Nails Arts Biography
Source(google.com.pk)
Half moon nails are a vintage, retro look that's so easy to do! Your fun fact of the day? Women started doing half moon manicures because it was considered indecent the have the entire nail painted. I wonder what people in the old days would have made of Japanese nail art?! Regardless, thanks to celebrities like Dita Von Teese and designers like Ruffian, half moons are very much back in style.
For this tutorial I used China Glaze in Make An Extrance, American Apparel Laquer in Smoke Dazzle, Manicure Guide stickers from the dollar store and Seche Vite top coat.
tips & tricks
I used some french manicure guide stickers I got at the dollar store, but what works even better is binder reinforcers (aka hole punch enforcers). You might remember those from your school days. They're easy to find and cheap! If you're using those, just cut them in half and stick them on!
Some other tutorials I've seen online say to wait until your polish is completely dry before removing the stickers, but I've always had good results with removing while wet.
The "original" vintage look is with your natural half moon of your nail on the bottom, it's beautiful.
Always make sure your polish is completely dry before pressing on the stickers or you'll smudge your base color.
Try to choose a polish that will go on opaque in one coat, because you can only really do one so the polish is still wet when you peel the sticker off.
Floral Nail Art is a staple in any artists arsenal. The cute, mod flowers are deceptively simple to do, and give such a great look! All you need is some fun colors and a dotting tool and you're ready to flower it up. The roses are a bit more challenging, but are totally worth mastering. They're so cute! Don't be discouraged if it's not exactly what you want the first time, practise make perfect. You should see some of the terrible flowers I've painted in my day!
For these tutorials I used Sally Hansen Extreme Wear in Lacey Lilac, Deep Purple and Mint Sorbet.
tips & tricks
Don't have a dotting tool? No problem! I did this whole look with the head of a bobby pin.
Don't be afraid to mix up your color combos.
For a simpler version of the mod floral nail art, skip the lighter dots and just do a center dot.
For the lines on the roses I suggest a fine brush but a toothpick will work in a pinch.
Bundle Monster does a rose stamp on their BM12 plate that will give a similar effect if you're not a fan of hand painting.
If you really hate hand painting, try some rhinestones!
Nail stamping is amazing! There are literally hundreds of image plates to choose from and sometimes you can find them on ebay for a very good price. The main manufactuer is Konad but there is also Bundle Monster. If you're looking to buy, your best bet is Ebay and Amazon. You can find nail stamping image plates on Amazon for half the price of the other sites. I paid too much for my sets...don't get burned!
What you need to get started is an image plate, a stamper and scraper and a "konad special polish". You can buy starter kits that include all the basics for around $20. It may seem like a lot of buying tools and accessories but the result is so worth it. You can create looks beyond your wildest dreams and the best part is...it's fast! For this tutorial I used Konad Plate M57, a must-have in my opinion.
tips & tricks
You don't have to use konad special polishes. What makes them so special is that they are very, very opaque. Any polish that goes on opaque with one coat should work. Try out some polishes in your collection and see how they work, I've had good results with Sally Hansen Nail FX.
Lost your scraper? Don't fret, a gift card will do the trick.
Work fast! The polish starts to dry as soon as you paint it on the plate.
Try and try again. As first, I couldn't for the life of me get my stamps to line up properly on my nails. You will get better with practise.
When applying your top coat, use good amount and don't brush it over and over. Do one clean swipe, and do a second coat when dry if you need to.
Hold the scraper at a 45 degree angle when you scrape.
You don't neccesarily have to clean your stamper and plate in between each nail. Use your judgement.
Feeling a bit confused? Watch my video tutorial to wrap your head around it all. Skip ahead to 6:30 to get to the nail stamping.
