Butterfly Wing Nails in Full and French Tip: Nail Art Tutorial with Meg (Part 1)

Ready to paint a design that looks like a real monarch landed on your nails? In part one of this butterfly and ladybird series, Meg shows you how to paint bright orange and black butterfly wing nails in two ways: as a full-nail look and as a French tip. It uses Jaffa Cake, Serious Black and Snow White gel polish, a fine liner brush and a dotting tool.

Butterfly wing nails are a bold, eye-catching design, and seeing both versions side by side helps you choose the look that suits you. The full-nail version turns the whole nail into a wing, while the French tip version keeps the pattern on the free edge over a soft neutral base for a more subtle finish.

This design is very effective for how simple each step is. The orange base does most of the work, and the wing pattern is built up from black lines, rounded corners and a scattering of white dots. Meg describes it as an easy design as long as you take your time, which makes it a great project for practising control with a fine liner brush.

Because you learn two versions in one tutorial, these butterfly wing nails are also really versatile. You can wear the full-nail design on every nail for maximum impact, use the French tip version for something more wearable, or combine both in one set for a playful mix.

For the French tip nail, mix Cocobana with base coat. Meg found it a little too bright, so she added a small amount of Snow White to the mix to tone it down.

Apply the mixed base and paint the smile line, keeping the tip slim rather than thick. Because this is meant to be a neutral base, one layer is enough. Cure in the lamp for 60 seconds.

On the full-nail design, apply Jaffa Cake all over the nail without placing the gel on too thickly, then cure. The coverage is strong enough for one coat on a practice nail, but on a client Meg would always do a second coat so no areas look sheer.

Back on the tip nail, outline the free edge area with Jaffa Cake using a fine liner brush, then switch to a larger brush and run the orange smoothly through the rest of the space. It doesn't have to be perfect, just reasonably smooth.

Using the same fine liner brush and Serious Black, paint black all around the outer edge of the full nail. It doesn't need to be even yet, and should be reasonably thin, but make sure the whole outer edge is covered.

On the French tip nail, outline the smile line with Serious Black as best you can and curve it around the nail. Small mistakes can be tidied up.

Create black lines from the edge of the nail, filling them in without making them too thick. Add another line, a small rounded spot and a final black line. Then round off every point where a line connects to the smile line to create the shape of butterfly wings, joining and thickening areas for a more realistic look, before adding a line for the bottom section and colouring it in.

On the full nail, draw two lines across the nail, starting from the top corner and running at a slight angle. Curve the corners and fill them out, then repeat on each side. This creates the base for the butterfly wing. Cure for a good 60 seconds.

Pick up a little Snow White on the end of a dotting tool and place small dots around the corners first. Where the black areas of the wing are wider, make the dots larger to match.

Apply a thin layer of top coat all over each nail to finish and give a glossy shine, then cure. Repeat on the other nail.

• Mix gels slowly. Mixing in a slow S shape, back and forth in opposite directions, helps keep air bubbles out, as they are hard to remove once on the nail.
• Try an airbrush effect. Meg suggests adding an airbrush effect underneath the black pattern so the butterfly has multiple tones.
• Make it your own. The lines don't have to sit exactly where Meg places them, and the design works in any colour.
• Be patient. It is an easy design as long as you take your time, and it is very effective.
• Match your dots to the wing. Use larger white dots where the black areas are wider and smaller dots in tighter spaces.

Butterfly wing nails suit anyone who is comfortable with basic gel application and wants to practise line work. The black outline doesn't need to be perfect at first, as you build and thicken it as you go, and small mistakes on the smile line can be tidied up. Taking your time is the key to a neat result.

For nail techs, butterfly wing nails are a striking design to offer clients in spring and summer. Remember Meg's advice to apply a second coat of Jaffa Cake on clients so no areas look sheer, and use the French tip version for clients who want something a little more understated.

Once you've mastered both versions, try these variations using the same techniques:

• Alternate full-nail and French tip butterfly wing nails across the set.
• Change the placement of the wing lines, as they don't have to sit exactly where Meg puts them.
• Swap the orange for another colour, since Meg notes the design works in any colour.
• Add an airbrush effect underneath the black pattern for a multi-tonal butterfly.

A little aftercare goes a long way with gel nails. Apply cuticle oil regularly to keep the skin around your nails hydrated, and wear gloves when cleaning or washing up to protect the finish. Avoid using your nails as tools, and don't pick or peel at the gel, as this can damage the natural nail underneath.

When you're ready for a new design, have the gel removed properly rather than peeling it off, so your natural nails stay healthy and ready for your next set of butterfly wing nails.

One coat is enough on a practice nail, but Meg would always apply a second coat on a client so no areas look sheer.

Meg mixes Cocobana with base coat, and adds a small amount of Snow White to tone it down. One layer is enough for a neutral base.

Mix slowly in an S shape, back and forth in opposite directions. Air bubbles are hard to remove once they're on the nail.

Place small dots around the corners first, and make the dots larger where the black areas of the wing are wider.

With bright Jaffa Cake orange, bold Serious Black lines and crisp white dots, these butterfly wing nails are easy to paint and very effective, whether you choose the full-nail or French tip version. Watch Meg's full video tutorial above, gather the products listed and give butterfly wing nails a try.