Swirl textures have been around for decades. Sand Swirl is a texture that does not involve mud at all, only sand and paint. The pattern of this texture is the same as the "Mud Swirl" pattern. The Mud Swirl's texture is thicker and the circle grooves are more in depth, where as the "Sand Swirl" texture isn't very thick and has more of a grainy or rough feeling surface. This textures method of application is usually a hand held brush.