By technique · Sub-chapter 02
Chrome powder vs top coat chrome, glass nails, glazed donut — the full library on high-shine nail finishes, how they're built, and what makes each one work.
98 how-to's · Updated 4 May 2026 · Avg. 4 min per piece · Edited by Nelly · Beauty & Style Director
Editor's note
Chrome is not a polish. It's a finish applied over a fully cured gel base — a metallic powder burnished onto the nail surface until it reads as a mirror. This distinction matters because the process breaks down in predictable ways when the base is wrong or the curing step is skipped. The glazed donut finish is a different animal: it's a top coat formula, not a powder technique, and it photographs differently from true chrome. Glass nails are different again: translucent gel with no pigment, showing the natural nail through. All three use the word 'shine' but they're built and maintained differently.
Other nail art types
Chrome powder vs top coat chrome — what's the difference
Chrome powder is a metallic pigment burnished onto a sticky, uncured gel layer. Top coat chrome is a single-application product that cures with a high-shine surface — easier to apply but reflects less intensely. The glazed donut finish uses a specific sheer, milky top coat formula. Glass nails are transparent gel with no added colour.
Myth, meet fact
- Myth: Chrome powder works over regular nail polish. Fact: Chrome powder requires a sticky gel layer. Over dry polish it won't adhere.
- Myth: The glazed donut finish and chrome are the same thing. Fact: Glazed donut is a specific top coat technique. Chrome powder produces a true mirror result.
- Myth: Pearl chrome and mirror chrome look the same. Fact: Mirror chrome reflects a sharp image. Pearl chrome scatters light — iridescent and soft, not mirror-flat.
The beginner's path
- Chrome powder — how the technique actually works (4 min)
- Mirror chrome vs pearl chrome — which to choose (3 min)
- The glazed donut finish — top coat technique (4 min)
- Glass nails — transparent gel with chrome dimension (5 min)
- How gel base choice changes the chrome result (3 min)
Chrome powder vs top coat chrome
Chrome powder over gel gives a true mirror reflection. Top coat chrome is approachable but reflects at lower intensity. Glazed donut top coat gives a sheer milky frosted glow. Pearl chrome scatters light for an iridescent effect. Glass gel shows the natural nail through. Duochrome shifts colour at different angles.
Everything we've published on chrome and glaze
- Glazed donut nails — building the finish step by step
- Chrome powder application — the burnishing technique
- Mirror chrome vs pearl chrome
- Glass nails — the transparent gel method
- Why chrome powder needs an uncured gel layer
- Gel base colour and the chrome result
- Duochrome powder — the two-tone shift technique
- Top coat chrome — one-step application guide
- Chrome over dark gel — undertone and shift
- Why my chrome looks dull — the common causes