Ciate Caviar Inspired Nails - Budget Version

evening girls!

today's post is a nail post (again, i'm sorry - my polish collection is just too big nowadays) but this is a little more nail arty for me. i think the first Ciate caviar kit that caught my attention was the jubilee inspired one that launched in the summertime, but on a student budget there was no way I could afford the £18 for the kit, so i got into ebay mode and came across a cheap alternative. this was honestly months ago, and the little pots of caviar beads sat in my nail box for months and never got used. i even went on and purchased the MUA nail constellations when they launched, even though i already had perfectly good beads...

anyway, to get to the point, i thought i'd try out my original purchases this week for an internship interview this week with a beauty PR company (which i got, yippee!) and oh my, i wish i'd tried them out sooner. not only is this method cheaper than the MUA constellations/Ciate kits, it made a hell of a lot less mess aswell, something with I ended up doing with my MUA kit. 

You will need:

Base/Top Coat

Nail polish colour of your choice

Pot of caviar beads

i purchased my beads from this seller here who has loads of colour choices for just over £1, and i also just came across sparklynails.co.uk who also sell the pots too for just £1.50.

Step 1 - Apply base coat

Step 2 - Apply nail polish as usual with the desired amount of layers and leave to dry.

Step 3 - To apply the beads, apply an additional layer of nail polish and dab your nail into the pot of beads. wiggle around if necessary to cover the whole nail or use a small tool to fill in any gaps. Leave to dry.

Step 4 - Apply a top coat to help give the beads extra staying power. 

i took these photos after a couple of days of wear and as you can see, the beads have stayed put pretty well. this is such an easy and affordable way to achieve an alternative nail art look. the little pots are so much easier for application aswell as you can pop the nail straight in without any overspill and little beads rolling all over the shop - MUA's option of pouring the beads onto the nail or into another container is just a little too much hassle, especially with wet nails.

has anyone else tried out cheaper Ciate caviar options too? I'd love to see your alternatives!

Enjoy