | Water slide nail decals |
| Use | Can be used on natural nails or nail forms |
| Use | Can be used with regular polish, gel polish, builder gel, and acrylic nails |
| Application | Cut the decal as close to the design as possible |
| Application | Soak the decal in water until it slides off the backing |
| Application | Place the decal on the nail and pat it dry |
| Application | Apply a top coat to prevent lifting |
| Application | Use a silicone tool to gently press out wrinkles and edges |
| Application | Avoid using sharp tools to smooth down wrinkles |
| Application | Do not place a decal on wet gel |
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What You'll Learn
Planning your design
Choose Your Design:
Select the nail art stickers you want to use. There are various designs available, from simple and cute to more intricate and detailed patterns. You can also consider adding glitter or other accents to your chosen decals for a more customised look.
Prepare Your Workstation:
Before you begin, ensure you have all the necessary tools and materials ready. This includes your chosen water decals, a gel polish set with a base coat, your desired colour, and a no-wipe top coat. You will also need a nail lamp, silicone tools or a soft silicone brush, small nail scissors, tweezers, and a dappen dish or a small bowl of room temperature water.
Plan Your Design:
Sketch out your desired nail design on a piece of paper or a silicone practice mat. This will help you visualise how the final result will look and ensure a more cohesive manicure. Decide on the placement of each decal, considering the size and shape of your nails.
Cut and Trim:
Using small nail scissors, carefully cut out the nail decal as close to the image as possible. Try to minimise any excess material around the design. You may also want to trim the decal to fit your nail shape before applying it. Cutting the decal slightly smaller than your nail size can help reduce wrinkles and improve adhesion.
Prepare the Decals:
Remove any plastic film from the water slide sticker, as this is only present for protection during storage and shipping. Place the decal into the room temperature water and let it sit for about 20 seconds. Using tweezers, carefully separate the backing from the decal if it doesn't separate on its own. Place the decal onto a paper towel and ensure both sides are completely dry before placing it onto your nail.
Prepare Your Nails:
Prep your nails as you normally would before applying gel polish. If using gel polish, paint on a base coat and cure it under a nail lamp. Apply the colour coat of your choice and cure it again. Remember to keep the sticky layer on the nail, as this will help the decal adhere properly.
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Preparing the decal
Firstly, select the nail art stickers you wish to use. It is beneficial to plan your design ahead of time on a sheet of paper or a silicone practice mat. This ensures you know exactly which stickers to prepare and helps you visualise the final look.
Next, remove the plastic film from the water slide sticker. This protective layer is important for storing and shipping the stickers, but it must be removed before application. Utilise small nail scissors to cut out the nail decal, ensuring you get as close to the image as possible.
Before placing the decal into water, it is recommended to cut the decal to fit your nail. Trimming the decal to the correct size and shape before application can help reduce wrinkles and improve adhesion. Cutting the decal about 1mm smaller than your actual nail is a useful technique to ensure a better seal and less wrinkling.
Now, you can place the decal into room temperature water. Using tweezers, gently place the nail decal face-up into the water and let it soak. It is best to use a dappen dish or a similar shallow dish. Allow the decal to soak for approximately 20 seconds.
After soaking, carefully separate the backing from the nail decal. High-quality waterslide nail decals will automatically separate from the backing. If your decal does not separate easily, gently coax the image off the backing, being cautious not to tear the thin decal.
Finally, place the water slide sticker onto a paper towel to ensure both sides are completely dry before placing it onto your nail. It is important to note that you should never place a decal onto wet gel. Always apply the decal to a cured gel or nail polish that is entirely dried.
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Applying the gel polish
To apply gel polish to your nails, start by prepping your nails as you normally would. If you are using gel polish, paint on a base coat of gel and cure your nails using a nail lamp.
Next, apply a coat of the gel polish in the colour that you want the water decal to go on. Keep the sticky layer on the nail. It is important to note that you should never place a decal onto wet gel. The gel will not cure properly and will ruin your design.
Allow the gel polish to dry completely before placing the decal onto the nail. You can also embed a water decal with Modelones builder gel to make it look like it's floating inside the nail.
After curing and drying the base coat, you can now apply the water decal. Place the decal into room-temperature water, using tweezers, and let it sit for about 20 seconds. Carefully separate the backing from the nail decal using tweezers if it doesn't separate on its own. Place the water slide sticker onto a paper towel to dry off, ensuring both sides are completely dry before placing it onto the nail.
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Applying the decal
Now you are ready to apply the decal to your nail. It's important to note that you should never place a decal onto wet gel—it will not cure properly and will ruin your design. Instead, apply the decal to a cured gel or completely dry nail polish. If you want to use a builder gel to make the decal look like it's floating inside the nail, you can do that too. Once the decal is on your nail, use a silicone tool to gently press out any wrinkles and edges. Avoid using a sharp tool, as this can destroy the decal. Finally, seal the decal with a top coat to prevent lifting.
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Sealing the decal
Sealing your gel nail decals is a crucial step to ensure they last longer and remain vibrant. There are several methods you can use to seal your decals effectively.
One popular method is to use an acrylic spray sealer. Hold the spray sealer about 6-8 inches above your nails and spray a light coat evenly. This will seal your decals without altering their appearance. Allow the sealer to dry completely, which can take around 15-20 minutes.
If you want a glass-like finish, a gel top coat is an excellent choice. Apply a thin layer of the gel top coat over your decals, then cure it under a UV lamp for about 60 seconds. This will not only seal the decals but also add a professional-looking shine to your nails.
Clear nail polish is another option for sealing your decals, although it may not be as reliable as the previous two methods. Gently brush the transparent nail polish over your decals, ensuring you cover the entire area. Allow the polish to dry completely before proceeding.
It is important to note that not all sealers are created equal, and using the wrong one may smudge, fade, or ruin your decals. Always choose a sealer that is compatible with your waterslide decal paper, and be sure to do a patch test on a small area first to ensure it does not bleed or cloud up the decals.
Additionally, make sure your decals are completely dry before applying any sealer. Sealing too early can trap moisture, leading to bubbling and peeling.
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Frequently asked questions
First, apply a coat of gel polish in the colour you want the decal to go on and cure it. Place the decal into room temperature water and use tweezers to separate the backing from the decal. Place the decal onto a paper towel and make sure both sides are completely dry. Then, place the decal onto the nail and seal with a top coat.
Cut the decal as close to the design as possible. Use a lint-free towelette or an absorbent napkin and soak it with water. Once you soak the decal, the back paper will absorb the water and release the decal.
You will need a gel polish set that includes a base coat, colour of your choice, and a no-wipe top coat. You will also need a nail lamp, tweezers, and silicone tools to gently press down the decal.
Water decals are applied by soaking the paper backing in water, which loosens the image from the paper and allows you to slide it onto the nail. Traditional stickers are printed on sticker paper with a sticky adhesive and can be simply peeled off and placed onto the nail.
