Nail Art!

Apr 13, 2012

Rachel W.

Heyy I was wondering what tools you use to decorate your nails. I googled some products but weren't sure which to buy. Thanks :)

Apr 13, 2012

ashley h.

i'd recommend ebay for some brushes. like andrew said, sally's does have them, but they're grossly overpriced.

i just bought a cheap set of paint brushes from mejier, but haven't had a chance to test them out to see how well they hold up with polish & remover. 

Apr 13, 2012

ashley h.

if you've got a steady hand & patience, i've seen dotting tools used to decorate like you'd use a brush. also, google different nail art ideas. sponges, straws, etc.

Apr 13, 2012

Deana K.

Try a Michael's craft store. They have tons of brushes as well as little rhinestones, beads and glitter - and you can get them far cheaper there than at beauty or drug stores.

Apr 15, 2012

Lisa U.

I bought little brushes and dotting tools from Amazon :) really cheap!

Apr 15, 2012

Rachel W.

Thanks everyone :)

Apr 18, 2012

Adriana C.

You can purchase cheap painting brushes from Walmart works just as fine as others. 

Apr 18, 2012

Maya J.

I use the tips of pencils of different dullness as a dotting tools :) 

Apr 18, 2012

Sherry W.

You can use paintbrushes. I recommend buying some that have gold nylon bristles. You can find a set at Wal-mart that also comes with sponge tipped which is also handy for some nail art. I use paintbrushes cause it saves me from having to buy nailpolishes with thin brushes which can be more expensive. As far as taking off nail polish, you can just soak a cotton ball and wrap the brush one at a time in it then twist off and it should remove the polish. I have had some sit with dry polish for days and it still came off. I get the nylon ones because they are smooth. Some sets come with different kinds, but as long as it includes the ones with yellowish orange tips you're good to go.

Also, you can use pencils, toothpicks,the opposite end of paintbrushes, and q-tips.

I drink a lot of bottled water so I usually have a lot of bottle caps which I use the inside to pour out some nail polish to save from using plates, plus I think it doesn't dry as fast on the plastic caps.

For straight edges like when doing stripes or chevrons, I use tape, but you have to make sure that your base nail polish is dry because if not it will peel off. Sometimes when I use tape I have to make it "less sticky" so I put it on the back of my hand for a bit, it helps it prevent taking off nail polish on the way off or leaving a sticky residue on your nails. I think black electrical tape works awesome. It always peels off nice and clean and It's easier to see. You should use tweezers for removal or placement on the nail.

If you throw out your old nail polishes, try saving just the top part that holds the brush and clean with nail polish remover when you are done.

Apr 27, 2012

Naomi H.

Besides buying tools, you may already have some things for nail art. You can use straw to make circles. Hair pins or pencil points for dots. Even the paper reinforcers for semicircles. Have fun! 

Apr 28, 2012

Huma N.

Here are a couple of things you can use for nail art:
-brushes: I bought normal brushes from Michaels. They were super inexpensive and very thin! If they're not thin enough, dont fret- just cut some off. If you can't go out to buy a brush, wait until one of your old nail polishes finish and use that brush. Normally people clean their brushes with acetone, but I don't have that so I just swirl it around in one of those CVS bottles filled with nail polish remover and foam and then just dry it off. If I'm paranoid I'll also swirl the brush around in clear nail polish a couple of times and then wash it off again with nail polish remover.
-Clay tools: You can create clay nail polish tools for dotting tools (or even shapes if you do it properly). I just made a little circle ball out of polymer clay and stuck it on a stick of polymer clay. As for the shapes, I made a triangle!
-Bobby Pins - Can be used to create dots.
-Pins in general - I'm talking about the ones used for sewing. These can come in a variety of sizes too so you can make large and small dots. If you don't want to carry a pin for safety reasons, try sticking it into a pencil (the ones with the pink erasers on top).
-Toothpick: The oldest trick out of the book. Just make sure you dont press TOO hard when using a toothpick - I think many people make that mistake and then complain that toothpicks don't work.
-Safety pin- Just be careful with this one, but it works.
-Lead pencil: I actually enjoy using this one. The lead is thin and you only use the tip. Once you're done, you can just break off the small lead part you used and through it away. It works better than a toothpick in my opinion.
-Pen: Depending on the thickness of the tip of your pen, you can make thick lines, to dots, or even thin lines. I use a thick ones for dots from time to time.
-Tape: If you don't want to use brushes and want to make some cool designs, try tape! chloesnails.blogspot.com has a lot of unique and cool tutorials on tape designs.
Another way you can use tape is to paint nail polish on the actual tape, then cut it out in the shape you want it. Stick the shape on your nails and apply a top coat.
-You can also use a skin tattoo. Just find one with delicate/thin details and apply it on your nails like you would to the skin. Then, apply a top coat to seal it in.
-Newspaper: If you want to go for a unique design, try newspaper nails. There are tons of tutorials online, but basically you use rubbing alcohol to transfer the newspaper's letters to your nails. There are a lot of techniques from using rubbing alcohol pads on top of the newspaper to dipping your nail in the rubbing alcohol and applying the newspaper on top. Some people also used other types of alcohol or even mouthwash (since it usually contains some alcohol in it). People also use the same technique for comic books or even the comic strips in the newspapers.
-I've heard of the technique of dipping a straw in some polish and putting it on your nails. This creates a neat circle design that you can repeat on your nails.
-Some people use old liquid eyeliner brushes or empty retractable dry eyeliners to create small outlines of circles.
-Using Q tips or sponges can help you blur out and blend your design as well.

Just be creative with what you use - you'll never know what you can find that will work! :) There's bound to be something in your house that will be suitable if you can't go buy brushes.
I suggest you look at ebay if you truly dont want to spend a lot on brushes - they sell 3 brushes for $1 there if I'm correct.
By the way, the brush style is a matter of your preference. Some come with VERY long and thin brushes, while other brushes are small and thin. It depends on what you're comfortable with.

Hope this helps!

Apr 28, 2012

Drippy D.

Extra small brushes are great and work as good as they look!. :P

May 4, 2012

Rachel W.

Thanks! Everyone! I got to get small paint brushes! 

May 13, 2012

Robin M.

first i want to say.......i came here tonight to just say thank you to everyone who has been following me and spreading the word and then i found this question.

you can buy very inexpensive brushes and cut them youself and save tons of money by learning how to work with your brush. i didnt come here to teach tonight,, but i will give the links out and hope it helps :D

(most asked questions in text)
http://robinmosesnailart.blogspot.com/2011/04/most-asked-questions-i-will-keep-adding.html

(most asked questions in video LINK)
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6173BBC6D3D134E1

my love to you guys. i love beautylish and all they do to promote beauty and sharing and they are ALWAYS so so kind to me...so i am just sharing the love.

:D have a great mothers day.
robin moses

May 14, 2012

Scarlett B.

i wondered to see these tools

May 23, 2012

Kawaii N.

Why spend the money? I've been doing nail art for about 2 years now and I've never used salon tools, its simple, dotting tool=toothpick fancy thin brushes=an old nail art thin brush really just anything around your house be creative!

May 30, 2012

Nichole W.

you can even go to walmart and by some paint brushes, the ones that are little, for under $5 and use stuff around the house for a dotting tool or whatever else you may need. i just started myself and the only thing i have really bought is nail polishes and brushes. be creative :)

Aug 2, 2012

Huma N.

@Robin M. I do the same thing! I found some old paint brushes my mom used to use when she used to paint and cut them down to make em thin. :)

Aug 3, 2012

Maxime R.

Brushes, dotting tools, tooth pick. Xx