My Nail Care/Art Essentials

A little bit of a different post today but I wanted to share my favourite nail care and nail art tools.

So firstly it’s is important to take care of your nails and use a good base coat before any polish or art is applied. Not only does the base help prevent chipping of the polish it also protects the nails from staining.  

 

So here are my favourites for getting the perfect base. 

• O.P.I glass file – I love this file it is much less abrasive on the nails but works quickly and efficiently. I only file every few days as I don’t want to lose length just refine the shape.
• Cuticle Knife – I have had this since college (I did beauty therapy and this was part of the kit), which makes it 13 years old!! It is my favourite tool, I use it to push back and remove stray cuticles. But it also helps with nail art as I use it to neaten lines with my paint, remove stray polish from my skin when painting and many more..
• Beeswax Cuticle & Nail Cream – not only is this product amazing it is local to me. This is produced in Oxfordshire where I live and it so moisturising it does wonders for my cuticles.
• O.P.I Nail Envy – I owe my long nails to this product alone!! I have always had dry splitting nails but that changed when I found this product. It was recommended by so many bloggers I had to try and I have been using it ever since.
• Boots Buffer – once a week when changing my nail design I use this buffer to smooth the nail surface and increase blood flow to the nail to encourage strength and growth.
• Elegant Touch Cuticle Nippers – I used to suffer with terrible skin around my nails but with regularly trimming the excess around my nails the appearance is much better and it is immensely easier to clean up after polishing my nails. 

   
As you will know I much prefer to work freehand with acrylic paint to create art. Above are my paint brushes I have collected over time. Most are from Hobbycraft but the 3 bottom brushes are from stylishnailartshop on IG or Etsy.

I have taken a close picture of my current favourites with my fingers to give a size perspective. From left to right – ProArte Miniature Painting 5/0 (50026999), Edinburgh Realism Grace & Stylishnailart Brush Maxi. 

 I use a Daler Rowney set of acrylic paints, these paints were bought for me in December 2013 and thanks to nail art using so little paints they are still going strong. 

 Finally here is a small selection of my other nail art goodies.

• Striping Tape – I mainly use tape as a guide for painting stripes of other straight lined shapes but it can be used by placing on the nail and top coating. The only problem is it can peel at the edges
• Dotting Tools – these are one of the top tools everyone should own! They are so simple to use and dots are such a pretty nail art design.
• Studs/ Gems – the two sets shown in the picture are but a small sample of what I do own. Studs again are a very easy nail art tool as you can adhere these to the nail with glue or polish, add a top coat and you are good to go.
• Make Up Sponge – sponges are essential for creating gradients. As you can see from the sponge pictured  you can mix all sorts of colours to create beautiful nails.
• Top Coats – A top coat is a must! Even if it just a plain polished nail as it helps prevent chipping, protect the polish or art.  My standard top coat is Glisten & Glow HK Girl Top Coat. The is super fast drying (even helping to dry polishes underneath) and has such a shiny glass finish it makes any design or colour pop. Some designs I paint are so detailed that a sine can take away from the overall finish. In these situations I use O.P.I Matte Top Coat.
• Nail Art Pens – these are great for producing quick nail art and if you are a beginner a good way to practice creating art and shapes.
• Nail Vinyls – anyone can use vinyls to create fab designs as it is as simple as paint and peel off. There is an ever increasing selection of vinyls out there so there is something for everyone.

I hope this has been insightful and if you have any questions leave a comment xoxo