TIPS & TRICKS
Over the years I have picked up some useful knowledge through my own trial & error, flipping through countless pages of Google Images, and pouring through hundreds of YouTube tutorials. And now is my chance to give back! I pass this information onto you to spare your eyeballs from bleeding due to staring at your computer for days on end.
Although, I do recommend looking through Reddit Laqueristas. So many people are doing so many new and sweet things with their nails and they are also another great resource for help (I learn about a lot of new techniques from them). But careful, you could waste your whole day there and then get sucked into the entirety of Reddit like I did.
Although, I do recommend looking through Reddit Laqueristas. So many people are doing so many new and sweet things with their nails and they are also another great resource for help (I learn about a lot of new techniques from them). But careful, you could waste your whole day there and then get sucked into the entirety of Reddit like I did.
Acrylic Paint
I love using acrylic paints for the details on a lot of the nail art I do, but there is one thing I have learned - don't use acrylic paint as the base color of your design! I learned this when doing my Doctor Who "Silence" nails. I didn't have the right color polish for the Silence's head, so I mixed up some acrylics - even with using a base coat and a top coat, the entire design peeled right off later the same day. It was tragic, but I was too broken up about it because that guy was freaking me out a bit.
Dotting Tools
Click image to be redirected to Amazon.com
Dotting tools aren't really essential, but they are definitely quite helpful. Yes, you can use toothpicks or the ends of paint brushes, or god-forbid free-handing them, but these are so handy because they have different sizes at each end and they make a nice perfect dot...as long as you do it right.
The best way to load these up with paint is to first make a pool of paint on a flat surface. Then holding the dotting tool upright, lightly dunk it in so the paint just covers the ball. When you stamp it down on your nail, the paint will make a slightly bigger dot than the size of the ball, so do a couple practice dots on your pallet before going straight to your nail. Pretty simple, eh?
Some people use dotting tools in lieu of paint brushes, but if you can afford a set of paint brushes, buy those.
The best way to load these up with paint is to first make a pool of paint on a flat surface. Then holding the dotting tool upright, lightly dunk it in so the paint just covers the ball. When you stamp it down on your nail, the paint will make a slightly bigger dot than the size of the ball, so do a couple practice dots on your pallet before going straight to your nail. Pretty simple, eh?
Some people use dotting tools in lieu of paint brushes, but if you can afford a set of paint brushes, buy those.
Brushes
Click image to be redirected to Amazon.com
Brushes are wonderful! At first, I was apprehensive about using them because I didn't want to muck up nice brushes with goopy nail polish. But then I realized, these aren't really nice brushes, they're fair to average at best. And also, instead of swishing your brush around in water to clean it off...swish it around in a shot glass with a bit of acetone. Wipe over a cotton ball. Boom, clean!
Now these particular brushes are from M.A.S.H. I bought them because they were cheap and there are a variety of striping brushes, fan brushes, liners, rounds and squares. There's even an angled brush which I have yet to find a use for. It also comes in this nifty case that opens and closes easily so you don't smudge your nails.
Now these particular brushes are from M.A.S.H. I bought them because they were cheap and there are a variety of striping brushes, fan brushes, liners, rounds and squares. There's even an angled brush which I have yet to find a use for. It also comes in this nifty case that opens and closes easily so you don't smudge your nails.
Removing Stains
As you may or may not be aware, nail polish stains your nails, and some do more than others. Like blue...blue hues are NOTORIOUS for staining your nails. The only true way to avoid staining is to use a base coat. For years I was doing my manicures sans base coat simply because I am impatient, and I don't like waiting for an extra layer of polish to dry before I get into the actual, FUN part of the mani. Boy what that a bad idea! My nails eventually picked up a yellowish stain that I couldn't get rid of. In fact, I'm still waiting for it to grow out. But there are a ways to help remove the stains. These household methods are not GREAT, but they can help a little bit:
#1 - The Lemon Method
Just jam 'em on in there
The theory of this method is that the acid in a lemon is supposed to help remove any stains by eating away at them. If your stains aren't that bad, it should work fairly well for you.
What to do: Cut a fresh lemon in half. Put each half in a shallow dish to avoid getting lemon juice on your table. Jam all your fingers into the lemon halves - wiggle them in there good and deep! Keep you fingers in the lemons for as long as you can to get the best results. I left mine in for about 30 minutes.
Result: When I did this, I could tell that the stains were a little less yellow than before, but they were still clearly visible. So I went onto Method #2...
What to do: Cut a fresh lemon in half. Put each half in a shallow dish to avoid getting lemon juice on your table. Jam all your fingers into the lemon halves - wiggle them in there good and deep! Keep you fingers in the lemons for as long as you can to get the best results. I left mine in for about 30 minutes.
Result: When I did this, I could tell that the stains were a little less yellow than before, but they were still clearly visible. So I went onto Method #2...
#2 - The Toothpaste Method
I guess the reasoning behind the toothpaste method is that if it whitens your teeth, it should whiten your nails... I'm guessing that if you did this method every day, you might start to see some results, but there are faster ways to remove stains.
What to do: Grab a soft/medium bristle toothbrush and some whitening toothpaste. Then just brush your nails like you brush your teeth.
Result: I saw no difference in the stains, but my nails did smell minty fresh.
What to do: Grab a soft/medium bristle toothbrush and some whitening toothpaste. Then just brush your nails like you brush your teeth.
Result: I saw no difference in the stains, but my nails did smell minty fresh.
#3 - Baking Soda Paste
I'm not really sure where this one came from, but it works to remove mild stains.
What to do: Pour out a 1/4 cup of baking soda into a small dish and add water very slowly, mixing until you get a thick paste. Then just slap that paste onto your nails and watch a movie. When the movie is over, slowly rub the paste into your nails. Since the paste is a bit gritty, it almost acts as a kind of nail buffer/exfoliant.
Result: This definitely worked better than the toothpaste method, and I did see some improvement, but still not enough!
What to do: Pour out a 1/4 cup of baking soda into a small dish and add water very slowly, mixing until you get a thick paste. Then just slap that paste onto your nails and watch a movie. When the movie is over, slowly rub the paste into your nails. Since the paste is a bit gritty, it almost acts as a kind of nail buffer/exfoliant.
Result: This definitely worked better than the toothpaste method, and I did see some improvement, but still not enough!
#4 - Buffing
I wanted to avoid this step at all costs because I know that buffing my nails makes them pretty thin and weak. But what else was I to do? So I grabbed my 4 way buffing block and went to town! This removed almost all of my stains, but still not entirely. Sometimes you just HAVE To wait for your nails to grow out (sad, I know). Since this will thin your nails quite a bit, make sure to follow it up with a good coat of nail strengthener.
Now there are products you can buy instead of using the home methods. I have yet to try them, but I have heard Bubble White is pretty good and I've also heard that the tablets you drop into a glass of water with your dentures work fairly well too (well, maybe not YOUR dentures, but perhaps your grandma has some you can borrow).
But really, the best thing you can do is to avoid stains in the first place by sucking it up and using a base coat.
But really, the best thing you can do is to avoid stains in the first place by sucking it up and using a base coat.
Removing Glitter Polish
Glitter polishes are so much fun, but damn they can be a bitch to remove! I once used an old glitter polish I had rolling around in the bottom of my polish bin and it took at least 3 go-arounds with nail polish remover before I could get that stuff off!
Then I came across the Cotton Ball Method.
What to do: Tear off 10 - 3" pieces of tinfoil. Soak a cotton ball in acetone. Put the cotton ball on your nail and wrap around it with a square of tinfoil. Make sure to wrap the tinfoil pretty tight around your finger otherwise you run the risk of leaking nail polish remover all over the place. Repeat 9 more times. Keep them on for about 5-10 minutes. When you're ready to take them off, just slide them off, giving the cotton ball inside a little wiggle along the way and...BOOM, no more glitter.
Then I came across the Cotton Ball Method.
What to do: Tear off 10 - 3" pieces of tinfoil. Soak a cotton ball in acetone. Put the cotton ball on your nail and wrap around it with a square of tinfoil. Make sure to wrap the tinfoil pretty tight around your finger otherwise you run the risk of leaking nail polish remover all over the place. Repeat 9 more times. Keep them on for about 5-10 minutes. When you're ready to take them off, just slide them off, giving the cotton ball inside a little wiggle along the way and...BOOM, no more glitter.
Drying Coats of Polish
If you're impatient like I am, you want your nails to dry as quickly as possible so you can start your next coat and get your mani done quickly. The best way to do this is to paint, thin and even coats of polish. Yes, this does mean that you will have to do multiple coats if you want a solid color, but it really is the way you should be applying your polish.
So, you've been sitting on your couch with a wet coat of polish on your nails for about 15 minutes, blowing on your nails every now and then, but they still aren't dry! Go get a bowl and fill it up with the coldest water your tap can produce and throw in some ice cubes for good measure. Then all you need to do is keep your nails in the water for as long as you can before your fingertips get frostbite. To test if your nails are dry, lightly tap them against each other - if they don't stick together or you can't feel any tackiness, then you're good to start your next coat. If they are a bit tacky still, just put them back in the water until they're dry. Easy as that!
Now I have heard that some people use a hair dryer to dry their nails. You can use this method if you don't like freezing your fingers off in ice water, but just make sure that the hair dryer is set on the COOL setting. If you are using a heat setting on your hair dryer, your nails will never dry. I have also heard that people use the air-in-a-can that you use to clean your keyboard... I tried this the other night, and I ended up wasting a whole can of air and my nails were still tacky at the end of it. It's a pretty wasteful and expensive way to dry your nails if you ask me.
So, you've been sitting on your couch with a wet coat of polish on your nails for about 15 minutes, blowing on your nails every now and then, but they still aren't dry! Go get a bowl and fill it up with the coldest water your tap can produce and throw in some ice cubes for good measure. Then all you need to do is keep your nails in the water for as long as you can before your fingertips get frostbite. To test if your nails are dry, lightly tap them against each other - if they don't stick together or you can't feel any tackiness, then you're good to start your next coat. If they are a bit tacky still, just put them back in the water until they're dry. Easy as that!
Now I have heard that some people use a hair dryer to dry their nails. You can use this method if you don't like freezing your fingers off in ice water, but just make sure that the hair dryer is set on the COOL setting. If you are using a heat setting on your hair dryer, your nails will never dry. I have also heard that people use the air-in-a-can that you use to clean your keyboard... I tried this the other night, and I ended up wasting a whole can of air and my nails were still tacky at the end of it. It's a pretty wasteful and expensive way to dry your nails if you ask me.
Nail Pens
Click image to be redirected to Amazon.com
I was skeptical of these at first, but I was in Walgreens one day and finally decided I would shell out the $8 to give it a try. I'm so glad I did! While they aren't great for everything, they ARE great at doing lines, dots, and covering a small area. But they do have some drawbacks. When you build up a little blob of the paint on your nail, make sure to hold your nail as level as possible, because it will drip and you could ruin your mani. Also, these are not meant to cover large areas on your nails - for example, if you want to paint half of your nail, use polish or acrylics because the paint in the nail pen will create cracks if you use too much or try to do multiple coats with it. I learned this from my failed Mario Mushroom nails, thinking that it would be easier to pen the white part of the face versus painting it with polish. Oh my god was that a mistake!
Painting Your Dominant Hand
This can be tricky, especially for people that aren't comfortable using a paint brush. The best tip I can offer here is to practice practice practice! You don't have to practice on your nails - try writing with your non-dominant hand at work or whenever you make a note around the house. Since I work a typical desk job, I often have large reports I need to go through and cross things off as I go. I use this opportunity to use my left hand and increase my non-dominant writing skills.
