To all of you nail artists, I wanted to get this blog out in time for the Memorial Day holiday. I don’t know about you, but painting my nails in Red, White and Blue gives me such a patriotic feeling and my friends look forward to seeing what kind of artwork I am going to paint at each holiday. The only problem is… painting those STRAIGHT red and white stripes and those TINY white stars, so I have found a way around the dilemma, at least for me.

Sally Beauty has the most wonderful tool called the Cina Nail Art Pen. This paint pen comes in several colors, so I decided to try it. After reading the directions…yes, I am a directions reader, I discovered that it is water soluble, which is great, because if you don’t like what you just painted, just wipe it away with a damp paper towel. I thought to myself, this may be just the thing I need to paint those stripes that seem to give me such trouble. The ArtClub Nail Art White Rainbow Stars also helped save me a lot of time. So, the following is a design that was quick and easy using these great new discoveries.

Below is the list of supplies you need to complete the look:

Nail Polish Remover
Polish Remover Pads
Clear Base Coat
Bright Red Nail Polish (mine has a metallic sheen to it)
Deep Blue (I used a blue metallic over a navy blue polish)
Cina Nail Art Pen-White
ArtClub Nail Art-White Rainbow Stars
Clear Top Coat

Remove all old nail polish, wash the polish remover off and moisturize your hands. File and buff your nails. Remember to wipe only your nail beds again with remover to cleanse them of the moisturizer, or the polish will not stick. Apply a clear basecoat and let dry.

Step 1: Apply two coats of Red Nail Polish and let dry.

Step 2: Remove the Cina Nail Art Pen (White) from the package, remove the lid and push down on the tip until the paint flows freely, just like a normal paint pen. I used a piece of paper to press the pen against, because the paint will run out at the tip. Blot off the excess paint and begin drawing. The paint flows very well, so you don’t need to press down on your nails. When the pen needs more paint, press down on the paper and blot away the excess and you are ready to go again.

I painted three curved lines on each nail. I thought this was a good way to avoid those straight stripes. As I said before, if you don’t like them, just wipe them off and repaint.  (Now that I look at the photos, I think I should have redone a couple, lol.)

After I was finished with the lines, I filled in one side of the nail tip with the navy blue polish with an overlay of the metallic blue polish. I like a deep blue, so this is how I get it. Let all the polish dry well before going to the next step.

Step 3: Since the paint pen is a water-based paint on top of an enamel-based paint, it takes a few extra minutes to dry, and it is very delicate until you seal it with a topcoat.  Gently apply a clear topcoat and while it is still wet, add some white Rainbow Stars around one of the white curved lines. I used a toothpick to help pick up the small stars and apply them to my nails. After all your nails are finished, apply at least one more clear top coat. Two coats will help the stars stay on better, but it is your choice.

And, there you have it! You’re finished! This is really fast and very patriotic!

This was such a fun design to do and it really takes no time to create it. The Cina Paint Pen is a life saver to me and I plan to use it in more of my nail art designs, and those little stars are just too cute. I hope you give this a try and have a fun and safe holiday.  Until next time….keep those nails covered.

For the past several months, I have been asked to demo the Ombré technique. Honestly, I didn’t know what this technique was until a friend showed me a photo. This is what I would call a fade effect. Apparently, the fashion world uses the word Ombré instead, but I haven’t seen it until recently in nail art. I LOVE IT! The first time I saw it, I thought “This is so cool!” Then I had to figure out how it was done. I tried several techniques, but none of them were successful. Then it occurred to me – use a stenciling technique. So, that is exactly what I did and it was so easy. You are going to love it, too!

Let’s get started.

Supplies:
Nail Polish Remover
Polish Remover Pads
Clear Base Coat
2 Contrasting Nail Polish shades of your choice
Clear Top Coat
Wax Paper
Cosmetic Wedges

Step 1-Remove any old polish with remover and cleanse your nails with soap and water. Apply a moisturizer, and file and buff your nails. Take a clean polish remover pad and clean the nail bed only with polish remover to make sure there is no oil on the nail bed. If there is any oil from the hand moisturizer, the polish will not stick.

Step 2-Prep your work area by laying down a small piece (at least 6” square) of wax paper. Yes, I know this is a strange thing to do, but you will understand in a minute. Also, get out 3 or 4 cosmetic wedges. Now, you are ready to paint.

Step 3-Apply a clear basecoat to all nails and let dry for at least 5 minutes. This coat needs to be relatively dry because you are going to be “stenciling” or “blotting” it with nail polish and you don’t want it to smear or come off.

Step 4-Apply a nail polish shade of your choice. I used a lighter color for my base, but you could reverse the colors for a different effect. Let dry.

Step 5-Drip a couple of drops of the second nail polish choice onto the wax paper. (The wax paper does not absorb the polish and is easily thrown away after you are finished). Immediately pick up the cosmetic wedge and dab one edge into the polish. Now, with a “blotting” motion, apply the polish gently to the tips of the nails, blending the polish from the tip toward the center of the nail. I began on my little finger because it was smaller and not as noticeable if I made a mistake. Don’t rush, but work quickly to keep the polish on the wedge and the wax paper from drying.  Reapply paint to the wedge and wax paper as needed, but be careful not to get too much paint on the wedge, or you will create a hard edge instead of a blend.  Also, change wedges after painting  4 or 5 nails, because the polish begins to break down the synthetic wedge leaving residue in your polish (yep, that happened to me). I lightly applied the polish to all my nails. Don’t worry if it isn’t an even coat.

Then I came back and applied another coat to darken the color. By doing this, I avoided over painting them. Also, don’t worry about getting polish on the edges of your fingers. Just remove it with a pad and remover when you are finished. I think you will be amazed at how fast this technique is to apply.

Step 6-When you have achieved the blend that you want, apply a top coat and you are finished.

This is such a fun and really quick to make your nails really pop. Your friends will think that you spent hours, but we know the truth…shhhhh, it’s our little secret. Here is another version of the Ombré effect… I used it like a French Manicure (but without the hard line of course) and I really like it.

This technique lends itself to so many color choices…well, it is limitless. I hope you had fun and enjoyed a new way of polishing your nails. I’ll be blogging again soon.

Keep those nails covered,

I am always looking for new nail art techniques and designs to share with my fellow nail artisans, so I am very excited about the one I am going to show you today. A friend sent me a photo of a nail art design called “V-Gap”. Some of you may have heard about this, but it was new to me. This is a nail art design that is very popular in Europe. The look is sleek and modern and I think it is really cool. The design can be used in many, many different ways and you only need one color of nail polish to accomplish it, so pick your favorite shade and let’s go.

Supplies:
Nail Polish Remover
Polish Remover Pads
Clear Base Coat
Nail Polish of your choice
Clear Top Coat

Step 1: Remove all old nail polish, wash the polish remover off and moisturize your hands. File and buff your nails.

Step 2: Apply a clear base coat and let it dry.

Step 3: The reason that the technique is called “V-Gap” is exactly that – you are going to make a “V” shape at the top of the nail, while leaving a very small “gap” all the way down the nail to the end of the nail tip. Begin at the top and side of the nail and free-hand a half “v” shape. Dip your brush into the bottle and beginning where you left off with the half “v”, paint a straight stroke down the nail to the tip. Dip the brush again and fill in the half “v”. The key to painting this design is not to paint too far toward the middle of the nail with the first stroke. It took me a couple of tries before I got the feel for it. If you paint too far with the first stroke, your “gap” will be off-center.

Step 4: Repeat step 3, but of course, in the opposite direction. You need a steady hand and some patience, but don’t get frustrated if it doesn’t turn out perfect (mine didn’t). However, your friends will still be impressed that you painted such a neat pattern. Just remember to go slow and if you make a mistake, just remove it and start over (I love that part of painting).

Step 5: Apply a top coat and let dry

The “V-Gap” is a very unique design and as I said earlier, it lends itself to a lot of different looks such as: adding rhinestones down the “gap” for a more elegant look, or adding tiny “x’s” down the “gap” to look like lacing. The possibilities are endless!

So, have fun with this new look from our friends across the water and I will be blogging again soon.

Keep those nails covered,

Since I paint my nails often, sometimes it is difficult to think of new ideas for nail art. Oh, I know, I could just paint them one solid color….but where is the fun in that?  I have come to think of my nails as tiny canvases just waiting for me to express myself. OK, maybe that is going a little bit over board, but I enjoy looking at my nail art, just like viewing paintings in a gallery. However there are two really good things about nail art. One is that it doesn’t cost a fortune like expensive paintings, and the second is when you get tired of looking at one design, or maybe you aren’t happy with the way it turned out…just repaint it. So, today we are going “abstract” with our nails…or should I say “canvases”? This was really fun for me, because the design wasn’t limiting and it let me be free with my brush strokes. Plus, the red is PERFECT for Valentine’s Day!  I hope you will have as much fun as I did.

Here is the list of supplies that you will need:

Polish remover
Clear Base Coat
Pale Pink Polish
Red Polish
Black Polish
White Striping Polish
Black Striping Polish
Clear Top Coat

Remove any old polish and then rinse the remover off your cuticles to keep from drying them out.

I usually moisturize my hands and cuticles with a good hand lotion while I trim and file my nails. If you do this, remember to remove the lotion from your nail bed before polishing, or the polish won’t stick.

OK, let’s paint!

Step 1: Apply a clear basecoat on your nails and follow with a pale pink coat of polish. You can also use your natural nail color and skip the pink polish if you want.

Step 2: Paint a ¼ circle in red on one side of all your nails. Remember to reverse the side when you paint your other hand so that your hands will mirror each other. Add a second coat.

Step 3: Paint a ¼ circle in black, in the opposite direction, on the other side of all your nails. Add a second coat.

Step 4: Using the black striping polish, paint two very thin, short, curved lines, on top of the magenta polish, following the shape of the ¼ circle. Now, make a longer curved line in the opposite direction and extend the line onto the pale pink polish.

Tip: When painting thin curved lines, rake off most of the polish in the bottle before painting. I painted all the lines with only one dip into the bottle, per nail. The thinner the lines, the better this design looks.

Step 5: Using the white striping polish, paint two short, white curved lines on top of the black polish, following the ¼ circle shape. Also, make a longer line in the opposite direction and extend the line onto the pale pink polish.

For the final touch, accent the short black curved lines with a stroke of white and add one to the top of the red ¼ circle.

Let your nails dry for a few minutes and apply two clear top coats. I was very pleased with the way I converted my blank canvases into abstract works of art. Just remember, no two pieces of art are the same, so your nails don’t need be exact. It looks more difficult than it really is…don’t you think?

Have fun and I will be blogging again soon.

Keep those nails covered,