You don’t need to be an artist to paint cute nail art!  With artistic nails becoming more and more popular, we’re always on the lookout for ways to make our fingers look fancy without requiring lot of time and extreme talent.  Our beauty contributor, Megan from Razberriez, is here today to show us a simple technique for making your own nail stencils, allowing you to easily add personality to your manicure.

Project estimate:

• Basecoat*, on hand or $1 and up
• Two nail polishes*, on hand or $2 and up
• Topcoat*, on hand or $1
• Wax paper or a plastic baggie, on hand
• Painters tape, on hand
• Mini Scrapbooking Punch (small enough to fit the nail), on hand or $1 and up

Total:  Free and up

*Polishes used here:  Essie Grow Stronger basecoat, Color Club “blue-ming”, OPI Black Onyx, Sally Hansen Mega Shine topcoat

To create your nail stencil, start by cutting up your plastic baggie/wax paper into even squares. Then, take your low-tack painters tape and lay it on top of the squares so that they stick together. This will prevent the mini punch from sticking to the tape.

Take your mini punch and stamp out the design you would like on the tape. To make it easier when you go to put it on your nail, use scissors to cut them into smaller pieces. You can find these mini scrapbooking punches at various craft stores, I found mine for $1 each. They usually have a fun variety of designs you can choose from, so pick your favorites!

Now that you have made your nail stencils, apply your favorite base coat to all of your nails to help prevent chipping and staining. It will also help this cute manicure stay on that much longer.

Once that has dried, paint your nails with the polish of your choice. These have to dry until they are 100% dry so that the painters tape won’t ruin the nail polish underneath when you peel it off. I recommend waiting an hour or two.

After you’ve ensured that all of your nails are dry, you can then decide which nail you would like to apply the design to. I chose my thumb because it was the largest nail. Gently peel the plastic backing off of your stencil and then carefully press it onto your nail.

Using a contrasting nail polish (I chose black), paint over the stencil with thin coats so it doesn’t bleed through. Let this dry for 1-2 minutes before peeling it off.

Peel off your nail stencil and viola! Now you have an adorable design on your nail. The stencils can be reused, but I only would reuse them if I was using the same color again. Otherwise, I would just make a bunch and cut them out at the same time.

Apply your favorite top coat and you are done! These nails are sure to impress any crowd. Have fun experimenting with designs and different shaped punches to further customize your manicure!

The post Tutorial: DIY Nail Stencil appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I always thought the gradient nail effect, with all the confusing steps and blending, would be hard to achieve. My outlook on the design changed when I came across this technique. It’s easy to get a blended ombre nail polish effect with just a few common supplies you probably already have on hand. And if you don’t have them, your dollar store does! Read on for instructions on how to easily create ombre nails.

1. Apply 2 coats of white polish to your nails. I used a shimmery white to give the gradient a sheen, but any white will work.
2. Use a makeup sponge to create the design. Paint even stripes of the colors on the side of a makeup sponge.  You can choose 3 (or how ever many you like) polishes to make the design. Since you will be doing this in coats, don’t make the stripes too thick in consistency, you don’t want them to run.
3. Gently press the sponge on your dry nail. Once the polish is on the sponge in the order you would like, gently pat it onto your nail. Don’t worry about getting it on your skin, we will clean it up after all of the coats are on.
4. Let each coat dry and continue until you reach the color you want. You will need to reapply the polish to the sponge after every coat, I used 3 coats, but it all depends on how opaque your nail polish is.
5. Clean up around your nails. Dip a cotton swab into nail polish remover and gently clean up any polish that is on your skin.
6. Add some glitter! This step is optional, but I find it helps the colors to fade together better if you add a thin layer of silver glitter on top of your gradient.
7. Apply your topcoat. Seal in your fabulous design with a fast dry top coat!

Megan blogs about makeup, nails, learning how to look great on a budget and keeping up with the latest styles at her site razberriez.com. She is the fingernail fashion contributor for Dollar Store Crafts.

The post Nail Tutorial: Easy Ombre Nails appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Nail art is all the rage right now, but going to a professional salon can get pricey. Lately we’ve been featuring a few DIY nail art tutorials here at DSC, so I thought I’d scour the web for some more tutorials to help get you inspired. Hopefully after trying all of these tutorials, you’ll come up with some of your own to share with us! Tutorials marked with *** mean that you should use regular nail polish instead of quick-dry, otherwise the technique will not work properly.

• Try Out These 3 Easy Nail-Art Designs by Refinery 29 [Pictured] ***
  I love the ombre technique pictured above. Think of all the color combinations that would work together!
• Nail Art Tutorial: Gradient Sponge Technique by EBeauty Blog ***
  This tutorial shows you how to create gradients using make-up sponges. The possibilities with this technique are endless!
• Christmas Ornament Inspired Nails by Ask Me Whats ***
  I really like her sponge technique here. This tutorial was later published in a beauty magazine, so go try it yourself!
• Tie-Dye Nail Art by NAILS Magazine ***
  This is part of their Easy Nail Art for Newbies Article. If you liked the marble look, you’ll love the tie-dye look as well!
• DIY Turkey Day Nail Art Guide by Refinery 29
  Refinery 29 provides us with three more nail art techniques, these are just in time for Thanksgiving.
• Fimo Nail Art Tutorial by EBeauty Blog
  You read right – you can use thin slices of Fimo clay to decorate your nails. Who would have guessed?!
• Frilly French Nails by NAILS Magazine ***
  This tutorial says to use gel, but I’m sure regular nail polish would work just fine.
• Nail Art Tutorials by Cutepolish You Tube Channel
  This You Tube channel has tons of nail art tutorials. From handlebar mustaches for Mowvember to back-to-school notebook paper designs, you’ll spend lots of time watching the videos.
• 5 Easy but Beautiful Nail Art Tutorials from Youtube by Goddess of the World
  I love the splatter paint tutorial, even though I’m sure I’d make a GIANT mess!

Previous DSC Nail Art Tutorials

• Easy DIY Nail Art Templates
• Tutorial: Marbled Nail Polish
• Simple Nail Tutorial: Zebra Stripes
• Simple Nail Design: Flower Tutorial
• Make Newspaper Nails

Do you have any tips, tricks or tutorials you’d like to share with us? Post them in the comments below! Also, follow my Nail Art Pinterest board. As I find cool Nail Art, I will “pin” them there, so keep checking for cool techniques!

The post 15 Easy Nail Art Tutorials appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

The girls over at HowDoesShe? have come up with yet another great reuse project. This time, Heather has come up with a genius way to make nail templates out of office supplies. The second I saw her tutorial, I face-palmed – why didn’t I think of that?! Using round labels, a decorative hole punch and nail polish of your choosing, you can having professional-looking nails in no time that even your kids can help with. [how to make your own nail art templates]

Project Estimate:

• Nail polish (at least 2 colors), on hand or $1 each
• Label stickers, on hand or $1
• Shaped scrapbooking hole punches, on hand or $1 and up

Total: Free and up

The post Easy DIY Nail Art Templates appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Water Marbled Nails

by Megan, www.razberriez.com

The Water Marbling technique is a fun nail art project that makes it look like you spent big bucks at the salon, but can actually be achieved at home using inexpensive nail polishes. When you first try this technique I recommend experimenting with different color combinations to find the look that works for you. I have done this to give you an example of how a change of color can really affect the look – each nail pictured here has a different color combination so you can see what I mean.

What you will need to create Marbled Nails:

• Base Coat (CND Stickey)
• White nail polish ( Sally Hansen’s White on)
• 2 colors of your choice ( Listed throughout post )
• Top Coat (Orly Sec n’ Dry)
• Cup full of room  temperature water.
• Orange wood stick / toothpick
• Tape
• Remover and cotton swabs

How to create Marbled Nails:

1. Apply your base coat and white polish – Start things off by applying one thin coat of your favorite base coat. I used CND Stickey, as it really grabs the polish and prevents staining. After that has dried, take your white polish and apply 2 coats. By doing this, the colors you choose to do the design with, will appear more vibrant.
2. Prep your nails. Tape off the perimeter of your nails so that the polish wont seep onto your skin. I recommend taping off one nail, doing the design, and then proceeding to do the rest off your nails. It will make the process a lot easier.
3. Choose your colors – I did a different color combination on each nail, so you could see how you can create lots of looks.
   Pink nail – Sally Hansen’s White on and Jordana’s Berry Parfait.
   Blue nail – Pure Ice’s Calypso and Sally Hansen’s Gentle Blossom.
   Purple nail – OPI’s Overexposed in South Beach and white.
   Green nail – China Glaze’s Starboard and OPI Gargantuan Green Grape
4. Start dropping! Fill up a plastic cup with room temperature water and get out your orange wood stick/ toothpick. Open 2 nail polishes. Start with one color and drop a drop of polish into the cup. If you did it right, this will spread out really thin and look sheer. Quickly take your next polish and drop that into the center of the color you just dropped. Repeat until it looks like rings.
5. Work quickly. In order for the next step to work, the nail polish has to be wet. It may take a while to learn how quickly you will have to work.
6. Swirl and dip! Once you have the right amount of polish in the cup, take a clean toothpick and swirl it in the polish to create a design.  Take your taped off finger and finding a spot you like in the water, quickly lay your finger on it, and then dip it in the water so that your whole nail is submerged. The rest of the nail polish around it should be dry, so for best results, while your nail is still in the water, carefully clean the water by swirling the toothpick in it. The toothpick will collect all of the extra polish. Pull out your nail.
7. Clean up and remove tape. Peel off all of the tape on your finger and using a cotton swab and remover, clean up the edges.
8. Top Coat! After allowing your nail to dry for about 4 minutes, apply your favorite top coat and repeat on the rest of your nails.

The Water Marble technique did take a little practice to get the timing right the first few times, but the compliments you will receive on your nails make it totally worth it!

The post Tutorial: Marbled Nail Polish appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

We recently had a guest post from Megan at Razberriez demonstrating how to paint easy, adorable flowers on your fingernails.  We’re very happy to have Megan here with us again today, this time talking about another simple nail design:  zebra stripes!  Stay tuned as well for more nail designs yet to come!

How to Create Zebra Striped Nails

by Megan at www.razberriez.com

Thinking of going to the salon and getting a fancy zebra stripe design done on your nails? Save your cash, use your own polish and follow a few simple steps to make your own nail design statement. It really is very simple and looks great on your nails. You can find many different colors of nail polish at the dollar store, and some brands at the drug store that sell for around $1 a bottle.

What you will need (with what I used in parentheses):

• Base Coat (CND Stickey)
• Nail Polish (OPI Flower to Flower)
• Thin tip black striper polish (Art Club’s 02 Black)
• Top Coat (Sally Hansen Mega Shine)

How To:

1. Apply your favorite base coat – Any nail strengthener, base coat, or treatment will help your nail polish last longer and prevent chipping. It will also create a barrier between your nail and the nail polish which your keep your nails from getting stained.
2. Choose a fun nail polish – The great thing about zebra stripes is they will show up on almost any color. For example, black will show up on light colors, as white will show up on dark. Depending on what base color you choose will determine if you should use black or white for the stripes.  I used a bubblegum pink color with silver shimmer, but any color will work. Turquoise looks fabulous with black stripes, too.
3. Create your zebra stripes –  Now time for the fun part. This is where the thin brush of your striper polish will come in handy. For the stripe, start at the outermost edge of your nail and lay the tip of the brush at an angle. The trick is to apply the most pressure at the edge and “swoop” it into the center of your nail. It is like a normal stripe, just don’t go all the way across. Apply more pressure at the beginning of the stripe and less pressure as you reach the center of your nail. It should be thick, then thin. If it isn’t perfect, don’t worry, because zebra stripes aren’t perfect. Alternate from the left side to the right side down your nail. To add a fun effect, use a silver thin glitter polish and accent the black by making a small stripe under each stripe.
4. Finish it off with a top coat – Before you do apply the top coat make sure your nails are very dry. If you do it while they are wet, it will smear the stripes. Once your nails are very dry apply a thick coat of your top coat and ta-da! All done!  You have created beautiful zebra stripes.

See, that wasn’t that hard. With a little practice and some creativity, the zebra strip design will quickly become a go-to design and will save you a lot of nail salon dollars.

The post Simple Nail Tutorial: Zebra Stripes appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

A couple weeks ago, I featured Megan’s Newspaper Nails tutorial, a simple nail design idea using a transferred image from newspaper. You really enjoyed the idea, so I invited Megan to create another tutorial exclusively for Dollar Store Crafts! Today she’s going to teach us how to make a simple flower fingernail. You can often find nail polish supplies at the dollar store, from nail files and emery boards to nail polish and top coats.

Flower Nail Polish Tutorial

by Megan at www.razberriez.com

A simple flower is a very popular design when you got to the nail salon, but did you know you can easily make a flower design on your nails yourself? It’s quick, easy and looks great!

You will need the following:

• Base coat ( I used CND Stickey )
• Nail polish of your choice ( Essie’s Exotic )
• White nail polish ( Art Club 01 White )
• Top Coat ( Sally Hansen Mega Shine )
• Bobby Pin
• Toothpick
• Scrap piece of paper
• Silver glitter polish or rhinestone

How to make the flower:

1. Apply a base coat – This step is crucial to ensure that your nail polish won’t chip, stain your nails, or peel off when its dry. For best results, apply a thin and even coat. Allow to dry for 2 minutes.
2. Choose a nail polish. Any nail polish will work for this design, as long as white is able to show up on it. I used a raspberry pink color, which I have found makes the flower really pop.  Blues, greens, pinks, and purples would look exceptionally good with this design.
3. Drop a small amount of nail polish onto the piece of scrap paper. This step is pretty self-explanatory.Start off by using a small piece of scrap paper and simply drop a pea sized amount of white nail polish onto the paper.
4. Begin the design. As you can see from the pictures, I used the end of a bobby pin to create the 4 dots. I started by dipping the round end of the bobby pin, into the white. I then, made a small dot on the left side of my nail. Dip the pin back into the white, and repeat, this time make a dot right across from the previous one, then one underneath, and one beside it.Make sure to evenly space the dots.  When your done doing this, it should almost look like a square.
5. Create the flower. Anything from a toothpick, to a pin, to a ballpoint pen will work for this step. Once the dots have gotten slightly tacky ( 10-15 seconds ), put the tip of the toothpick into the center of your first dot, and carefully drag it into the middle of the 4 dots. Repeat with the other 3 dots until you have created what looks like a flower.
6. Add a decorative center. I used a small rhinestone for this step, but silver glitter polish or another color will work also. If you are using a rhinestone, dab a little bit of topcoat into the center and place the rhinestone down. Otherwise, just dab your glitter into the middle of your flower.
7. Use a topcoat. To finish off the design, apply your favorite topcoat. This will help seal in the design and prevent the rhinestone from coming off.

Get creative! Add a stem or leaf with a little green polish or try double loading your dotting tool with two shades for a cool effect!

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