The Creation STATION

Stay on top of client nail art requests this summer with Scratch’s roundup of seasonal gel polish designs, product picks & tips

Get your summer nail shades and brushes at the ready, as clients are embracing the season with varied and bold nail requests. For gel polish users, the medium not only allows the creation of artistic looks on top of a variety of base systems, but offers an abundance of colours and effects to satisfy client desires.

“Gel polish is great for creating nail art, as its consistency is easy to work with and manipulate,” shares Bella Pilla, marketing Bella Pilla & creative content at Izabelle Hammon Ltd. “It also doesn’t add bulk to nails as it has a low viscosity, however this does mean the product can run and bleed into other colours if not flash cured during design work.” “As gel polish requires a UV/LED lamp cure, nail professionals can take their time to perfect nail art designs,” adds Jaz Moger, Salon System expert. “Using the medium, you can wipe away artistic mistakes and cure design elements you are happy with, giving you peace of mind that they won’t budge when creating other part of a style.”

So, which designs should you prepare to create for clients this summer, and how can you ensure a high-quality gel polish service? Read on to glean gel polish guidance from techs and explore inspiration for your nail art designs…

Nautical nail art

By Michelle Brookes, Artistic Nail Design educator

Inspiration: “The client was going on holiday to the Norfolk Broads and requested anchor and ship wheel art to reflect the coastal location.”Time to create: 20 minutes.

Pricing: “I charged £30 for the standard gel polish service, and an additional £15 for the art.” Creation process: “I created the marble effect, mimicking water, by painting a coat of Artistic Colour Gloss in white shade, Bride, and adding Artistic’s Colour Bloom Gel Coat and neon blue Colour Gloss hue, Just Kickin’ It. A detailer brush helped me to swirl the nail colours together. Once cured, I hand-painted the gold anchor and ship wheel using a detailer brush and Artistic Art Paints in Gold and Black.”

Product spotlight

“Not all nail professionals have a natural artistic ability or want to learn lots of nail art techniques, however they may find that some clients come to appointments seeking eye-catching artistic elements,” shares Suzanne Clayton, brand manager at Sweet Squared. “This is when Artistic’s Colour Bloom

Gel Coat is beneficial, as all skill levels can create custom designs for clients using the product. It’s quick and effortless to use.”

Product pick

Promote gel polish adhesion and long-lasting glossy colour with this kit from Americanails. Comprising the professional nail brand’s Original Universal Gel Polish Base Coat and Original Universal No-Cleanse Glossy Top Coat, the 15ml formulas cure in 30 seconds under LED light and two minutes under UV light. Sandwich gel polish colours between the duo to prevent lifting, chipping and peeling.

Citrus chic

By Michaela Phillips, Halo VIP

Inspiration: “Fruity nail looks are proving popular on social media, so I created a delectable 3D citrus design. I adapted looks shared by other techs on Instagram to plan the style, ensuring that the 3D orange nails were particularly striking.”Time to create: 40 minutes.

Pricing: “I would charge around £40 for this design, owing to the intricate 3D elements involved.”

Creation process: “Jelly gel polishes were the ideal choice for creating juicy-looking fruit on nails, and I used the Yellow shade from Halo’s Stained Glass collection, alongside a custom mix of this colour and the collection’s Neon Pink hue for the orange shade. I used Halo Elite Hard Gel in Clear to fashion the 3D aspects, and Halo Gel Polish in French White for the line work.”

Styling statistic Pinterest’s Summer 2024 Trend Report revealed that global searches for ‘fruity nails’ increased by 175% from April 2023 to April 2024.

Tropical talons

By Stacey Machin, Glitterbels content creator

Inspiration: “Tropical themes and lime green mojito cocktails inspired this style.” Time to create: Two hours.

Pricing: “I would charge £60 for the full design.” Creation process: “I applied a coat of Glitterbels Blooming Gel across three nails and used the brand’s Dotting Tool/Wax Crystal Picker to paint lines of dots in bright green Glitterbels Hema Free Gel Polish shade, Palm Tree. I waited until the colour had sufficiently dispersed, then cured.

“I painted the hibiscus flower shapes using Glitterbels Hema Free Gel Polish in White with the Dotting Tool and Glitterbels’ Liner Brush with Lid9mm. I also painted swirls and spots across nails for additional detail, in Hema Free Gel Polish shades, Palm Tree, White and peppermint green Bestie.”

Award-winning advice

From Scratch Stars Gel Polish Stylist of the Year 2022 & 2023, Jiak Hing

• Prep nails well: Gently push back cuticles and buff the nail surface to create a good base for gel polish adhesion. Wipe nails with alcohol to remove any oils, promoting service longevity.

• Fully cure: After each coat, cure your chosen gel polish for the manufacturer’s recommended time in its appropriate lamp. Undercuring can lead to peeling and an allergic reaction.

• Protect skin: If you get gel polish on the skin, wipe it away immediately with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol, to avoid the risk of an allergic reaction.

Floral fingertips

By Leila Monroy, Light Elegance UK distributor & educator

Inspiration: “Minimal floral nail art is aesthetically pleasing, while being very simple to create, making it a timeless summer style.”

Time to create: Just over an hour, including previous overlay removal. Pricing: “The cost for this design was £62. I price according to difficulty and timing, so offer three tiers of service and pricing in my salon.

If a design is taking longer than I would like, I add £1 on top of the basic price for each minute of nail art work. Many nail technicians undervalue themselves, particularly when it comes to nail art, so ensure you charge what you are worth and for the time spent on a design.” Creation process: “I used Light Elegance P+ Gel Polishes in Why So Sweet,

Peek-a-blue and Trippy over the Powerbond UV/LED Bonding Base Coat. I applied two coats of pink Why So Sweet as a base colour. With a liner brush, I painted the flower petals using Peek-a-blue in different places on the nails. Using a dotting tool and P+ Gel Polish in Trippy, I created the centre of the floral shapes.” >>

Summer smilies

By Daisy Needham, The GelBottle Inc (TGB) content creator

Inspiration: “Smiley face art is something I am asked to paint every summer. The look is a firm favourite among clients and is perfect for festival season. I wanted to change up the style, so opted to create smiley faces on French-style tips.”

Time to create: “The nail art took around 30 minutes, and I predict that the entire service would take me two hours to complete.”

Pricing: “I would charge around £65 for the full look, allocating around £15 for the nail art and £50 for the DesignEx ProTM tips application. I base my prices on my skills and experience.”

Creation process: “I applied The GelBottle Inc DesignEx ProTM Medium Almond Tips and a base of All-in-One BIABTM in NU02. Next, I painted French tips using TGB shade, Hot, and the Liner 03 Brush. I used the Stroke 01 Brush dipped in acetone to clean up where needed. Using Studio GelTM in Jet Black, I painted a semi-circle to create a smile, adding two smaller semi-circles at either end to create cheeks. I then painted two ovals using the black art gel to create the eyes.”

Funky French

By Belinda Price, OPI UK&I education & capability manager

Inspiration: “Micro French tips and cuffs are trending, but this design is a fresh take on the looks. It reminds me of a coral-pink and black combination that was popular in the late 1980s, so is the perfect blend of new and retro.”

Time to create: “I allow an hour in my salon for OPI GelColor with simple nail art. I can be quicker, but prefer to ensure I have time for any surprises. The appointment includes a thorough consultation and prep, time to select shades, application, art, aftercare recommendations and desk clean-up.”

Pricing: “I have a set price for French manicures, which is a little higher than a colour overlay in one shade.

I would charge for French tips, then add on 15% to 20% for the extra lines. This way, I know how much extra time it takes me, and it costs little in product. I’m quite quick at designs like this, so if it takes you longer, you might want to charge more.”

Creation process: “The design uses my favourite OPI shade for a French base, Put It In Neutral, with summer go-to hue, Strawberry Margarita, and classic colour, Lady In Black. I used a detail brush to paint the lines, making them thicker at the centre of the arcs.”

Mix & match manicure

By Amy Martin, Gelish master educator

Inspiration: “I created this fun mix and match design to mark the launch of Gelish’s summer 2024 colour collection, Up In The Air. I chose to paint clouds, a rainbow and butterfly.”

Time to create: “This is a cost-effective design for the salon, as it took me around 30 minutes to create – not including application of the Soft Gel Tips, which took around 40 minutes.”

Pricing: “For this level of design work, I would charge around £60.” Creation process: “I used the Gelish Up In The Air collection for the design. To create the shape of the clouds, I used Gelish Art Form Gel in White, blending this out with an ombré brush. Grabbing some of my favourite shades from the collection, I mapped out the rough shape of the butterfly using a dotting tool, outlining with the Art Form Gel. I added black gel dots to the wings and layered squiggles of colour and Metallic Art Form Gel in Silver to finish the design.”

Top tip

“Dotting tools, in a range of sizes, are incredibly valuable to have in your kit,” notes Hannah Smith, Scratch Stars Gel Polish Stylist of the Year finalist 2024. “They can be used to fill gaps within a nail art design, such as the centre of a flower or eyes on a character.

It’s important to not flood dotting tools with gel polish, so it can be helpful to dot the tools on a palette before using on nails, to ensure that the product lays flat to the nail.”

Hot hibiscus

By Freya Murphy, The Manicure Company brand ambassador

Inspiration: “I found inspiration for this design via Instagram. I had seen a number of hibiscus nail art posts on my feed and think the look offers a funky take on a classic floral design. It’s also a perfect summer holiday nail style.”

Time to create: One hour, 45 minutes, including 45 minutes to create the art.

Pricing: “I would charge €48 (around £41) for this design on natural nails, and €55 (around £46) for the look on gel extensions.”

Creation process:

Step 1 Paint five pairs of dots in a circle using The Manicure Company UV LED Gel Polish in True White.

Step 2 Paint another dot on top of each pair of dots. Step 3 Drag each set of dots into the centre of the nail to create petals.

Step 4 Drag smaller and finer lines from each petal into the centre of the nail.

Step 5 Add some final details, such as further dots and lines.

Pop art pattern

By Dannika Majewski, Nailchemy brand ambassador

Inspiration: “This client loves bright, bold colours and I’ve noticed that comic book-style designs are popular, so I used Nailchemy’s Paradise summer collection to mix the two styles.”

Time to create: One hour, 45 minutes, including previous overlay removal.

Pricing: “This design cost £52 in total. I have three tiers for gel polish nail art: bronze, silver and gold. I price these at £6, £12 and £18 respectively, ranging from one block colour and French tips, to a couple of colours used within a fairly simple design, up to more detailed, character art or realism with an extensive range of colours.”

Creation process: “I used Fiji, Mauritius, Bora Bora and Mustique from the Nailchemy Paradise HEMA Free Gel Polish collection and Artisan Painting & Stamping Gel Paint in Black. The tools I used were the 10mm #00 Liner Professional Nail Art Brush and set of three Dotting Nail Art Tools. I’ve found that using thin layers of gel polish helps to combat uneven lines, which is a common issue with linework.”

Fun fruits

By Jaz Moger, Salon System expert

Inspiration: “Orange fruit art is currently popular, particularly on homeware. My signature style is bold yet minimal, hence the abstract, pop art-style orange shapes, as opposed to more realistic, detailed ones.” Time to create: Up to two hours.

Pricing: “This design comes under my level two tier of nail art, so would cost £60. Level one includes minimal styles, such as block colours, the classic French and quick designs that can be created with a dotting tool. Level two is where most designs sit and includes looks that are detailed but not too complicated. Level three comprises more complex designs, which often require fine linework. Level four is my top level, designed for extremely detailed looks with lots of hand-painted art.”

Creation process: “I used Salon System Gellux Mini Gel Polish in Bare Faced as the base colour, then painted the orange shapes using Gellux Mini Gel Polish in Peach Perfect.”

Ombré opulence

By Jiak Hing, Scratch

Stars Gel Polish Stylist of the Year finalist 2024

Inspiration: “These neon ombré nails were inspired by the client’s Kurt Geiger handbag, and capture the essence of summer with a minimalist cool to warm colour gradient. Neon nail products are essential this season, and long, vertical stripes on nails can enhance the appearance of length.”

Time to create: 30 to 45 minutes. Pricing: “I would charge between £20 to £30 for the nail art, on top of the cost of the nail service chosen.” Creation process: “To achieve the ombré effect, I applied neon powders using a soft brush with synthetic bristles, but they could also be sponged. A white gel polish base under where the colours were applied helped to make the neon hues even more vibrant. I removed all tacky layers prior to the application of this white, to stop powder sticking where it shouldn’t. When creating ombré nails, I recommend practicing blending on a swatch wheel before applying to nails.”

Blossoming beauty

By Carrie Williams, Scratch Stars Gel Polish Stylist of the Year finalist 2024

Inspiration: “Floral nails are my signature look, and this colourful design includes the addition of isolated chrome to highlight parts of the style. Flowers are easy to paint and simply require a dotting tool to create the bodies of petals, and a small striper brush to perfect their shape.”

Time to create: 45 minutes for the art.

Pricing: “I’d charge £10 for the nail art, on top of a basic appointment cost.”

Creation process: “Before creating nail art, I always apply a matte top coat, as this means the gel polish doesn’t slide around as it does on a glossy surface, and the finished nails look more defined. I also did this after creating the foundation of this floral design using DND Gel Polishes. I then cleansed the nails, lightly buffed them, applied black gel paint where I wanted the chrome to be, cured then rubbed the gold chrome into the design using a silicone tool.”

Nostalgic nails

By Hannah Smith, Scratch Stars Gel Polish Stylist of the Year finalist 2024

Inspiration: “This freehand mix and match design is inspired by ‘90s prints and has Saved by the Bell vibes. I love the randomness of it, as sometimes the most unplanned styles are the most fun to create. There are no rules and no pressure for all details to be symmetrical or the same. You can intuitively create the design as you go, and your client can be part of it too, which makes the process enjoyable for everyone.”

Time to create: 30 minutes.

Pricing: “I would charge £8 to £12 for nail art, on top of the chosen nail service.”

Creation process: “I used Nail Order Gel Polishes in Acid, Glowstick, Orchid, Watermelon, Noir, Blanc and Dragonfruit over sculpted L&P acrylic extensions. I painted the colours using Nailed It! By Chelsey’s UGH! As If! 12mm Nail Art Fluffy Liner Brush and Your Mom’s Chest Hair 6mm Detailer Nail Art Brush.”

TOP TIP

“Do not commit to a design that you do not feel comfortable creating,” warns Leila Monroy. “Say to your client: ‘I am sorry, but I don’t have that skill. I could offer something like this...’ and show them a design that is more suited to your skill set. Client expectations are becoming more unrealistic because of social media, so make sure you are honest about what can be achieved.”

Trending tiles

By Marzena Zygmunt, Scratch Stars Gel Polish Stylist of the Year finalist 2024

Inspiration: “I was inspired by France: a destination I have visited often and will visit this summer. It is an exciting time for France, due to the Olympic Games being held in Paris in July and August, and this inspired me to research French artistry. I was led to Claude Monet and his home in Giverny, where he decorated the walls of his kitchen with custom-made blue and white geometric tiles. These instilled a feeling within me of mornings with fresh possibilities, and breakfast during a summer vacation.”

Time to create: “The nails took two hours to create due to the soft gel tip extensions. A set of nails without the extensions would take around one hour, 30 minutes.”

Pricing: “I priced the soft gel tip extensions at £45 and nail art at £20.”

Creation process: “I used Indigo Nails Lab products to create the design. I combined Gel Polishes in Nervus and Bajabongo to paint the oranges, and used Gel Polish in Heniek for the leaves and Gel Polish in Mr. White for the flowers. For the tile nails, I applied either Mr. White or Gel Polish in Neon Blue to the entire nail and used the alternate colour and my creative imagination to paint the tile pattern.”

Grecian goddess

Kate Driscoll, owner of Kate Lifestyle, Maldon – Scratch Stars Nail & Beauty Salon of the Year finalist 2024

Inspiration: “Our client was travelling to Greece for her hen party and wanted a simple nail look with a milky base that would complement her party outfits.”

Time to create: “The entire service took one hour, 15 minutes.”

Pricing: “We charged £48 for this service.”

Creation process:

“The nails were enhanced with GelJunkie’s Create The Length (CTL) in Milky White, before the nail art was hand-painted using apt GelJunkie Gel Polish shade, Greek Nights.”

Seaside styling

By Emily Langford, Scratch Stars Gel Polish Stylist of the Year finalist 2024

Inspiration: “The brief from my client was ‘holiday nails that look like water, perhaps with a nod to SpongeBob SquarePants’. I took inspiration from The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, in particular a scene that involves the characters arriving on land and turning into a real sponge and starfish. I used bright shades to paint a sponge and starfish on nails, near water-inspired tips. I think interesting block patterns and nail techniques will trend this summer, such as the bubble water effect.” Time to create: One hour, 30 minutes to two hours.

Pricing: “I charged £40 for this design.” Creation process: “I applied Magpie Beauty Blue Jellie Gel Polish and milky white Gel Colour, Fresh As A Daisy, leaving them uncured so I could dot clear gel to create the rippling water effect. I then used Magpie Beauty ARTYgelsTM to custom mix shades for the sponge, starfish and coral shapes.”

Terrific tips

By Alice Knight, CNDTM UK ambassador

Inspiration: “I specialise in hand-painted nail art, taking inspiration from prints in the fashion world. I am also spurred on by challenging myself to fit as many colours as possible on French tips!” Time to create: One hour.

Pricing: “I charged £35 for the complete service.” Creation process: “I applied CND ShellacTM in Negligee as the base colour, then used ShellacTM hue, Cream Puff, to create the shape of the French tips. I got artistic with the following CND ShellacTM colours, using them to paint abstract shapes over the French tips: Blue Moon, Chance Taker, Crisp Green, Limoncello, It’s Now Oar Never and In Lust.”

Trend alert

“The aura nail design remains a popular nail art choice for summer 2024,” shares Bella Pilla. “The style is an easy and fun way to introduce bright shades to nails and get creative with colour combinations. Simply use a fluffy brush dipped into a small amount of a chosen gel polish colour and dab onto nails to create the aura or airbrush effect.”

TOP TIP

“A common mistake that pros make when using gel polish is applying product too thickly,” details Lauren Mitchell, Nailchemy brand ambassador. “Use high-quality, pigmented gel polishes in thin layers to aid control and even colour coverage, and use a dry brush to easily clean up any mistakes. Adding IPA or cleanser will make the product run and cause more mess.”