How to use the Apple Watch charger to do nail polish better

The nail polish girlies have found a new favorite tool to use with magnetic cat eye nail polish — the Apple Watch charger.

If you keep up with nail polish trends — and I’m assuming many of you don’t — magnetic nail polish is having a big moment right now. It’s interesting, because magnetic polish is hardly new. I remember seeing it hit the shelves of bougier shops in my early 20s, only to trickle down to drugstore brands a year or two later.

What is new, however, are the inventive ways people are using it. Just about anything that has its own localized magnetic field has been used to alter magnetic polish, and now that growing list includes the Apple Watch charger.

Reddit Laquerista peninkling shared some pictures of their newest manicure, which they proudly claimed — and explained — was achieved using the Apple Watch charger. You simply press your finger to the charger, apply your coat of magnetic polish, and wait about one minute for the effect to lock in place.

While peninkling didn’t invent the Apple Watch charger method, they certainly did a great job with their take. The result is an absolutely stunning shimmery blue to black gradient.

Instagram user Sarah Kendall also has taken a crack at the trend. Her video shows the method from start to finish.

For those of you who are looking to recreate peniklings look, you’ll want to snag two Mooncat nail polishes. The bottom coat is Mooncat’s Getting Even, followed by two coats of Mooncat’s Bloodbender.

And for the majority of you who are wondering what on earth magnetic nail polish is, I’ve got you covered, too.

Magnetic polish, often called cat eye polish, is a nail polish that contains ferromagnetic metallic particles. When you hold a magnet over — or under — the wet nail polish, you can create some stunning effects.

Once dried, the effect stays locked in place.

Popular effects include a cat eye, done with a bar magnet, velveteen effects done with U-shaped magnets, or simple shapes like hearts and clovers using magnetized wires. Now we can add the Apple Watch charger to the list, too.

And, I’d like to point out that Redditor Glittering-Time-2274 notes a similar effect could be achieved with MagSafe-compatible accessories. They specifically mention a magnetic PopSocket, but I’d be willing to bet you could use your favorite magnetic mount, the MagSafe Wallet, or anything else that sticks to the back of your iPhone.

As someone who does her nails pretty routinely, I can see the appeal. I’ll admit that I haven’t snagged myself any magnetic cat eye nail polish — yet.