Journal

Droplets, swirls and flowers you can feel with a fingertip: how to sculpt raised designs in builder gel, cure them in stages and keep them from catching on hair and clothes.

Even polka dots depend on the right ball size, a fresh dip for each dot and a cure every few nails. Learn the method, then try 10 designs, from black and white to gold.

Jelly nails are sheer and glossy, like boiled sweets or coloured glass. See two ways to build them in gel, how to keep bubbles out, and ten designs from pink jelly to stained glass.

Salons often airbrush aura nails, but gel polish and a small piece of make-up sponge give a very similar glow at home. Learn the method, then pick from ten designs, from pink to chrome.

Each leopard spot is just two marks: a warm brown patch and a few broken black strokes. Learn to paint leopard print nails in gel polish, then try 10 designs, from French tips to cheetah dots.

Most rhinestones fall off because of a gap under the stone or a bare edge. How to set nail gems in gel so they stay on, plus a size chart and eight designs, from the office to New Year's Eve.

Crisp, frosted, ivory or milky: find the white that suits your skin, choose from 12 designs for the office, weddings and parties, and learn to apply white gel without streaks.

Grow your own under gel or choose extensions, learn where a long nail needs its strength, then try 12 long nail designs, from a milky almond to a New Year's Eve glitter fade.

Soft gel tips give you a full set of extensions without sculpting. Learn how to size and apply them, how long they last and how to take them off without damaging your nails.

A new nail art kit holds more brushes than you need at first. This guide shows which ones to start with, how to use them with gel and how to keep them in shape.

Green is one of the easiest nail colours to wear right now. Ten ideas, from soft sage and olive to dark green and a green cat eye, and how to choose the right shade for your skin tone.

Itching or redness around your nails hours or days after a gel manicure can be a sign of allergy. This guide explains why it develops, what to do if your skin reacts and how to prevent it.

Builder gel or hard gel? How the two structure gels differ in strength, flexibility and removal, where soft gel and rubber base fit in, and which one to choose.

Most nail lamps sold today are dual UV/LED. Find out how they differ from UV and LED lamps, what to check before you buy, how long to cure gel polish and why nails sometimes burn.

The base coat makes gel grip your nail; the top coat seals in the colour and adds shine. Which type of each to choose, how to apply them and how to fix a top coat that turns dull or sticky.

A colour that seems to rise from the nail and a line as clean as a retouched photo: the Russian manicure explained step by step, with the rules for doing it safely.

A veil of soft, translucent white that makes every hand look cared for. How to choose your milky shade, get a streak-free finish and wear it in a modern way.