Unicorn manicure is a sensation in the nail industry. For the first time, a manicure with a unicorn was presented in 2015 and since then has not ceased to excite the imagination of girls. Unicorns are magical creatures, so everything connected with them is shrouded in mystery. Whether these horses with horns actually existed remains a mystery, but the girls never cease to believe in the magical power of these animals.
Unicorns have moved onto the nails of fashionistas from books and cartoons and fit perfectly into the bright nail art of young girls. A manicure with unicorns looks whimsical and playful, captivating those around you with its original, non-standard pattern. We invite you to get acquainted with the main trends in manicure with unicorns, understand which shades are best to use for nail art and how to place a unicorn even on the shortest nails.
Stylish manicure with a unicorn: symbolism and meaning of the design
In mythology, the unicorn symbolizes magic and the fulfillment of desires. Unicorns appear in the art of the Middle Ages and have religious significance. According to legend, a beautiful girl in the image of the Virgin Mary managed to tame an unusual beast. In the Christian tradition, the unicorn is considered a symbol of reinvention.
In modern mythology, the unicorn is a beautiful horse with a strong, transparent diamond horn. This horn is capable of neutralizing any poisons. The magic horn is a symbol of beauty, healing and freedom. The power of a unicorn is truly limitless.
Unicorn from myths
Turning to the original image of the unicorn, which came to us from the myths of pre-Christian Europe, it turns out that it is associated primarily with truth and purity. With such a manicure you can show that you are not an easy-going person and, perhaps, well-read and interested in history.
This unicorn is an ordinary horse, most often white with a long mane and one twisted horn on its forehead. You can draw it yourself or buy special stickers, which are now sold in almost every specialty store.
In later times, the rainbow began to be associated with the unicorn, so that can also be used. You can use a rainbow as a background or place a unicorn on one nail and a rainbow on the other. A through pattern on several nails at once will look interesting. To do this, you can make bright and even rainbow stripes, or you can use the ombre technique. It represents a gradient transition from one color to another and is as close as possible to how we see a natural rainbow in the sky.
Manicure with a unicorn 2019-2020: stylish design ideas
A manicure with a unicorn always looks bright and noticeable; it is appropriate for events where there is no special dress code. In everyday looks, a manicure with a unicorn will also look appropriate and attractive. A unicorn is an image that is quite difficult to create on your own, “by hand.” Beginners cannot do without sliders or stamping. They will do an excellent job of placing an original design on your nails.
To create a unicorn manicure, pastel shades of gel polish are most often used. On a light background, the unicorn will look more noticeable and brighter. Use blue, pink, beige, white colors for manicure. In addition to pastel colors, bright shades go well with a unicorn: yellow, blue, all the colors of the rainbow. As for the design, you can add sparkles, rhinestones, kamifubuki, rubbing, etc. to a unicorn manicure.
Rubbed manicure with rhinestones: stylish photo ideas for nail design 2020
The rub creates an even shiny coating on the nails, which can be complemented with rhinestones, bouillons or other shiny decor. A plain rub-in coating, without a doubt, looks very gentle and feminine, but in some situations it looks empty and banal. Thanks to the fine texture of the rub, it does not look too noticeable or expressive on the nails, so it can be added without fear with stones and rhinestones.
There are a large number of nail rubs. Let's highlight a few of the most relevant:
- mirror – visually looks like liquid metal in silver, gold, blue, pink colors
- pearl (mother-of-pearl) is one of the most popular rubs. Looks impressive against a light and white background, creating the texture of natural pearls. Looks great with soft pink, peach, and pastel tones.
- iridescent - shimmers with beautiful soft shades. Rainbow rub is also called unicorn, mermaid, and aurora.
- holographic (prism) - looks like a rainbow on nails. Indispensable for special occasions.
- rubbing beetle (shell) - looks like a mixture of blue, green, purple shades. Creates a chameleon effect on nails. The beetle rub looks gorgeous against a dark background.
In addition to these rubs, there are also gold, silver rubs, northern lights and others. The most popular manufacturers of rubbing products are VeraNail, Catrice Luxchtome, BellePro.
Manicure with a unicorn horn: original and simple ideas
If you are just starting your acquaintance with unicorns, then you can limit yourself to a manicure with a horn. It is much easier to depict it on your nails than a whole unicorn, and it looks no less attractive.
The unicorn horn is a twisted cone shape, white or any other shade. Place the design on your ring finger where it will be most visible. The remaining nails can be covered with a single layer of gel polish in a light or rich bright color. Be sure to complement your manicure with sparkles, glitter or rhinestones.
There is another way to depict a unicorn horn on your nails. This is to make a voluminous wavy pattern on the nail using gel paste. This design looks especially impressive on sharp nails. If desired, you can decorate the nail with horn with rubbing or glitter.
Perfect manicure: tips and life hacks
High-quality materials will help you create a neat manicure. Experts advise taking a closer look at the materials used in the design.
The magical character loves rich and well-pigmented polishes.
Without rainbow elements, the drawing will be boring. If you have paints for painting in your arsenal, you can hone your skills first on paper, and then transfer the sketch to your nail.
A manicure must be thoughtful, with a clear understanding of every stroke. Paint the horn gold, yellow or leave it white. The mane is purple, turquoise or multi-colored like a rainbow.
No one is stopping you, for example, from doing a neon manicure or using holographic transitions with a vertical gradient. This accent will add a fresh touch to nail art and remove the boring presentation with a monochromatic coating. A beautiful shimmer is achieved by rubbing in any shade you like.
Unicorn on nails \ Magic design with LINTO gel polishes / Summer collection of gel polishes
Manicure with a unicorn face
A partial unicorn manicure also looks great on nails of any length. A small design on the nails looks very cute and gentle, maintains the theme of the pattern, looks noticeable and bright. The face of a unicorn is easy to depict even for an inexperienced artist. All that is needed for the design is to draw the horn, eyes, ears and other elements. If desired, complement the design with clouds, rainbows, and summer landscapes.
To create a beautiful drawing, it is not at all necessary to draw the entire face in detail. It is enough to depict the distinctive features of a unicorn - horns, beautiful eyes and ears. To smooth out the design and make minor imperfections less noticeable, add glitter, rubbing, or floral decor to the design.
My Little Pony
The famous cartoon My Little Pony very quickly gained popularity all over the world and continues to conquer it. Favorite mainly among girls, it also attracted many adults, because we all, one way or another, leave a piece of childhood behind when we grow up. That's why some girls are happy to do manicures with cartoon characters. And such a manicure will look especially cute and funny on the mother of a little My Little Pony fan. Make it in this style, for example, for your daughter’s birthday.
Those who are unfamiliar with the cartoon may think that it only contains ordinary ponies of different colors. But there are unicorns there too, they even have special properties due to their horn - they can create magic.
Therefore, in this manicure design you can safely use various optical effects, for example, “cat’s eye”, holography or varnish that changes color depending on the temperature.
There are plenty of unicorns in the My Little Pony cartoon, so you can choose the ones you like the most. Many of them are painted in purple tones, and this is the most trendy option today. It will also be effective and stylish to add white or soft pink and lilac. And in general, pastel colors will look great.
You can also take bright colors and make a blue sky with a rainbow and a unicorn, which will give the nail design an image of childlike spontaneity.
Fashionable manicure with rub and unicorn
Rubbing and other shiny decor goes well with the “magical” unicorn. Rubbing and unicorn is the best combination you can come up with with this original design.
Place the unicorn on your ring finger and decorate the rest with mirror or pearl rub. In addition to rubbing, you can use gel polishes with small sparkles or glitter.
Unusual design options
Speaking about special effects in manicure, one cannot help but recall the so-called rub-in - this is a shiny powder that is rubbed into the nail plate or manicure base and, after fixing with a transparent fixing layer, gives a hologram effect. To do this, you can use, for example, a special silicone brush, an eyeshadow sponge, or apply it with your fingers if nothing else is included with the product. And the product itself is sold in many cosmetic stores.
There are several variations of the rub, and one of them was even named after a unicorn. It is distinguished by a delicate color with a shine that is similar to pearl. Its color transitions range from white to soft pink, but there are also rubbing options with brighter colors. However, the classic white and pink version is just what is needed in this case. All that remains is to add a small monochromatic image of a unicorn, maybe a couple of decorative elements, and you will get a discreet manicure that will be quite appropriate even at work.
Or you can even limit yourself to just a hologram - its rainbow effect in itself makes the manicure non-standard and spectacular.
The unicorn rub is something between powder and glitter. At the same time, many reviews note that it has a “fabulous shine” and can acquire a slight bluish tint on a white base varnish.
Unicorn manicure using sliders
Sliders are a real find for modern girls. Now you can create a detailed and vibrant drawing in a matter of minutes. Essentially, sliders are ordinary stickers that are attached to the surface of the nail with glue. To add a slider pattern to your manicure, you need to dip it in water for a few seconds and place it on the nail plate.
Sliders are perhaps the only option for creating a bright unicorn design. The drawing is far from simple, so it is not always possible to draw it yourself. Be sure to replenish your manicure set with sliders with a wide variety of designs; they will help you out in any nail art.
Options for creating a “Tears of a Unicorn” manicure
Like any original technique that has become popular among the people, “liquid mercury”, which became the top design for winter-spring 2021, began to be performed in several versions of the materials used. Most Popular:
Photo by: @v.m__nails/@tatjana_ost
- Decorative foil is fixed to the base for gel polish, while the volume is created using pieces of foil with a top;
- A drop (drops) or a pattern of drops made of foil is fixed to the gel polish fixer and it also creates a 3D volume;
- To create the image, casting glue is used (adhesive gels for foil, or special bases like “Iron” from Irisk). The volume is created either by the base (or top) at the request of the master.
- Droplets of lava (precious metal) are created not by foil, but by a mixture of rubbing and a thick base. The design is fixed with a matte finish, and the volume is increased by a drop with a rubber or other thick base.
- For more subtle looks, camouflage bases are chosen instead of gel polish coatings. The base is polymerized, the stickiness is removed, and covered with a matte top. The “Terminator tears” design is painted on the velvet surface using a thick topcoat and a selected shade of foil for casting.
Photo by: @kruz_nails_/@constellationails
Let's consider the classic option (No. 1) of decorating marigolds with “fused iron”:
- We carry out preliminary preparation in accordance with the selected gel polishes (for single-phase or 3-phase technology);
- We cover the nails with a decorative coating in 1-2 layers (depending on the characteristics of texture and pigmentation), dry it in a lamp;
- Cover the manicure with a matte top coat, dry it in a lamp, remove the sticky layer;
- With a thick base, using a brush from a bottle or a thin brush, paint an arbitrary drop(s), puddles or blots in a thin layer;
- Place a piece of foil pre-cut with scissors for casting a suitable shape using tweezers or an orange stick on an undried “blot”. We slightly press the decor to the “puddle”, place the nails in the lamp;
- Dry the design for 30-60 seconds depending on the chosen base;
- Open the foil, use a “hair” brush to increase the droplet volume using the selected non-sticky top (you can use either a classic finish or a rubber one). If the volume is increased in more than one layer, each application should be dried in a lamp in between;
- Using a thin brush, coat the edges of the droplet with a matte top coat for better fixation of the design, and also so that the “tears” do not cling to clothes;
- If desired, we complement the manicure with other decor or decorative materials, which we fix with a top coat (or glue), and dry in a lamp, depending on the type of material on which the decorations are “set.”
Photo by: @marivin_nails/@avocado_nail_studio
Stylish manicure with a unicorn for short nails
The unicorn design is quite large, so placing it on short nails can be difficult. There are several options to solve the problem:
- place a partial drawing of a unicorn – it can be a horn or an animal’s face
- make a drawing using a slider - you can “try on” the pattern in advance and see how much it will fit into the small space of the nail
If the nail space allows, then in addition to the unicorn, you can place clouds, a rainbow and other “magical” patterns on it.
A unicorn manicure is not just another nail design. It carries a deep psychological meaning: it helps girls believe in magic, hope for the best, and remember the joyful moments in life. A unicorn manicure deserves to be featured on your nails. We offer you a large photo selection of unicorn manicure ideas, which we hope will inspire you to create this magical nail design.
Unicorn drawings
Unicorn designs are painted on nails with acrylic paints or using stickers. Here everything will depend on the professionalism of your master or your preference. Drawings are also divided into two types. In the first, the drawings are simple, unpretentious, sometimes seeming to have a childish character.
And the latter are more outlined, laconic and suitable for older women.
But you can choose any type you like.
