Now that you’re up to speed on the acrylic process, let’s dive into shapes. “ truly are a stunning look for those who like their nails to be a bit longer in length, or like the look of an elongated finger,” Dang adds. Once the acrylic-typically clear or a neutral pink or nude hue-has set and the shape has been formed, nail color and nail art come into play. Most of the nails are white and there is one pink nail as well. These nails are quite short and have a coffin shape. “After giving the powder time to harden, we begin filing the nail into whichever shape you’d like, whether it be coffin, stiletto, almond, round, or square,” Dang says. Some nails are white with silver glitter, some have pink and white ombre while the other white nails use pink and silver sparkle. 'Once we have our bead, we place it into the nail bed, spreading it until it is even across the length of your natural nail and the plastic tip.' It's this step, she says, that makes or breaks an acrylic mani, as it's what creates a natural-looking nail surface that's smooth and uniform. 'We take a brush and dip it into an acrylic liquid-we use this to make a moldable acrylic bead by dipping the wet brush into our acrylic powder,' she explains.

Or, a tip is glued to the nail, and acrylic is then overlaid to boost the nail's shape, length, and strength.Īs for how acrylic nails come to life, Bellacures nail artist Hayley Dang let us in on the process.

Like polygel nails, acrylic nails are sculpted onto the nail with a form, Denney says. 'When you mix the liquid with the powder, a polymerization process takes place and hardens, which sets the acrylic.' 'Acrylic nails are a combination of liquid monomer and acrylic powder (polymer),' she explains. They're also referred to as L+P (liquid and powder) because, as nail artist Lauren Denney points out, liquid and powder are key to their creation. They have long been one of the most popular types of nail enhancements. If you've ever gotten your nails done before, then you're likely familiar with acrylics.

Silver sparkle acrylic nails shapes