Rub On/Chrome Powder.

Chrome is a pigment, not a polish

Chrome is burnished onto a cured gel surface with a firm sponge or a silicone tip, worked until the flake lies flat. That is why the result reads as a mirror rather than as glitter: the particles are pressed into a layer instead of being suspended in one. If you searched for chrome polish for nails, this is the rub on form of that finish.

What sits underneath changes the result, so the same pigment over a dark base and over a nude will not read the same. Test on a tip before committing to a set, and treat a shade name or a swatch as a starting point rather than a preview of the finished nail. Follow the base and top coat directions given for the pigment you are using rather than carrying a routine over from another line.

Finishes, and what to buy alongside

Decide which finish you are after before you order: a flat metallic mirror, a holographic with a rainbow shift, an opal or glazed pearl effect, or an aurora pigment that shifts as the hand turns. You also need something to press the pigment down with, so check that you have an applicator before you order.

Chrome layers over color rather than replacing it, so it sits next to your gel polish and the gel top coat you seal with. For sets that mix flat reflection with texture, see nail art, rhinestone and glitter and confetti.