I’ve always had a fascination with nail art. It’s gorgeous to look at other people’s crazy design ideas & I feel extra fabulous when it’s my nails that are dolled up. However, I am no artiste. I don’t own any thin-brushed nail polishes or anything fancy, but I do own a hell of a lot of nail polish.
This week I’m here to show you something (almost as basic as applying one colour) that will be bound to leave people gasping. I did this just the other day & got many compliments later that night (it was really exciting!). This DIY is short & sweet and will leave you feeling extra fabulous!
So take an hour out of your day and try out my first nail DIY. It’s cheaper than the $15 dollar visit to the nearest nail salon & a lot more exciting than one colour!
(A special thanks to my Mum for letting me use her nails for this!)
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Step 1. File & Buff
Bite your nails? Chip your nail? Don’t do anything to your nails? Take a quick minute & file them. It will give all your nails a mutual shape — My #pesonalfave is the square-shaped nail. Then go ahead and buff them — this is the nail version of sand paper and leaves your nails super soft. If you’re a nail picker, this will smooth your nail out so it’s simply one layer. Once you’re done this, wash your hands with soap and water to make sure no buff-dust or remains of the filing is left behind.
Step 2. Pick your colours.
Similar to when you go to get a pro mani, you’ll need to choose some colours. I recommend 3 (& a clear colour for the end) — Two basic colours & a third that’s a little bit louder. For today I’ve picked colours that I think match these changing autumn leaves. I’ve got coral, mint green & decided on silver as my loud pick.
Step 3. First colour.
Go ahead and paint all of your nails in one colour. You may need to do two coats to ensure no plain nail is peaking through. Leave these to dry before continuing to the next step.
Step 4. Half &Half.
Take your second colour & paint only HALF of your nail with it. YES you will go over HALF of the first colour. You may want two coats of this one as well. Don’t worry too much if every nail is even. A few jagged lines add personality! (Words of a klutz)
Step 5. Odd Man Out.
This is a #personalfave — I love nail polish & can never decide on just one colour, so I often paint my RING FINGER a different colour. Since I’m using more than one colour, today, I’ve decided to skip the 2nd colour on my ring finger, and go for my third LOUD colour. I’ve picked silver cause it adds a dab of glam.
NOTE: If you like this idea, you can go ahead and skip step 4 on your ring finger, so you can simply paint onto the first colour & not over both the first & second.
Step 6. Befriend the Q-tip.
Did you make any mistakes? I always do. Painting my right hand is the most difficult since I’m not ambidextrous. Go ahead & get some nail polish remover, a few Q-tips and clean up the polish that fell where it shouldn’t.
*Toothpicks are also good for getting on the inside corners of your nails — I like to use them place of the thumb-nail swipe that is so much easier. Although using your other nails to clean corners is tempting, DON’T do it. You will ruin all your hard work!!
Step 7. Clear Jacket.
Once your nails are FULLY dry. And you’ve added multiple coats, go ahead and apply a coat of plain, clear coloured nail polish. This adds some shimmer & gives your nails that final ‘cherry on top’ look. My #personalfave for the clear nail polish is whatever is on sale. That sounds silly, but nail polish is ridiculously priced, and as long as it’s not one that’s super crummy, it will work fine. I like buying my nail polish from shoppers as opposed to super cheap places like the dollar store. It won’t be a dollar, but you can find many that aren’t OPI prices. I got my clear polish by Revlon for just under $4.
And now you’re done! Check out the same design I did on my nails just the other day, but used black, purple & silver instead!
I hope this DIY was easy enough for you to follow along to. Tweet us your successful (or not so successful attempts) @RUStudentLife!
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While you wait for your nails to dry, check out some of my #personalfave nail finds:
Places you wouldn’t expect to sell decently priced nail polish: Forever 21, Jean Machine. & American Apparel (in order of lowest to highest price points) ** If you’re more of an online shopper, check out this canadian-based nail polish store — they have practically every colour!
Want your outfit to match your nails at all times? Take a look at my #personalfave nail blog: Miss Lady Finger. It has the perfect title & amazing DIY designs!
One thing I wish I could do with my nails is this LOVELY design. It looks simple, but I feel like it’s hard. Maybe I’ll start practicing & try it out for Valentines Day.
I never know how to organize my nail polish. Currently all my bottles are in a plastic box from the dollar store. Check out this simple & fun DIY nail polish storage idea. I think The Beauty Department is really great for easy to follow tutorials!
Willing to spend some big bucks on your nails? Check out Pinky’s Nails on Richmond St. They do fabulous things that my little student budget wishes it could afford. *They do have wonderful promotions that I recommend you stay on top of if you love what they’re doing (I do!!)
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And with that, I’m off to go browse through some more gorgeous nails on Tumblr. If you’re a nail pro or have some super cool nail finds, tell us on twitter @RUStudentLife using the hashtag #personalfave & comment below, I’d absolutely love to see the fun stuff you nail artists are trying & loving!
