Nail Art Tips for Broke Chicks

I recently started getting really into the whole nail art trend.  As a beginner, it's been interesting to learn all the tricks of the trade from the nail art blogs and YouTube videos.  The designs these girls come up with are absolutely incredible, but some of the tools needed to create these designs can be pretty expensive.  Here's some nail art designs I've tried out:

I used a striping brush with the polish included to make this design

I used a regular toothpick with the end cut off to make these dots:

I used a medium sized nail art brush with a slanted end to make this design:

As you can see from the pictures, I wasn't lying when I said I was a newbie at nail art. 

Here's some cost-saving tips I've found out about through conducting my own extensive nail art research.


There are many items you already have lying around the house that can make great nail art tools.

Dotting Tools 

You can make a dotting tool with just about anything that has a rounded tip or that can be made to have a rounded tip.  Bobby pins, q-tips and the ends of small paintbrushes and makeup brushes work well for making one size of dot.

You can also use a straight pin stuck into a pencil eraser as a dotting tool.

In my opinion, a toothpick is the best household item to use as a dotting tool.  They're lighter and you can make adjustments to the size of your dots by sniping the end of the toothpick.

Striping Tape

Instead of buying colorful striping tape that you'll probably just end up ripping off anyway once you've finished your design, you can just use good old fashioned Scotch tape to get those exact lines you're looking for.  You can use scotch tape as a guide for french manicures or other designs.  If you have a lot of patience, you can cut the Scotch tape into thin strips and use it just like striping tape.  This can get tedious, though.  I had a really hard time keeping my tape strips from getting stuck together.  It could be wise to try and use tweezers with the Scotch tape, just as you would with nail striping tape.

Misc. Tools for Various Designs

Next, I'll give you a rundown of some other helpful nail art tools you probably have around the house.  

My favorite of these is the cosmetic sponge.  This is absolutely the go-to tool for creating gradients on your nails.  In fact, I'm not even sure they make an "official" tool for this design.  Everyone just uses the sponge.  

Image from polishandpearls.com

You can use a straw to make a fun splatter pattern on your nails.  All you have to do is dip one end of the straw in polish and blow the polish onto your nails.

 

Image from trends-style.com

 

 

 

Mesh or tulle fabric can be used to make beautiful latticework designs, without the tedium of hand painting them.  Just place the mesh or tulle over your nails and paint over it.

 

Image from Pinterest

 

 

 

To make a snakeskin manicure, dab some polish onto a paper towel and then dab your nail haphazardly.  You will end up with a cool scaly design.

Image from Pinterest

If you're creating a project that won't require the use of any of these found tools, there are a few nail tools and accessories you can make on your own.

Nail Striper

You can make a great nail striper by thinning out the bristles of almost any small brush.  Paintbrushes, makeup brushes and even old eyeliner brushes and brushes from old nail polish bottles, after being cleaned of course, can be used to make a trendy nail art design on your nails.  The best part about making your own striping brush is that you can thin the brush to meet your exact specifications.

Nail Art Stickers

Using a plastic bag, Ziploc bag or any other thin plastic sheet and some of your own favorite nail polish, you can create your own nail stickers.  It's really fun to do!  First, you paint your design on to the plastic.  Use about 2-3 coats of polish when painting your design.  You may even need to use more if you're using a thin polish.  Then, leave your design to dry overnight.  Make sure the polish is completely dry before you pull the sticker.  After waiting all night for it you definitely don't want it to fall apart!


If you don't want to or just don't like the idea of making your own tools or using household stuff for your designs, Amazon has some ridiculously cheap nail tools for sale.  I, myself, ordered some from Amazon and I love them.  They're terrific!  You won't believe how little I paid for all of it either

I got a 15-piece brush set, a 6 piece set of dotting tools and 30 rolls of striping tape (all different colors) for a little over $5 with free shipping!  Unbelievable bargain!  I did a happy dance when I discovered this deal!  The only downside is that these items have to be shipped from China, so it took a little over 2 weeks for them to make it to my home.


In conclusion, I wanted to give out a little advice about shopping for nail polish.  First of all, there's no need to buy expensive nail polish, especially if you're just starting out doing nail art like I am because there will be a lot of mistakes and you could end up wasting the expensive stuff.  Sure, there are a lot of cheap polishes out there that aren't the greatest, but some brands are comparable with their more expensive counterparts.  Sinful colors is my top choice for affordable polish.  They are $2 a bottle and you can buy them everywhere.  Also, Walgreens has Sinful colors on sale for half price from time to time. 

Sally Hansen is just as good or better than Sinful Colors.  You can find it everywhere, as well.  Different lines of the polish cost more, but the basic Sally Hansen is usually between $1.50-$2.50 per bottle.  NYX is also good.  You can find some types of this brand at Wal-Mart for less than $2 a bottle.  You can find great deals on nail polish at closeout stores and discount stores, such as Big Lots.  I, recently, scored 3 Revlon polishes for $3 at Big Lots.


As you can see, nail art can be a really fun and inexpensive hobby.  Give some of these tips a try and let me know what you think.

Bye for now, everyone!