My Nail Art Essentials

Sometimes it's hard to know where to start when you begin exploring the vast world of nail art and all the hundreds of tools and accessories that are out there to help you on your way. Well I've already done quite a lot of exploring and on my travels I've found a few gems which I'm going to tell you about today.

If I was in a desert island nail art kit situation these are the tools I'd choose. I've narrowed it down to the things I find myself reaching for on an almost daily basis and hopefully you'll find some of them a handy addition to your own nail art arsenal!
Now I'm working on a few assumptions here - I'm going to assume that you already have nail polish and polish remover. After those essentials, these are the things that complete my kit!

What better place to start than with the basics! I've written about base coats and top coats in depth before so I won't go in to too much detail again. A base coat is essential to keep your nails strong and will prevent staining (to an extent). A top coat will seal and smooth out your nail art and make your manicure last longer.

My favourite base coat is OPI Nail Envy and I've found Amazon normally has the best prices. Although they fluctuate a little, it normally sits between £8-10 on Amazon.co.uk or $8-10 on Amazon.com.

At the moment I'm using Sally Hansen Dries Instantly top coat which I think is an old product but again, you can pick it up on Amazon for a reasonable price. 

I get through toothpicks like they're going out of fashion! I can't pinpoint the moment I first started using these in my nail art but these days I'm never without a pot of them on my desk. I use them for placing things like studs and glequins on to my nails by just dipping the end in clear polish to make it sticky. They also come in handy for less glamorous jobs like cleaning under your nails and around your cuticles.

I use these tweezers for things like striping tape, chains and foil. They're super pointy which makes them perfect for fiddly little jobs where your fingers just won't cut it. You can pick them up on eBay and Amazon. 

Since I saw Pretty Purple Polish's post about using PVA glue as an easy peel base coat for glitter, I never wear glitter polish without it. It's just the best thing ever! I always used to avoid glitter polish like the plague but since discovering this trick I'm more than happy to wear glitter all the time. 

This stuff is just kids craft glue so it's super cheap and you can pick it up in any hardware or craft store. I've got a huge bottle and I squeeze a reasonable amount out in to an old nail polish bottle (which I thoroughly cleaned with acetone first). It takes a bit of getting used to at first it and can be hard to apply evenly but once you get the hang of it, you'll be hooked.

I must have dozens of nail brushes lying around but I always find myself using the same two or three. I seem to gravitate towards brushes that have long, thin bristles but everyone has their own preference and you have to kiss a few toads before you find your dream brush.

I'd recommend the nail brush kits you can find on eBay for a few £. The kits have 15 brushes in and offer a good variety to get you started and find your feet. The cheapest ones I've found are £2.19 on eBay UK and $3.51 on eBay in the US.

These are the two I use most often at the moment. They're both from the NPW 8 piece set which retails for about £6. They're both very thin, one of them's just about 1cm long and the other is close to 6mm. 

When it comes to cleaning up around my cuticles, I like to use a short stubby brush with firm bristles. Again, there's a brush out there for everyone and it's just a case of trying out a few and seeing what works for you. This particular brush is from the 15 piece sets you can buy on eBay.

Finally, Acetone is a must! It's like polish remover's big brother... stronger and a slightly more dangerous. I use it sparingly to keep my tools clean and to clean up around my cuticles. I normally buy it in big bottles from Sallys but you can probably pick it up in smaller quantities in your local pharmacy. 

The bottle pictured is a small bottle that I bought in a Tesco pharmacy and I decant from the bigger bottles in to this one as I need it. As I mentioned, it is a bit dangerous so just be careful with it and don't let it touch any plastic!

What are your nail art essentials?

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Write by: Unknown - Tuesday, May 28, 2013