Ciate Caviar Manicure Tutorial, Swatches and Review

Tiny funnel used to put the beads back in the bottle



I've seen and read a lot about the Ciate Caviar Manicure, but this is my first time to try it. You can basically create your own 3D bead manicure using this kit from Ciate. It comes with its own base coat that lets the beads adhere nicely on the nailbed. It also comes its own tray to catch any loose beads falling off the manicure as you make your caviar nails. The best part for me is the tiny funnel that lets you put the precious excess beads back in the bottle after working with your caviar mani.

Here's a Step-by-Step Illustration on how I did my caviar mani:


Paint a coat of the black nail lacquer as base.


Add a second coat of the black lacquer.


Pour a generous amount of beads on your nailbed while the nail polish is wet. Keep adding more beads until the entire nailbed is covered with beads.


Pat the beads with your finger to evenly distribute the beads on the nailbed.


Apply a topcoat on the finished mani to lock the beads in place. This one does not have a topcoat.









This is a pretty nifty way to wear your nails. I probably won't use this every day, but this is great for special occasions when you want your nails to be the center of attention. I liked that after you lock your caviar mani in place with a topcoat, the beads really did not budge at all. It wasn't like the beads are going to fall all over the place, as I think the base coat and topcoat really did a good job of putting them in place. However, manual labor or extended use of your hands like gardening, intense scrubbing, etc will naturally dislodge the beads over time. The top and base coats will not prevent them from falling off, but if you are gentle with your nails and use gloves when doing household chores, this will prolong the life of your caviar manicure. Be warned, though: the beads WILL eventually fall off in a few or several days, depending on how hard you are on your nails.

I have to admit that for $25, it is a bit too expensive especially if you can find beads at your local craftstore. However, I think one is paying for the convenience of having the beads, sticky base coat, and the very useful funnel for this caviar manicure. You would also have to experiment using different beads and combinations of base and top coats in order to come up with the longest-lasting manicure if you prefer to do it yourself. It's a toss-up I guess - some people prefer convenience over savings, and others prefer the opposite.

The Shades Of U Rating: 3.75 out of 5

You can purchase this kit for $25 at Sephora stores and on Sephora.com.

Note: Media sample was provided by a representative of the brand for consideration. All opinions are completely mine. This post contains an affiliate link which helps to support this site when a purchase is made via the link.