Orange Slice Nails in 3D: Summer Fruit Nail Art Tutorial with Reme

Juicy, bright and full of summer fun, these 3D orange slice nails are a brilliant way to start practising 3D nail art. In this tutorial, Reme shows how to create a bright neon orange slice using a transparent jelly base, crisp white linework and raised builder gel segments that bring the fruit to life.

Orange slice nails look fresh and playful, and the 3D segments make them look good enough to eat. The jelly base gives a translucent, juicy finish, the vivid orange border frames the slice, and the raised builder gel adds texture so each segment catches the light just like real fruit.

This design is a great introduction to 3D work because the raised details are simple lines of builder gel. Reme shows how to collect a bead on a liner brush, push it to form a thicker end and drag it into a thin centre, flash curing between each line so it holds its shape. Once you've learned this, you can use it for all kinds of 3D designs.

The flat linework underneath is also very achievable. A white outline, a central dot and lines radiating out in each direction create the shape of the fruit, and curving out the corners turns them into segments. Together, these steps create orange slice nails that look detailed but follow a logical, easy-to-learn method.

Apply the jelly shade Valencia Orange, a transparent colour, all over the nail. Repeat with a second coat and cure both.

Pick an orange of your choice for the outside border; Reme uses the super vibrant, well-pigmented Blazed Orange. With a liner brush, create almost a French tip at the free edge with a medium thickness, keep it really thin around the sidewalls, then copy what you did at the tip at the cuticle. This base is the key to perfecting the design. Cure.

Using your liner brush and Snow White, outline the circle of orange you've just painted. Start thinner and adjust as you go, freehanding it without panicking. Cure.

Use a medium dotting tool to place a white dot in the centre of the design. With your liner brush, draw a line from it to the top, bottom, right and left, then add lines on the diagonal in between so the fruit shape starts to appear. Once all the lines are in place, curve out all of the corners, which is essential for this design. Cure.

Take Snow White on the dotting tool again, add another dot on top of the centre, and draw smooth, detailed lines coming off it.

Collect a bead of Clear as Day Builder in a Bottle on the end of a liner brush, keeping the brush tilted downwards to control where the bead lands. Push it around gently on the nail to create the thicker end, then drag down with less pressure to create a thin centre. Do this on the left and right side of each segment, flash curing between each line.

Cure the 3D section, then finish with Top Coat.

• Choose a brush that holds its shape. A liner brush that doesn't splay at the ends makes fine detail much easier.
• Top coat first if you're nervous. Top coating the nail before the builder gel lets you wipe off any mistakes.
• Flash cure between lines. The builder gel holds its form, so flash curing each line and taking your time gives a brilliant result.
• Try it in any colour. The same technique works in any colour or design you like.
• Curve the corners. Rounding out the corners of each section is essential to make the segments look like fruit.

Orange slice nails are perfect for anyone who wants to start practising 3D nail art. Reme describes the design as a brilliant way to begin, and the builder gel lines are controlled and repeatable. If you're nervous, top coating the nail first means you can wipe off any 3D mistakes and try again.

For nail techs, orange slice nails make a fun summer accent nail that pairs well with plain neon or jelly nails. Because the technique works in any colour, you can easily adapt it for clients who want different fruits or shades.

Using the same techniques, you could:

• Pick a different orange for the outside border, as Reme suggests choosing one of your own.
• Recreate the design in another colour, since the technique works in any colour you like.
• Wear the orange slice on one accent nail with Valencia Orange jelly on the rest.
• Skip the 3D segments on some nails for a flatter version of the same design.

Raised details need a little extra care. Apply cuticle oil regularly, wear gloves when cleaning or washing up, and avoid using your nails as tools. Don't pick or peel at the gel, as this can damage the natural nail underneath, and have the gel removed properly when you're ready for a new look.

Collect a bead of Clear as Day Builder in a Bottle on a liner brush, push it gently to form the thicker end, then drag down with less pressure for a thin centre. Flash cure between each line.

If you top coat the nail before adding the builder gel, you can wipe off any mistakes.

Place a white dot in the centre, draw lines to the top, bottom, right and left, add diagonal lines in between, then curve out all of the corners.

A liner brush that holds its shape and doesn't splay at the ends makes fine detail much easier.

With a juicy jelly base, a vivid Blazed Orange border, crisp white segments and raised builder gel details, these orange slice nails are a perfect summer project. Watch Reme's full video tutorial above, gather the products listed and give orange slice nails a try.