Nail art offers endless opportunities for you to express your creativity, and with the endless amount of nail art products available you create anything you desire at minimal cost and effort. the real effort is practising! Technicians should aim to create their own masterpieces. the basic techniques are easy, all you need is a bit of imagination and the right equipment and products.
A selection of my nail art equipment!!
Nail paints:
These are usually water-based acrylic paints as this type of paint gives a very dense colour , can be mixed and is easier to use for fine line detail. There are lots of effects that can be achieved with a selection of nail art brusher and a marbling tool.
click on pics for larger image.
Marbling tool. Nail art brushes. Acrylic paints. Stencils.
Nails need to be painted with a base colour that will be part of or enhance the finished design, the varnish is usually touch dry before painting any designs
A very long, thin brush dipped in paint can achieve fine stripes, abstract patterns or marbling can look good with a god choice of colour combinations- either from flicking colour from side to side or putting spots of colour on the nail and mixing it with the marbling.
You can also use stencils for designs, you can buy these from nail art suppliers and they have a sticky back on them to keep them in place, they are applied to a dry nail and panted over, when the paint is dry they are removed leaving the design.
if you make any mistakes this can be easily removed with a cotton bud dipped in water.
Like all nail art, sealing the design is very important- if you want it to last. When the paint is dry apply one or two coats of sealer or topcoat to fix the paint and bring out the colour.
Clients should be advised to apply topcoat every other day to avoid chipping .
Foils:
This is a very easy technique as the foils already have the design on them so all you do is apply them to the nail using foil adhesive. you can create some lovely designs using foil because the foil only goes where you put the adhesive, when it goes clear put the foil onto the nail and press down, gently remove the foil- DON'T FORGET TO SEAL THE DESIGN!!
Glitter dust:
Glitter polish and dust can bring your nail art to life, polishes are applied directly to the nail, the dust can be applied using sealer then dipping your nail into it.
Transfers:
There are loads of these available and they come in 2 types
1/Sticky back- just simply peel and stick to the nail
2/Water decals- these are soaked off by applying a few drops of water to the back and removing gently then placing on the nail.
Nail jewellery:
Some jewellery is applied to the nail as polish secures that means they stick to wet nail polish and coated with topcoat.
Other types involve making a hole in the free edge of the nail using a special piercing tool
Gems:
These are very popular they come in all different shape, sizes and colours. Use a wet orangewood stick to pick up the gem and place it on the nail while the varnish is still tacky, allow to dry and apply topcoat. The gems can be re-used if the silver backing stays in place after removing it. If it comes off it is no good as it will not reflect colour.
Foils Glitter dust & polish Transfers Gems & polish secures
If your interested in nail technology and nail art check out the following sites for course information:
Hammersmith and West London
college-
www.hwlc.ac.uk
Uxbridge college (Hayes campus)-
www.uxbridge.ac.uk
