Julep Velvet Manicure Tutorial

For those of you in the nail know, you know that Ciate has released a velvet manicure set. What are velvet nails? They are nails that have the texture of velvet and are very soft or fuzzy to the touch. They appear matte and require no overcoat. However, for 20$, this seems a bit overpriced to me. While i love the look i don't think i am willing to shell out that much for something that i put on my nails. Solution? Do it yourself! This idea isn't original since i have seen many blogger suggest the same idea so this will be my take on the DIY velvet nails.

The first thing i am going to suggest is to use a high quality brand of nail polish. My choice is Julep because they have a shade very close to the navy shade that Ciate is selling and have consistently good quality. The navy is what sold me on it but honestly you can use any color but make sure your flocking powder matches (i will explain flocking powder momentarily) 

What you will need to create Velvet nails-
- A nail filer to fix your nail shape. With this manicure any out of shape nail will be very apparent. I think a square nail looks best.
-Nail polish remover to remove any polish or oils from your nail before applying polish. I like Julep polish since i can just press down the cotton ball.
-Base coat
-Nail color - Michelle by Julep
-Flocking Powder in Wild Blueberry (this is loose velvet powder you can find in any craft store. You can purchase flocking powder here!)
-Paper towel to collect the loose velvet (flocking powder)
- Tooth brush- to brush away excess from sides of nail

To start, remove all polish/oils from nails using nail polish remover and a soft cotton ball. Next file down your nails to make them even to the shape you prefer. Apply your base coat. Once the base coat has dried apply one coat of your chosen color to all of your nails and let dry.

I personally love this navy color and i also love how it is nearly identical to the one offered by Ciate. This can be purchased here (it is called Michelle).

Once your polish has dried apply a thick coat to one nail then sprinkle flocking/velvet powder over the nail pressing gently down all over the nail to ensure it has completely adheres. Do this to each nail individually. Let dry.

Now this next step i learned the hard way. Once you have made your nails velvet go over them with ANOTHER thick coat of polish, doing each nail individually and apply a coat of velvet/flocking powder and once again press down. Having two coats allows it to last MUCH MUCH longer. If you only go over with polish and velvet once if you wash your hands more than once the velvet will come off and you will have what looks like messed up polish beneath it. If the second coat comes off underneath will still appear and feel "fuzzy" thus not ruining the manicure. My nails have remained perfectly velvet (except for minor chipping on my thumb from trying to open a package).

Two coats is the trick to maintaining this manicure. It is a bit time consuming so if you only want this look for one night or a special occasion only do one coat for a more lasting effect use the two coat method.

Once completed fold your paper towel in half and flick gently to gather the powder in the middle and gently sift back into the bottle.  Use your tooth brush to brush around the nail to remove any excess powder. This manicure will last a little more than a week. Make sure to wash gently.

You can click all pictures to see them larger.
Hope this tutorial helped you! What do you think of the velvet manicure? Would you try it? What color would choose?