Metal coat
Metal coat
The first of its kind — coat your nails in actual metal.
Couldn't load pickup availability
14ml / 0.47 fl oz
10-free
This isn't nail polish.
Metal Coat is the latest ground-breaking innovation in nail technology, developed by SNAILWORKS over several years. Suspended in our unique formula are billions of microscopic particles of pure aluminium. Once you've painted it on and let it dry, your nails are coated in a hardened layer of almost pure aluminium, which can be sanded and polished like a solid piece of metal.
The reason Metal Coat looks so unique is due to the lack of a required top coat to achieve its shine. Real metal is completely reflective in its top few atoms — even the most pigmented nail polishes in the world cannot compete with the reflectivity and complete opacity of solid metal, and this is why it looks so distinctive.
It's not just about looking unique; it's about wearing jewellery on your fingernails.
How to use
How to use
NAIL PREP: We recommend buffing your nails first to help with good adhesion. Optionally, apply a basecoat first to protect your nails.
APPLICATION: Shake the bottle hard for a minute before application. Apply one coat, then a second coat once the first is touch-dry.
SAND AND POLISH: Wait 90 minutes for the polish to fully cure. File down Metal coat with a 1000 grit file until smooth. Next use a 4000 grit buffer until you get your desired level of shine. This may produce a small amount of dust— do the sanding in a ventilated area and away from anything that could be stained.
EXPERIMENT: Try using different files/buffers with different levels of coarseness to achieve unique metal finishes.
Lower grit levels will produce a brushed metal effect, while higher grit levels and more time buffing will create an even shinier finish.
Vegan | Cruelty-free | Made in the UK
This is a really really cool concept. It's really really poorly executed. This product does work as advertised. Kinda. It's impossible to get a smooth finish because of how fast the product dries and God forbid you have textured nails. Even with proper prep It came off in chunks while I was filing. The buffer they included is really only good for one use which makes this polish stupidly expensive for regular use. The buffer included is not enough to put a mirror finish on your nails no matter how long you sit there and buff.
Would I recommend this? In concept yeah. In real practice absolutely no.
Also $21 shipping for a box that was already in the US and that they couldn't bother to even put tape on it to prevent theft? Unacceptable.
This looks so great! The process was really satisfying. Sadly despite following the instructions to the letter it chips very quickly (next day/big chips 2 days). Will be used for a night out but sadly wouldn’t purchase again.
A delightfully innovative creation by Snail Works. Kudos to them for making something new and bold. A small but wonderful detail is that the cap/topper brush is engraved to give a metal file finish, emoting the products unique aspects. The polish is super thick, but this isn’t a critique, I’m sure it’s to do with the formulation with the metal involved - simply note it so people aren’t surprised. It spread well and my only adjustment was being a little more forceful on my brush strokes - I also tried to work quickly in case it hardened faster than standard polish (I don’t know if that’s right but it was my instinct). I used a clear underpolish, then two coats of the metal polish. The buffing/filing experience was a delight, like polishing bronze or silver, the joy of seeing matte to turn to shine. It’s very distinctive and friends/colleagues commented immediately. He one caveat, and it’s not a big critique, is that once chipped slightly then the polish on that nail seems to come off v quickly/one go/in the shower. It’s not a surprise given the thickness of the product, but for those that want absolute perfection always then this might be a little frustrating. As a messy painter of my nails and grungy round the edges this didn’t bother me.
I really wanted to love this polish, it sounds amazing in theory and when you first buff it off it's so beautiful and shiny and I love it. But after a few hours it goes dull and almost tarnished. You can't put a top coat on so it chips super easily and then if you try and buff it again to get it back shiny it wears away the polish so you're left with bald spots. I bought the buffer and used my own and tried different grits and differential techniques but it always looks the same then next day.
I just think for the price it could be better, but I'll keep trying to crack it.
For the price it's not great. The polish chips off extremely easily and did not buff as easy as it's made out to be.
FAQ
Is aluminium safe?
Yes, aluminium is completely safe. Aluminium is a very common pigment used in nail polish. It is also makes up a main ingredient in most glitters and holographic pigments.
Pure aluminium is also a cosmetic-approved ingredient (CI77000) so it is safe in all cosmetics in its pure powdered form. It's even in food colouring (E173)!
What are the ingredients?
The base ingredients are the same as our other nail polishes but with the addition of other cosmetic pigments and aluminium (both of which are commonly found in many other cosmetics).
As always, our polishes are 10-free, cruelty free and made in the UK.
Can I use a top coat with Metal coat?
We recommend not using a top coat with Metal coat as it may end up looking more like a regular chrome polish. We do love an experimenter however, so let us know if you try it!
How long does Metal coat last?
Metal coat lasts longer than a regular nail polish, but not as a long as gels.
How do you remove Metal coat?
Just like a regular nail polish; with a bit of a nail polish remover.
Are you going to make a Gold and Silver coat?
Maybe... Let us know if this is something you want.