Do I need a magnet for cat eye gel?

Yes. Cat eye gel holds magnetic particles that only form the band of light when a magnet pulls them into place. Without a magnet the gel cures as a plain shimmer colour. A straight stick or bar magnet covers most services, and heart, bunny or multi-head magnets add shaped bands. A darker base under the cat eye makes the band easier to see.

How do I use a cat eye magnet?

Apply and cure a thin first coat for about 30 seconds. Apply the second coat and leave it uncured, then hold the magnet at about 45 degrees, 1 to 2 mm from the nail, for 5 to 10 seconds. Cure fully for about 60 seconds and seal with a top coat. If the band looks blurry, hold the magnet closer; if it will not move, the coat is too thick. If you cure before using the magnet, the band will not form.

What are Magnet Beads used for?

Magnet Beads are loose magnetic spheres you arrange yourself, in a circle, a figure eight or a cluster. Each arrangement pulls the cat eye particles into a different ripple or circular pattern that a stick magnet cannot make. Hold them 1 to 3 mm above the uncured gel for 5 to 10 seconds, then remove them, cure, and finish with a top coat.

How do I clean a silicone jelly stamper?

Use a lint roller, sticky tape or soap and water. Avoid acetone, because it clouds and damages the silicone. Stamp only over gel that is fully cured, then seal the stamped design with a gel top coat and cure it. If the stamper stops picking up designs cleanly, a gentle clean with a lint roller usually brings it back.

NAIL DESIGN ACCESSORIES

Q: How do the 3D charm molds work?

The molds are reusable silicone with themed cavities such as bows, flowers, butterflies and hearts. Fill the cavities flush with a 3D mold gel, cure under the lamp, pop the cured charms out, then apply them to the nail. The same mold can be refilled again and again, so one mold keeps producing charms for as long as the silicone lasts.

Tools for the nail art station: 100+ nail design accessories, from cat eye magnets and heart tools to 3D charm molds, French silicone stampers, crystal dappen dishes, mixing palettes and dotting tools. Free shipping on qualifying orders.

Learn More About This Collection

What sits on this page

This collection is the hardware side of nail art: the small tools that shape a design rather than colour it. You will find magnets and effect tools for cat eye gel, silicone molds for 3D charms, French silicone stampers and seals, crystal dappen dishes and liquid cups, mixing palettes, dotting tools, finger rests and a few practice and clean-up pieces. The colours, gels and decorations themselves live elsewhere; this page is for the tools that put them on the nail. Use the filters beside the grid to narrow by product type, availability or price.

Cat eye magnets and effect tools

A cat eye gel needs a magnet. Without one, the gel cures as a plain shimmer colour and the band of light never forms, so a magnet belongs on every station that offers cat eye. The shape of the magnet decides the shape of the band:

Stick and bar magnets pull a straight band, the standard cat eye effect. The Black Rubber Coated Bar Magnet is the plainest example.
Multi-head magnets such as the 3in1 Creative Cat Eye Magnet, the Cigar Magnet 3in1, the 3 in 1 Nail Brush Magnet and the 4 in 1 Fire Arrow Nail Magnet put three or four magnet heads on one tool.
Heart and bunny tools shape the band into a heart or a bunny outline. The Make Heart Tool Combo and the 2 Pcs Bunny Tool add a shaped band to a set.
Magnet Beads are loose spheres you arrange yourself, in a circle, a figure eight or a cluster, for ripple and circular patterns a stick magnet cannot make.
Character handles like the Cute Cat Paw Handle Magnet or the Chess Board Rubik's Cube Magnet put a magnet in a playful handle.

The magnets work with any cat eye gel; browse cat eye gels to pair with a magnet or the full cat eye magnets and heart tools range, which also holds magnets sold outside this page.

How to pull a cat eye band

Apply a thin first coat of cat eye gel and cure it for about 30 seconds.
Apply the second coat and do not cure it yet.
Hold the magnet at about 45 degrees, 1 to 2 mm from the nail, for 5 to 10 seconds while the band forms. Magnet Beads are held 1 to 3 mm above the nail for the same 5 to 10 seconds.
Cure the colour fully, about 60 seconds.
Seal with a top coat such as Diamond Top and cure.

Three mistakes cause most weak bands. A magnet held too far away gives a blurry band, so move it closer. A coat that is too thick stops the particles from moving, so apply thinner. Curing before the magnet goes in means the band never forms at all. A 5D finger rest (pink or yellow in this collection) gives the client's finger a place to rest while you work the magnet.

3D charm molds

The 3D Nail Charm Molds are reusable silicone molds with themed cavities: bows, flowers and petals, leaves, butterflies, hearts, a lily and a plumeria. The workflow is pour, cure, pop and place. Fill the cavities flush with a 3D mold gel, cure under the lamp, pop the cured charms out, then apply them to the nail. Because the silicone is reused, one mold produces charms again and again, which makes it a practical way to offer custom 3D art without buying finished charms. The complete set of designs, including molds sold outside this page, is in every 3D charm mold. The 5Pcs Plastic Nails Mold Holder Clips are small plastic clips sold for holding a nail mold in place.

French silicone stampers and seals

The French Silicone Jelly Stampers (blue, clear and red) and the French Silicone Seals (rose gold, silver, standard, and an Aurora set in pink, blue or red) are soft silicone heads for French tip and stamping work. A jelly stamper picks up a design and rolls it onto the nail, and the clear version lets you see exactly where the design will land. Stamp only over gel that is fully cured, then seal the design with a gel top coat and cure. To keep the silicone clear, clean it with a lint roller, sticky tape or soap and water; acetone clouds and damages silicone. For the colours that go with French work, see the French tip colour picks.

Dappen dishes, liquid cups and palettes

Item	What it is	Use it for
Crystal Lotus Flower Dappen Dish	Crystal glass dish with lid, about 9.8 cm across, in AB, gold and multicolour finishes	Acrylic liquid or powder at the station
Octagon Crystal Dappen Dish with Lid	Glass cup, pink or yellow	Mixing powder and liquid, washing a brush
Glass Cup for Nail Liquid	Crystal glass, iridescent finish, heart, flower or butterfly shape	Monomer or brush cleaner, or holding stones and charms
Nail Liquid Cup with Brush Rest	Crystal glass cup with a weighted base, moulded brush rest and lid, AB or pink	Draining the brush without holding it
Nail Art Brush Washing Cup	Glass jar, bamboo lid, removable steel mesh plate	Rinsing glitter and gel off art brushes
Color Mixing Palette	Resin palettes in heart, rectangle and round shapes	Mixing gel, pigment and glitter

Glass and resin both wipe clean, which is the main reason to keep these off plastic: the crystal pieces wipe out with acetone or alcohol after service and do not stain. If you are filling the cups, pick acrylic powders sorted by brand and an EMA liquid for the dappen dish.

Dotting tools and placement pens

Nail Dotting Tool 6 in 1: a round acrylic disc with six stainless steel heads of different sizes, for dots, fine lines and lifting a rhinestone with a touch of glue.
Flower Dotting Pen: a five-ball head that sets five even petals in one press, with a single tip on the other end for the centre and small accents.
Refillable Wax Rhinestone Nail Art Pen and the pink Rhinestone Dual-ended Wax Dotting Pen: wax tips for picking up and placing stones.
Stainless Steel Gradient Ice Tweezers for handling small decorations, and the Stainless Steel Sculpting Tool for acrylic sculpting detail.

For the stones themselves, see rhinestones and gem gels, and for pearls and beads, nail charms and pearl beads.

Practice, rests and clean-up

A few pieces support the work rather than the design. The Mechanical False Finger with Base (brown or white) gives you a hand to practise art and new techniques on. The 5D finger rests steady the client's hand under a magnet. The Blank Swatch Palette Color Chart is a blank display to paint your own colour chart. Gelish Nail Polish Remover Pads clean dirt and dust off the nail, and DND Pointing Black Tips come in a pack of 50.

Building an art station

Start with the effect you sell most. For cat eye, one stick magnet and one heart or bunny tool cover most bookings.
Add a 5D finger rest so the magnet stays steady.
Set out a dappen dish or liquid cup and a mixing palette for the products you blend.
Add dotting tools for dots, petals and stone placement.
Add molds or stampers when you want a 3D or stamped option on the menu.
Finish with fine brushes for the detail work: fine brushes for detail work.

Pairing these tools with art products

Most accessories here are only half of a technique. A magnet needs a cat eye gel, a mold needs a mold gel, a stamper needs a design to transfer, and a dotting pen needs a colour. For flat accents, decals for quick accent nails skip the tool entirely. For a mirror finish over a design, add chrome powder to finish a design. And for the whole department, from art gels to foils, go to the nail art category home.