Nail polish finishes are important in creating the perfect manicure for your client. Topcoats add that perfect touch to the polish of your client’s choice. The most common finish on nails adds lots of glossy shine or shimmer. Some clients, however, want a more trendy matte finish with no shine at all.
There are a few ways to design the matte look for your clients in the salon. Your clients can also create a matte manicure at home with a few supplies. We will uncover these different matte nail polish techniques in this article.
What Is Matte Nail Polish?
When your client asks you to describe what matte nail polish is, you may find it difficult to explain clearly. Most manicures these days have a high-shine finish that your clients assume is on every manicure. It’s almost a one-size-fits-all assumption.
Matte polishes, however, are becoming more trendy for nail designs today. Both long and short nails look fantastic in a matte finish.
Matte finishes absorb light rather than reflecting it as glossy finishes do. Matte nail polish also tends to hide flaws better than their counterparts because they don’t have shine. These polish types dry with a smooth, flat finish.
Semi-matte polish is available also. These polishes dry with a matte finish that is slightly shinier than a true matte. This finish isn’t as popular as the classic flat matte.
Matte Nail Polish Options
There are generally three obvious ways to achieve the trendy matte finish easily at home.
- Apply the No-Wipe V Beauty Pure matte topcoat over your client’s acrylic or gel manicure and cure it under a UV or LED lamp. This matte topcoat application will provide a beautiful sleek matte finish that your client will love.
- Apply a regular matte topcoat over the traditional nail polish on a classic manicure for the matte finish. A matte topcoat can be applied over any conventional nail polish color to add a flat, matte finish.
- Apply matte nail polish. This nail polish comes in matte finishes of all colors and does not require a special topcoat. Apply the nail polish as you would usually and allow it to dry completely to its natural on-trend matte finish.
Make Your Nail Polish Matte at Home
Your clients may come to you with beauty misinformation they receive on the internet. Social media is packed full of beauty tips promising fantastic results. When it comes to matte nail polish, there are a few safe options your client can do at home to create the look.
These options will never replace the pristine manicure you can provide in the salon; always remind your clients of that. These may be a good choice for the client who only gets regular manicures and needs a between-visit solution for chipping nails.
Mix It Up
Cornstarch works best for this type of application, but baby powder, baking powder, or refined white baking flour will work if you don’t have cornstarch at home. This mixture will remove any traces of shine and leave you with a trendy matte finish.
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Small disposable or glass bowl
- Powder of choice (cornstarch, baby powder, baking powder, or flour)
- Nail polish of choice
- Toothpicks
The easiest way to blend this mixture is by doing it in small increments. It tends to become too clumpy if you mix too much at one time. To combine the nail polish with the powder, simply place a few drops of nail polish into the bowl and slowly add a pinch of powder to it a little at a time.
Stir it together with the toothpick until it is well blended, then paint it onto your nails like you would with regular nail polish. Work quickly with the mixture because it will dry rapidly. If it does begin to dry too soon, just add a few additional drops of polish to the mix.
Be careful when replacing the nail polish wand in the nail polish bottle. Rinse the powder off the brush, or it could make the nail polish inside the bottle very clumpy and unable to be used. If necessary, use a small amount of nail polish remover on the brush to remove the powder before replacing it in the bottle.
Make Your Own Matte Topcoat
A matte topcoat is available at your local retailer, but you can make your own if you don’t have access to any right away. This simple recipe will help you create a classic matte topcoat.
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Small disposable or glass bowl
- Eyeshadow. Be sure to choose an eyeshadow that you don’t mind breaking into a fine powder. If you have a powder eyeshadow that you don’t use often, you can use that one instead.
- Clear topcoat
- Toothpicks
Place the powdered eyeshadow into the bowl and carefully add several drops of the clear topcoat to the bowl. Combine it by mixing it up with the toothpick. If the mixture becomes too clumpy, just add a few more drops of topcoat to the bowl and mix again. After it is thoroughly combined, apply the mixture to your fingernails as you would regular nail polish and allow it to dry. It will dry to a flat matte finish.
Buff Your Nails to a Matte Finish
This matte nail technique is probably the easiest and less messy. Paint your nails as usual with classic nail polish and apply your regular top coat. Allow your nails to dry completely for several hours. If your nails aren’t completely dry, they will smudge and ruin the look.
After your nails are dry, gently buff the top layer of each nail with an extra-fine nail buffer. Remove the very top layer of the topcoat to create a matte finish. Be careful not to remove all of the topcoat, or you may risk removing some of the color.
Steam Nails With a Facial Steamer
When it comes to working with steam, always proceed with caution. Steam can burn the skin and cause injury. A facial steamer is designed to work around the skin, the safest method for this matte nail technique.
- Paint your nails as usual with regular nail polish and topcoat.
- While your nails are still wet, hover your fingernails over the steam from the facial steamer. After a few seconds, you’ll notice that your nails will have a matte finish when removed from the mist.
Dust Your Nails to Matte Perfection
This nail technique is similar to the powder method above. You will need the following items for this one:
- Cornstarch (baby powder, baking powder, or flour will also work)
- Nail polish
- Large fluffy powder brush
- A small bowl filled with cold water
Paint all of your nails with the color of your choice. When your nails are almost dry, dust each one with a thorough dusting of cornstarch and allow the powder to remain on the nails for one minute.
Then, carefully remove the excess cornstarch with your brush by dusting it off. When all nails are dusted, begin dipping each one into the water. Remove nails from the water and gently wipe each one off to smooth the surface and reveal the matte finish.
Salon Matte
We, as professionals, know that the highest quality matte nail set will come from a nail salon. DIY projects at home are great if you need a quick fix, but scheduling an appointment with the nail tech is always preferred.
When creating a matte manicure for your clients, it is crucial to have the proper tools, acrylics, and equipment. V Beauty Pure offers a high-quality professional line of nail supplies for the nail tech and salon owner.
Creating the Perfect Matte Mani
Every nail tech must have an e-file to create a beautifully sculptured manicure for the client. V Beauty Pure’s VUnit E-File is a luxe rose gold and crystal file designed for providing precise movement around the nail plate. The 35,000 RPM brushless motor will power each bit.
Create the perfect professional matte manicure for your clientele with one of the many color varieties of acrylic that V Beauty Pure offers. Complete the manicure with the matte topcoat, and you’ve created the perfect on-trend matte nails for your client.
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