Well, look who got hooked on fish designs. 👀 Sea creatures like these cute fishies can be a struggle to paint, especially their intricate scales. Our hack? Make your life so much easier by using cat eye polish to mimic a natural aquatic texture instead! This clever alternative gives you a stunning multi-dimensional shine without any of the tedious line work, making it the best shortcut for beginner nail techs and busy bees. Your fish wish is our command; dive right into this tutorial to learn exactly how simple nail items can create the realest catch of the day! 🐟 1. Apply a black gel base color Top Cat Eye polishes feature an almost translucent finish that requires a dark base, like LB Duo - LB090 Dynamic Black gel polish, to make the magnetic pigments pop. Apply 2-3 thin and even layers of the black gel polish to ensure complete, opaque coverage across the entire nail plate. Flash-cure for 15-30 seconds under your UV/LED lamp before moving to the next step. 2. Layer your cat eye gel polish For our clownfish nail, evenly layer your vibrant 3D Top Cat Eye - TCE06 Cosmos directly over the cured black base. The 3D Cat Eye Gel Professional Collection offers a wide range of beautifully multi-dimensional shades, allowing you to experiment with different looks. Be sure to keep this layer wet and smooth as you prepare to bring out the “fish scale” shimmer. 3. Bring out your cat eye magnet Do not cure the orange gel polish yet, as the magnetic particles need a liquid base to shift and move freely. Hover your iGel Cat Eye Multi-Angle Pro Magnet very close to the wet surface for a few seconds to draw out the hidden shimmer and striking metallic details. Once you are satisfied with the scale-like shine, flash-cure the nail immediately to lock the design in place. 4. Paint 3 white irregular stripes Time to make the fish nail more iconic! Using a precise white gel liner (01 White on White) from your Line Art Gel Kit, paint three organic, wavy horizontal lines across the entire nail from left to right. These represent the classic clownfish stripes, so they should be slightly irregular rather than perfectly straight to look more realistic. Don’t forget to give this nail a flash cure to secure! 5. Outline stripes with black gel The lines don’t stop there; carefully outline the borders of each white stripe using 02 Black on Black from the same Line Art Gel Kit. Adding these thin black frames creates sharp contrast and gives the clownfish pattern its recognizable, cartoon-like definition. Like the previous steps, quickly cure your art to prevent major smudging and color bleeding. 6. Draw a googly eye using liners Ready for the cutest part? Grab a dotting tool and the white liner you used earlier (01 White on White) and create a clean circle for the base of the eye. Next, dot a slightly smaller black (02 Black on Black) circle inside the white base to complete the pupil of your fish’s googly eye. As always, it needs to be cured so the eye is set before we build a bit of dimension at the last step. 7. Make the eye 3D, then seal art Last few steps, let’s go! With your dotting tool, place a thick bead of clear gel (you may use a clear builder gel or a no-wipe top coat) over the painted eye to build up a raised, 3D dome texture. A 10-second flash cure must follow to anchor its shape so it doesn’t flatten out or lose height. Finally, sweep your iGel Beauty No Cleanse Top Coat over the entire nail, including the 3D eye, and cure for 60 seconds to seal the whole nail with a high-gloss, tough-as-a-fish finish! Now that we’ve dropped some finspirational content, your summer nails lineup is officially complete! 🔒 Which part of this tutorial is your favorite? Come and share your thoughts in the iGel Beauty Facebook Community! Be sure to check out our TikTok account: @igelbeauty for even more fun color inspo, quick tutorials, and seasonal designs. Reel in the excitement for the last few moments of summer! ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Written by Alyssa Bueno on July 7, 2026 Alyssa Bueno, a true beauty enthusiast, brings her passion for writing and beauty to life as a writer for iGel Beauty. With a diverse editorial background and industry expertise, Alyssa shares the latest trends and curates tutorials and tips to inspire nail lovers worldwide.
