Type: Cat Eye Gel
SNS Cat Eyes - Set 24 Colors - Diamond Twinkle Collection
Frequently asked questions
Is Diamond Twinkle a glitter gel or a cat eye gel?
Both, in one bottle. It carries magnetic pigment, which is what lines up under a magnet to form the cat eye band, and a diamond-like sparkle that stays spread across the nail whether or not a magnet is used. Painted without a magnet it cures as an even sparkle gel; with a magnet the band forms inside that sparkle, which is why the effect reads as three-dimensional. Our Crystal Twinkle line is the plain magnetic shimmer without the added sparkle.
Which magnet gives the widest band?
The flat face of a bar or stick magnet held lengthwise a few millimeters above the wet second coat, hand still for five to ten seconds, then a flash cure. A ring magnet centered over the nail gives a halo instead of a band, and a double-head magnet gives two bands in one pass. All of these are in our Cat Eye Magnets collection. Diamond Twinkle is forgiving of a magnet held slightly off because the sparkle carries the look, so it is the easier of our two lines for a first cat eye.
Do I need a black base under Diamond Twinkle?
Not required, but it is the single biggest upgrade to the effect. One cured coat of black gel from SNS Gel Only gives the sparkle something to show against and makes the band read far brighter, especially on the mid-tone and light shades. Skip it only when you want the shade's own base color to stay visible around the band. Gloss top, not matte, for this line: matte dulls the sparkle that sets it apart.
Can I mix Diamond Twinkle with Crystal Twinkle in one set?
Yes. Both lines use the same base and top and cure the same way, so a set can carry Diamond on the accent nails and Crystal on the rest, or the other way round. The two lines are numbered separately, so match shades by eye on a swatch stick rather than by number.
What makes Diamond Twinkle different from other cat eye gel?
Two pigments in one bottle. A standard cat eye gel carries magnetic particles that line up under a magnet; Diamond Twinkle carries those plus a diamond-like sparkle that does not move. Under the magnet the magnetic pigment gathers into a wide band, and the sparkle stays spread across the rest of the nail, so the finished nail glitters everywhere and flashes hardest along the band. That is the "3D" in the name: the band looks raised out of a sparkling field rather than drawn on top of a flat color.
We make the line in 24 numbered shades, all formulated without HEMA and without TPO, all soak-off. Those two exclusions are stated as what we left out, not as a promise about anyone's skin. Diamond Twinkle is the line for the client who wants a cat eye that reads from across the room; our Crystal Twinkle line is the quieter one.
The 24 shades and the set
Shades run from 01 to 24, each photographed with the band pulled so the listing shows the effect, not just the base color. A sparkle shifts on a screen more than a cream does, so pick from the grid and confirm on a swatch stick before a client books. Every shade is sold as a single, and the set of 24 is the whole line in one box.
Because the sparkle carries the look even where the band is faint, Diamond Twinkle forgives a magnet held a little off: the nail still glitters. That makes it the line we suggest for a salon adding cat eye for the first time, and for a home user who has one magnet and no practice.
How do you pull a wide 3D band?
- Prep and base. Cuticles back, buff the shine off, wipe, one thin coat of gel base, cured. Base and top are under Base & Top Gel.
- Dark bed. For Diamond Twinkle this is worth doing on every nail: a cured coat of black from SNS Gel Only gives the sparkle something to show against and makes the band read far brighter.
- First coat, cured, no magnet. Thin. This is the color and sparkle bed.
- Second coat, fuller, magnet. Hold a magnet from Cat Eye Magnets a few millimeters above the wet gel. For the widest band use the flat face of a bar magnet held lengthwise; for a halo, a ring magnet centered over the nail; for two bands, two passes with a flash cure between them.
- Flash cure the moment it looks right. A few seconds under the lamp fixes the band. Work one nail at a time, then a full cure.
- Glossy top. A high-gloss top is what makes the sparkle read as diamond rather than glitter. Matte flattens this line; if the client wants velvet, use Crystal Twinkle instead.
All coats cure under a UV/LED lamp; the SNS cordless lamp is under Nail Tools & Accessories. Removal is a standard gel soak-off.
Why does HEMA-free and TPO-free matter for a sparkle gel?
HEMA is the small monomer most often named when a client reacts to gel color, and TPO is a photoinitiator, the ingredient that turns lamp light into a cure. Sparkle and cat eye gels tend to be worn on accent nails for weeks and topped up often, so a client who has reacted before is most likely to notice it here. Both SNS cat eye lines leave both ingredients out. We describe that as what the formula excludes; it is not a claim that no one can react to a cosmetic.
Diamond Twinkle in a set
- Full ten: one shade on every nail, straight band, glossy top. The sparkle keeps the set from looking flat even on the nails where the band is narrow.
- Jewel tones for the holidays: the deep shades in the line are built for December. A black bed under a deep red or green band is the party nail; a halo from a ring magnet on the ring finger finishes it.
- Two bands: a pass from each side with a flash cure between them. Diamond's wide band makes the double read as a pair of stripes rather than two hairlines.
- Cat eye plus chrome: a Diamond Twinkle band on eight nails and chrome powder on two. Both sit under the same top, and the sparkle ties the chrome nails into the set.
- Cat eye plus stones: a band with a small rhinestone cluster at the cuticle. Set the stones on the wet top and cure once.
Wear, care and stocking
- The band is permanent for the life of the set. It is locked inside the cured gel; only the top coat wears. A fresh glossy top at week two brings the sparkle back.
- Nothing to fill. Cat eye is color, not structure. Put Builder Gel underneath when the client wants length or an apex, then remove and redo the cat eye at the next visit.
- Roll the bottle. Sparkle settles between uses; rolling lifts it without bubbles. Shaking puts air in the gel and the air shows as pits under a gloss top.
- Magnets away from bottles. A magnet resting beside an open bottle pulls the magnetic pigment to one wall of the glass and the next coat comes out uneven.
- Stocking: a salon usually starts with a black bed shade and six Diamond singles (two reds or wines, two blues or greens, two neutrals), then moves to the set once cat eye is on the menu by name. The two SNS lines share base and top, so a wall that carries both costs nothing extra in essentials.