April 24, 2025

Cat Eye Nail Tutorial

Ready to unlock the full potential of HONA’s Cat Eye collection? Whether you’re drawn to the soft shimmer of Silky, the rich dimension of Velvet, or the vibrant shift of Rainbow, we’ve got you covered.

In this video tutorial, the incredibly talented Damon (@bydamonevans) walks you through his top tips and tricks for creating next-level Cat Eye nail art using all three finishes. From magnet placement to layering techniques, this is your go-to guide for mastering the magic.

WATCH NOW 

SHOP THE RANGE 

STEP-BY-STEP 

Step 1: Choose Your Base

  • Damon starts by applying the Cat Eye gels over Primrose PureFoundation and Dolly to enhance the overall look.

  • Apply your chosen base colour and cure.

VELVET CAT EYE LOOK

  1. Apply Velvet Cat Eye Gel

    • Apply an even coat of the Velvet Cat Eye over your cured base.

    • Don’t worry if it looks silver at first, the glitter pieces are silver but sit in a clear base.

  2. Use the HONA Magnet

    • Use the standard flat side of the double-ended magnet.

    • Gently hover the magnet near the nail to move the glitter particles where you want them.

    • Damon prefers to keep most particles to one side to let the base colour show through.

  3. Cure Immediately

    • Once you're happy with the effect, cure immediately to prevent the particles from shifting.

SILKY CAT EYE LOOK

  1. Apply Silky Cat Eye Gel

    • This gel has a finer glitter for a smooth, glassy effect.

    • Apply a thin, even coat and use the magnet again to move the glitter — Damon places most of it in the centre for a spotlight effect.

  2. Add a Translucent Tint (Optional)

  3. Apply the Tint Layer

    • Keep it thin and even to let the Cat Eye effect shine through.

    • You can apply two coats for more intensity, curing each layer.

RAINBOW CAT EYE LOOK

  1. Apply Rainbow Cat Eye Gel

    • Damon applies it over Dolly, but you can layer it over any shade.

    • This finish is perfect for subtle sparkle with a soft multicolour shift.

  2. Use the Magnet to Customise

    • Create your desired design using the magnet on both sides of the nail.

  3. Optional Ombre Technique

    • Take a small amount of the gel and use an ombre brush to feather it out.

    • Use the magnet again to move the particles where you want them.

    • Cure once you're happy with the look.

Final Step: Seal the Look

  • Once your Cat Eye design is complete, finish with SuperShine to seal in the design and add long-lasting shine.

Tip from Damon: Cure one nail at a time. The magnetic particles can shift if left uncured for too long!

TRANSCRIPT 

0:00  
Hey everyone. My name is Damon, and today we're gonna be looking at something really exciting from HONA. It is the new cat eye gels. They are launching three different styles, and today we are gonna be looking at the different sort of looks you can create with them. So to start, we are gonna be looking at the velvet Cat Eye Gel, which is a super sparkly, really sheer cat eye I am going straight in with this over the primrose pure foundation. Try and get this as evenly as you can. And don't panic. It looks really silver when it's first on, but you'll see when I start using the magnet that it really shears out the actual glitter pieces in this gel is silver, but the base it's in is clear, so you'll see it in a minute. When I use the magnet and pull the particles away, you can still see the base colour underneath. Once you are all evenly coated, you are going to take the HONA Magnet. This is a double-ended magnet, and you can use each side to create different looks. I'm going to use the normal, standard side and using the metal side up, you're going to run it along the edge. Now this is really up to how you want to create your design. There is about 5 million different ways you can do it. This is how I like to do mine. I like to keep most of the particles to one size. You can still see the colour underneath, but you can literally create whatever you'd like. And it really is that easy. Once you are happy with how you have done it, you cure it straight away. I do one night at a time, because the particles can move if left uncured. So, yeah, cure it and it is all done. The second Cat Eye Gel I'm going to use is the silky one. You can see the glitter is really fine on this. It gives you that really silky and smooth effect. I'm going to be doing that very translucent, glassy look, and the same as before, just get a really even coat across the hole. Now,

1:52  
using your magnet, you're going to do the same again. I'm trying to put quite a lot of the glitter towards the middle so you can see the black underneath. Again, do this how you'd like it. This is just how I like to do mine. Once you are happy with where the glitter is, again, you can move it as much as you want until you cure it. You're going to take a translucent gel. Now I'm going to be using the juicy gel in this tutorial, but if you didn't have them, you can use a small amount of detail paint and some of the super shine top coat, mix it together, and then you get yourself a glass gel polish.

2:27  
I like to use the detail paint. This one's in the colour vino, because they are no wipe as well. So it works really well with the top coat. And you can make this as opaque as you want, but you still want to make sure it's pretty sheer so you can see the cat eye underneath.

2:44  
So I'm gonna go in with the juicy gel. You want to try and make this nice and thin as well. To get a nice, really even coat of colour on there, you can already see the effect starting to take place. And I absolutely love this sort of look. This was after two coats, and you can see it's a really stunning sort of effect, and you can literally do it with any single colour you want. So next we're gonna go in with my personal favourite, which is the rainbow sparkle. I'm going to be using it over Dolly. Now, I personally love this one because it's really good for clients that want some glitter, want some sparkle, but don't really want to commit to full, chunky glitter. You can literally put it over any single colour, and it literally gives such a gorgeous effect to any sort of look, the same as before, running your magnet each side, getting the sort of effect you want. And oh my god, how fab is that. Here it is under the sunlight, and it literally sparkles so nice. I thought I just saw a little clip of how I can do a little ombre with them, which is a really cute idea, again, for the clients that don't want anything too crazy, but want something really sparkly for the summer season, just taking a small amount on the end, using your ombre brush, feather it back, and then use your magnet to port the particles where you'd like them to be. I hope you've enjoyed this video today. It was just a little showcasing of the new HONA cat eye gels, and I can't wait to see what you create.

Written by Grace Evans