I don’t think any beauty or fashion trends evolve as quickly as nail art trends do- first we had Shatter Polish, the Magnetic Polish… now we’re onto the Caviar Manicure. Ciaté, a UK nail brand, has put together three Caviar Manicure sets so you can achieve the luxurious nail trend at home. This Ciaté Caviar Manicure Set ($25 USD / $28 CDN), shown here in Mother of Pearl, will soon be available at Sephora!

The Packaging

The Caviar Manicure set comes in a gorgeous box with nails and lips adorned with a Caviar Manicure in the set’s shade (there’s also Rainbow and Black Pearl sets), with detailed instructions on the back on how to achieve the nail look.  Inside the box is a plastic tray with two bottles- one of Ciaté’s Paint Pots and another of Caviar Pearls. There’s also a funnel to recycle the excess pearls that fall off during the process.

The packaging is gorgeous, my only real complaint is when it comes to organization… you kind of have to keep the whole set together for this kit, because of the plastic tray (with pouring spout) and funnel…. unless you have somewhere to keep them close by to your manicure supplies. I like to keep all my polishes together, organized by color… but I have to keep this set together because of its unique process.

Ciaté Caviar Manicure Set in Mother of Pearl

Ciaté Caviar Manicure Set in Mother of Pearl

Ciaté Caviar Manicure Set in Mother of Pearl

Ciaté Caviar Manicure Set in Mother of Pearl

Ciaté Caviar Manicure Set Funnel

The Product

This Caviar Manicure is actually a very easy manicure to do… while it seems tedious at first, it’s very simple. Paint your nail with one coat of nail polish (the set includes the Ciaté Paint Pot in Snow Virgin), hold your finger over the tray and pour the micro pearls (this set comes with Clear caviar pearls) over your nail until its completely covered, letting the excess pearls catch in the tray. Give the pearls a little pat to secure them into the polish, and that’s it! Overall it only takes about 15-20 seconds per nail, but it’s important to let your nails dry completely to really let the pearls set in the polish.

Also, make sure to open the pearls over the tray… my floor was covered in tiny micro pearls because I didn’t, and those things practically jump out of the bottle.  It’s not recommended to seal the manicure with a top coat, because that will change the final texture of the nail, but you can seal the top edge with clear polish. I didn’t… just because I like the way it looks without it.

It looks gorgeous and elegant, and I think the black one would be even more stunning for a special event. It’s not practical at all, but come on- it’s a manicure of pearls resembling caviar… how practical should it be? My problem is that it doesn’t last long… it says on the box it lasts up to 48 hours, but I wouldn’t dare sleep with this manicure on (I know i’d wake up with a bed full of microscopic pearls).  It removes easily, which is nice, but do it over a sink to avoid a mess!  For what it is- an elegant and luxurious-looking 3D manicure, it’s quite fun (even if its only for one evening).

Ciaté Paint Pot in Snow Virgin

Ciaté Paint Pot in Snow Virgin

Ciaté Paint Pot in Snow Virgin

Ciaté Caviar Pearls in Clear

Ciaté Caviar Pearls in Clear

Ciaté Caviar Pearls in Clear

Ciaté Caviar Manicure in Mother of Pearl

Ciaté Caviar Manicure in Mother of Pearl

Summary

• Price: $25 USD / $28 CDN
• Availability: Sephora
• Selection: Available in Rainbow, Black Pearl and Mother of Pearl (Shown here)
• Overall: A really gorgeous and elegant new trend in manicures, but completely impractical for daily use. It’s not possible to seal the manicure in, so you either have to deal with pearls falling off everywhere or just sport it for a few hours for a special event.
• Rating: A-