Nail Polish Hacks – These days, just painting your nails is not enough; you have to put in some creativity to enable you to come out with that well-polished good looking nails.
I used to find the process of painting and inserting some design on my nails very dull because I am usually a busy person. Nail fixing was never my thing, but it got to a stage where I took some time during my free time on weekends to try some new stuff out, so I tried out some few designs which weren’t bad after all.
So from then, it was like an obsession with my habit; I now wear different nail designs every week, something that has made me gain popularity among my colleagues at work.
In this article, I will be letting you through the process of some exciting Nail Polish Hacks that will leave your nails becoming the center of attention amongst your peers.
But before I start, I will like readers to note that the suggested list I have compiled below can take much of your time, and it also takes some standard knowledge of craftiness to get it done.
Below are the most useful nail polish Hacks every girl needs to know:
Read Also: 22 Genius Beauty Hacks For Girls That Will Change Your Life
1. French Mani Touch Up
The first on our list of nail polish hacks is the French Mani Touch up. It leaves the nail with double expressions; it leaves the base of the nail looking all shiny while the tip goes with a whole different color altogether.
To succeed in this design, you have to get two different nail polish handy – one must be made of water-white, that way you will be able to maintain the natural color of your fingernails while you still keep it shining using the water-white color which clots the surface leaving it shinning and smooth.
One advantage of this method is that you won’t get frustrated trying to clean your error, which, on most occasions, in some other techniques, people will always prefer to start anew.
Using the French Mani Touch Up, all you need do is to use a glitter pen to hide your mistakes by drawing a line where the two colors mistakenly meet.
How to Do:
- First, clean your Fingers nails with soft toilet paper
- Apply the water white nail paint as a base, then allow it to dry up
- Use the toilet paper to cover the base area of the nail leaving only the bit
- Then apply the secondary paint (white is the most recommendable)
- Remove the covered spot and allow it to dry.
2. Scotch Tape
This method will turn your fingers into some zig-zag looking cynosure; all you need do is to choose the right colors.
To achieve this, you don’t need to have that professional hands of a tattoo artist; all you need is to acquire the right tool for the job and apply it accurately.
To perfect in the Scotch Tape method, you will need your nail brush, your nail paint, and, of course, a scotch tape, which is the most important of them all.
First, you have to apply the base color (or background color), then cut the tape into strands or any shape you want the secondary color to have. Stick it on those nails in the same position you want them to assume then apply the second (secondary) color.
But you note that the base color must be dry (for at least an hour) before you apply the secondary color.
How to Do:
- Get a scotch tape, cut it into shapes and designs you wish, and make sure it fits your nails
- Stick those tapes on your fingers to fit the style you wish
- Now start applying the nail paint on each nail despite the scotch tape on it
- Allow to dry, then gently remove the scotch tape
NB: you can use multiple colors on a nail as far as you the scotch tapes are there to separate the primary color from the secondary.
3. Lace Nails
Just as the name implies, you need a little assistance from some piece of lace fabric to perform this method on our list of nail polish hacks. The outcome of this method will leave a lace imprint on your fingernails.
However, you have to be careful not to over the base paint because it will leave it rough and uncut.
How to Do:
- First apply a base nail paint, (I recommend water-white color)
- Cut out some piece of lace fabric that has the design you need but make it have a size that can be wrapped around the fingernail.
- Wrap it tight around it in such a way that it will stick to the nail
- Leave it for like an hour to dry, then stick out the lace fabric gently to witness the most complicated but appealing nail design on your nail.
4. Love is in the Air
This is simple, if not the simplest amongst them. All you need are your base nail paint, the secondary color of your choice, and a tip stick.
This will require a little bit of artistic skill to execute, but that doesn’t mean you will become a professional artist before you can perform this task.
How to Do:
- Apply the base paint and leave it for an hour to dry up
- Then use the bit of your tip-stick to apply the second pain
- This time you have to be more artistic; make the drawing of any object you wish to have on the nail, probably a heart thus, the name (love in the air)
5. Thin Stripy Nails
This design will leave your nail looking like a “colored drizzle,” to achieve this design, you need a fan brush and various colored nail paints.
How to Do:
- First, apply the base color of your choice and leave it for an hour to dry up.
- Use the stripy brush to apply the second (secondary) paint; you can also apply multiple colors if you wish.
- When it finally dries up, it leaves your nails looking like a multi-strip surface.
6. Splattered Nails
This method on our list of nail polish hacks is a little weird, but surprisingly this my favorite, but it requires you to perform a small task from your side. You should also note that you can also use your make up brush to splatter those paints on the nails.
How to Do:
- First, apply a base nail paint (i recommend you use white as a base color).
- Leave it for an hour to dry up.
- Mix multiples of nail paint, suck it up using a straw, and blow it out on the already dried white paint.
- Leave it for an hour or two to dry up, then clean up those fingers affected by stray paints blown by the strew.
7. Shearing Scissors
This method requires a little bit of creativity and a tool to achieve it, aside from your nail paint you also need a device like the zig-zag scissors, and a tick waterproof cover to perform this task.
How to Do:
- First, apply the base color (my favorite color is black).
- Leave it for an hour or more to dry.
- Cut out a transparent waterproof using the zig-zag scissors
- Cover the already dried part but endeavor to exclude some sections where you will apply the secondary paint.
- Remove the waterproof cover and allow it to dry.
8. Gorgeous Gingham
Just as the name stipulates, this is indeed gorgeous if you get it right. To succeed in this design, you need a little assistance from some materials and tools like scotch tapes and your preferred nail paint.
How to Do:
- Cut out some straight pieces of scotch tape and place it in a way it will attain your desired shape.
- Apply your secondary color and leave it to try.
- Remove the scotch tape after like an hour and apply the base color (preferably white).
9. Easy Small Polka Dots
To achieve this, you need to have your tools handy, not much really; just your tick punctured paper and your preferred nail paint.
How to Do:
- Apply a base nail paint and allow it to dry up.
- Create a tiny dotted hole using a ticking fabric.
- Wrap the fabric around the nail with the well-structured holes aligned strategically at a fitting location on the nail.
- Apply the secondary paint on the wrapped fabric and concentrate on the dotted openings.
- Leave for an hour or more and gently remove the wrapped fabric.
10. Easy Large Polka Dots
Next on our list of nail polish hacks is the easy large polka dots. To achieve this, you have to repeat a little of what you did with the Easy Small Polka Dots; the difference is that the dots in this method are bigger.
How to Do:
- Apply the base color.
- Leave for about an hour or more.
- Apply the dots using a dotting tool.
- Make sure that the base color has dried before you can add the dots to avoid mixing it up with base color.
11. Shaping Cheat
Sometimes an ugly nail polished design doesn’t work for some people, which is why a little addition of art will do a lot in bringing out the beauty.
To perform this task, you need tills like scissors for cutting, tick paper sheets, and of course, a second nail paint.
How to Do:
- First, apply the base color.
- Wait for an hour or more to dry up then.
- Use the tick paper sheet to cut open the shape or symbol you want to embed on the plain nail.
- Place the tick paper sheet on the already dried base paint.
- Use the secondary paint to stick the symbol on the nail using the carved tick paper.
12. Snake Skin Nails
You don’t need much to perform and succeed in this design; when you get it right, this method will leave your nail looking like a shake skin.
How to Do:
- Apply the primary color, which is the base color.
- Unlike in other methods, don’t leave it to dry up.
- Place the tinny open-dotted net on the wet nail paint and leave it to dry then remove it afterward.
13. Half Moon Manicure
This method is just like any other but has a whole different similarity and process. The last time I tried this, it left my nails looking like the shape of a Half Moon.
How to Do:
- Cut out a small circle shape using a tick paper material that can fit into your nails
- Apply the base color and leave it for an hour to dry up.
- Place the half of the portion of cut out circle shaped material.
- Cover the end of the nail and proceed to apply the secondary color.
14. Velvet Luxury
This is another modern way of beautifying your nails without passing thought much stress; the last time a friend of mine tried it out, it was a whole new nail design.
How to Do:
- To achieve this, apply your primary base color.
- When still wet, sprinkle the powder on the surface of the wet nail paint than leave it to dry.
- After an hour or more, brush off the remnants of those powders from the dry surface.
15. Easy Peel-Off Glitter
You can now make your nails look incredibly glittery in appearance, but the difference between this and the usual glittering nail paint is that you can easily peel it off without any form of stain.
Here I used a little help to achieve this one on our list of nail polish hacks- “Elmer’s School Glue,” it is a product specially designed to give your nail that glamorous outlook it deserves, and you can always peel it off when you wish to.
How to Do:
- Clean the nail with a dry clean piece of cloth.
- Apply the “Elmer’s School Glue.”
- Leave for an hour to dry. And that’s it; you are done.
16. Watercolor Art
This will leave your nails looking soft, gorgeous, and healthy. You can choose to use a combination of two or more colors for your secondary color for a more visible effect. In the end, it will leave your fingers looking like a watercolored surface.
How to Do:
- Apply a base nail paint varnish (i recommend white).
- Dip a brush in your other nail paint and place a dot on it (that is when the first paint must have dried up).
- Leave it for an hour to dry up, there you are, a shiny looking finger.
17. Rubber Band French Manicure
This may look a bit crafty for some but can still use the other alternatives if you find it a bit hard to perform. At the end of this, I promise this will leave your nail having two looking fairy gorgeous.
How to Do:
- Get a rubber band, hang it on the tip of your fingernail.
- Apply the base color from the base of the nail up to that area that is demarcated by the rubber band.
- Leave it for an hour or more to dry up.
- Apply your secondary color on the tip of the nails but excluding the already dried base paint.
- Remove the rubber band then allow it to dry up.
18. Newspaper Nails
This is easy to perform. At the end of this nail polish hack, your nails will be left looking like a newspaper surface. The result after you must be done will be a well-printed newspaper nail paint surface.
How to Do:
- Apply your first nail paint.
- Do not allow it to dry up before you now use cut out newspaper piece and make it stick to the wet nail paint.
- Wait for an hour or more to let it dry up, after which you gently remove it from the dried surface.
19. Toothpaste Stain Removal
Now you have another reason to trust your toothpaste aside from just keeping your teeth clean, Sometimes as a result of too many nail paints applied on the nail gets it stained, to bring back that shiny looking nail you have to make use of the toothpaste.
How to Do:
- Apply it (toothpaste) on a full scale to cover the nails.
- Leave it for an hour or more.
20. Quick-Dry Nails
This is a bit conversational and simple as well. I usually try this method when I don’t have much time to perform the other intricate designs; it brings out that shinny appearance of your nails.
How to Do:
- Apply the base (primary) paint color of your choice.
- Leave it for an hour to dry up.
- After it must have dried up, apply the water-white on it as a secondary color.
21. Rhinestone Application
This is just like every other nail paint design. The only difference in this just the Rhinestone. However, you have to note that you can use any color for this, including a water-white.
How to Do:
- Apply your base nail paint.
- Allow it for like an hour to dry up.
- Add your rhinestone using a little amount of gum, glue, or any other sticking agent.
- It takes 1-2 hours to stick, depending on the sticking agent you used.
Conclusion
Lastly, nails are not only meant to be kept clean but also look beautiful. Though there are many other lovely methods out there that can make your nails looking gorgeous, I strongly recommend you try any of these nail polish hacks for best-proven performance.
Good luck!
