I never used to paint my nails. They grow pretty quickly, and I always thought it wasn’t worth the time and effort to paint them if they were just going to grow out. But, when nail art and creative home manicures started to become popular recently, I decided to hop on the bandwagon. The result has been an increase in the size of my nail polish collection, and a lot of fun nail designs.
I’m a big fan of polka dots (on everything), so one of my favorite techniques is dotting. Before I’d fully committed to the world of nail art, I was looking for an inexpensive way to make dots, and I ended up using the tip of a bobby pin. The Beauty Department also has a great tutorial on making your own dotting tool out of a pencil and a sewing pin. Since I don’t have the steadiest hands, I eventually decided to give in and go professional. Sephora actually has a really fantastic set that includes a double ended dotting tool and a brush…and it’s only $10. I highly recommend it!
I’ve tried a lot of different “nail trends,” including neons and neutrals, crackle, and pastels, and I love thinking up new ideas. Pinterest is a great resource for manicure inspiration. It’s also fun to take pictures of your mani on Instagram and give it some dramatic effects.
Have you gotten into nail art? What are your favorite polishes and tools? Follow me on Instagram (I’m samgrams) and Pinterest for more of my manicures.
The foo
I LOVE the one in the bottom right! I’ve only recently gotten into painting my nails, but I’ve still yet to try patterns or anything wackier than, like, plain old hot pink.
Thanks! That one took a little more time and some scotch tape
It’s fun to do patterns, you should give it a try!