How to Put Small Black Beads on Your Nails

Nail beads transform a manicure.
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Nail art lovers are always on the lookout for flashy ways to make their manicures stand out from the pack. Although bright colors and designs are one way to accomplish camera-perfect nails, applying beads is another. Caviar manicures are a fresh look that covers polish with black beads, thus the name. If you aren’t crazy about the black coloring, switch the beads out for a different color or opt for a multi-colored look.

Lay a piece of paper on a flat surface and fill a cup with the entire container of black beads.

Wipe your nails thoroughly with a cotton ball soaked in nail polish remover to remove existing polish from nails. If you don’t have polish on, wipe your nails anyway to any remove surface oils that may cause the manicure to chip or flake.

File your nails with a nail file to achieve the desired shape. Wipe the nails thoroughly with a cotton ball to remove any dust from the surface.

Apply a single coat of clear polish to all of the nails and wait five minutes to allow the base coat to dry completely.

Open a bottle of colored nail polish in your color choice. Apply a single coat to all nails and wait five additional minutes to allow this coat to dry. Even though the beading covers most of the polish, a tiny amount will show through.

Apply another coat of the colored polish and allow it to dry for only one to two minutes. Hold your hand over the piece of paper and pour the black beads over the nails on one hand. Completely cover your entire finger tips with the beads. Gently pat the top of each nail.

Lift your hand and wiggle your fingers to remove the excess beads from your nails.

Repeat the process to apply black beads to the nails on your other hand.

Wait five to ten minutes to allow the beads to adhere firmly to the nails. Apply another light coat of clear polish to the top of all nails to seal the manicure.

Avoid handling objects for at least 30 minutes to allow your manicure to dry thoroughly.

  • You can buy the polish and beads separately, or purchase a caviar nail kit available at most places that sell nail supplies.
  • If you can’t find black nail beads, use craft beads instead.
  • Pour the unused beads back into the original packaging and save them for the next manicure.
  • To remove the black beads, soak a cotton ball in nail polish remover and place it on the nail for 30 seconds. Press down on the cotton ball and wipe the nail clean of beads and polish.

Kimberly Johnson is a freelance writer whose articles have appeared in various online publications including eHow, Suite101 and Examiner. She has a degree in journalism from the University of Georgia and began writing professionally in 2001.

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