184 P a g e Module:17 Learning Nail Art
17.1 Types of nail polish Besides the typical glazes that are available in the market there are some characteristic glazes you can also use to decorate nails. To make up the entire nail with enamel, take the brush with product, start in the middle of the nail and then make up the sides. MAGNETIC These glazes contain metallic pigments that react when a magnet approaches them. The metallic pigments are grouped into patterns of stars, lines etc. You can find these polishes in various colours and metallic pigments that form different patterns. STAMPING These glazes look the same as normal enamels. But the difference is that they are heavier and are used to make prints with a stamp. (See Module 4.2) CRACKED. These glazes are characterised by how they crack when dry, giving the effect of dry, cracked earth. They are typically used with a normal enamel underneath and applied as a second cracked layer. Once dry, it s necessary to apply a layer of clear nail polish on top. TOP COAT This is a fast drying, clear nail polish, more dense than regular clear polish. It s only used as a finishing coat, for example on top of cracked polish or stickers. Colours and trends There are colours that are classic and never go out of style. Black and red are two of them. They complement outfits in a sophisticated way. Black comes in different shades and red shades also vary from a bright scarlet to a dark garnet. The latest trends include two distinct branches of colour. One of these is a range of nude colours like beige, sand or pink. They give a romantic look to your hands. On the other hand you 185 P a g e
can choose pastels or fluorescent colours like green, pink, fuchsia, yellow, orange and coral tones. Bright, bold colours give your hands a fresh, sporty look. Go for lime green or bright emerald. Intense coral tones give way to orange metallic, without forgetting the purest yellows. The reds have the widest range and, beyond the basic red, you ll find shades like watermelon, strawberry red or pink. You ll also find fuchsia with a metallic finish. The above tones and varieties also come in paler, pastel shades. They are less intense colours and easy to match with many outfits. Pinks are most common and you ll also find mauve, mint green and lilac. Soft oranges and muted yellows blend well with many of the ranges of garments in fashion at the moment. 17.2 Tools and methods of decorating nails MATERIALS TO USE CARTOON STICKERS: These are flat, patterned stickers with adhesive on one side to stick to the nail. SPONGE: With fine pores, it is used to make a blurred effect on the nails. STAMPING KIT: It consists of a metal plate with engraved drawings, a blade for removing the enamel and a buffer with a plastic base. BRUSH FOR LINES: It has long thin bristles used for drawing lines and stripes. 186 P a g e
ORANGEWOOD STICK: An orange wood stick and has one pointed side and another cut at an angle. BRUSH: Consists of short, semi-rigid bristles and used to apply glitter. MAGNETIC NAIL POLISH KIT: Consists of a special enamel with metallic pigments and a magnet. GLITTER: These are small pieces of shiny material used to decorate nails. There are different colours of glitter. 17.2.1 MAGNETIC NAILS To apply this nail art you need a specific magnetic enamel and a magnet. Apply the nail polish on the nail and then hold the magnet parallel over the nail without touching it while it s drying. Wait about 2 minutes. This procedure must be repeated nail by nail. Apply the polish, hold the magnet over the nail and wait. Each enamel makes a drawing with the metallic pigments. You just have to choose the colour and the look you like, taking into consideration that horizontal stripes widen the nail. Vertical stripes give a more stylish look and a star on your nail gives a more rounded appearance. 17.2.2 Stamping nail polish technique For this nail art you need a stamping kit. It consists of a specific stamping enamel, a metal sheet with the engraving of several drawings, a metal spatula and stamping pad with a plastic base. Chose the design you want to print on the nails. Apply the nail enamel over the metal sheet. 187 P a g e
Remove the excess enamel with the metal spatula. Take the stamping pad and press over the drawing you ve just filled with polish it will pick up the drawing. Roll the stamping pad over the nail carefully and the drawing will transfer to the nail. Finish by applying a top coat or clear polish. Clean the metal plate and spatula well with acetone after each application. 17.2.3 CRACKED NAIL ART This type of enamel cracks and reveals the layer below so the first thing you do is apply a normal nail colour. Once dry, apply the second coat in cracked enamel. Apply the glaze first in the centre and then on the sides. Allow it to dry and see how, slowly, the top enamel separates creating a cracked effect and showing the bottom colour. Apply a top coat or clear nail polish to secure the cracked layer. 17.2.4 SPONGING TECHNIQUE With this technique you can create a blurred effect with nail polish. You use normal enamels. Choose at least two tones. You need a fine pore sponge. You can cut the sponge into small squares. The sponge is discarded after each use. Apply one of the enamels on the nail and allow to dry. Take some foil and place a couple of drops of the second enamel on it. Dip the sponge into this enamel and apply a small dab on the middle of the nail. 188 P a g e
Use the sponge to dab the second colour towards on the tip of the nail. This creates a more intense colour on the centre of the nail which fades towards the tip. Allow to dry. 17.2.5 BRUSH TECHNIQUE The brushes for this type of decor have long, fine bristles, which are sparsely populated. With the brush you can make lines on the nails. Choose at least two normal enamel colours. Polish the nail with one colour. Allow to dry. Insert the brush into the second enamel and paint lines on the nail. 189 P a g e
To make horizontal lines, place the brush sideways on the nail and sweep across the nail. To make vertical lines, placed the tip of the brush at the edge of the cuticle and gently work the bristles down along the nail. Repeat the operation as many times as necessary until you ve drawn the lines you want. 4.2.6 DOTS With the orange stick you can make dots on nails. It's very simple. Put a couple of drops of a normal nail colour on some foil. Dip the conical tip of the orange stick in the enamel. Rest the orange stick on the nail and press into the enamel, making a dot of the new colour. If you want small dots, take a small amount of enamel. For big dots, use a larger amount. 190 P a g e
17.2.7 LINES To draw straight lines and uniform coloured stripes on nails there are stickers available to help apply these for a perfect finish. They can be used for French manicures or to make multicoloured stripes. They are easy to use and you can choose either a rounded or straight finish. Break off a sticker and place it carefully on the nail the way you want it to look. You re making a horizontal border at the tip of the nail. Apply the glaze below the sticker, but it doesn t matter if you go over the sticker. Allow to dry. Remove the sticker slowly and make sure it doesn t stick to the rest of the nail as you re removing. In sticker rolls you can find very narrow strips of colour. Simply place the strip on the nail in a horizontal, vertical or diagonal direction, using the orange stick to guide you. Cut the excess sticker edges with a nail scissors and set with a top coat or clear polish. 191 P a g e
Nail art techniques Instructions Magnetic In this video we'll use blue magnetic enamel and a magnet. For this style, you need a specific magnetic enamel and a nail magnet. Apply the magnetic polish to the nails, in this case blue. Apply a thick layer and allow to dry. Hold the magnet parallel to the surface of the nail without touching it. Wait about 2 minutes. This must be repeated nail by nail - apply polish, hold the magnet over the nail and wait. You ll see that the enamel metallic pigments move and form ripples in the enamel. Stamping In this video we'll use glossy pink, black and transparent enamel, metal plate, plastic buffer and metal spatula. Apply the nail polish base, in this case a glossy pink. Next, we need a stamping kit. This comprises of a specific metal stamping sheet with several engraved drawings, a printing buffer with a plastic base and a metal spatula. Choose the design you want to print. Spread the nail polish on the metal drawing sheet and remove the excess with the metal spatula. Press the buffer with plastic base carefully on the drawing and thus infuse the enamel on the buffer. Roll the buffer over the nail carefully and your nail drawing will transfer. Apply clear nail polish. Cracked In this video we'll use pink enamel, black cracked enamel and transparent enamel. Apply a base enamel, in this case pink. Allow to dry. Then, apply the cracked polish to the centre of the nail and then on the sides. Let it dry and see how the enamel slowly separates, creating a cracked effect. Apply clear nail polish to secure the cracked one. Sponge technique In this video we'll use green enamel, pink enamel, foil paper and a porous sponge. You need two different colours of enamel, in this case green and pink. Apply a base nail polish and allow to dry, in this case a green colour. Place on a couple of drops of pink enamel onto a piece of foil. Dip the sponge into the enamel and apply a small dab on the middle of the nail. Allow to dry. Brush stroke technique In this video we'll use red and black enamel and a nail art brush. Choose two colours of normal enamel, in this case red and black. Make up the nails with red enamel. Allow to dry. Open the black enamel and dip in the nail art brush so it is fully coated with polish. Draw lines on the nail. Start at the base and simply draw lines from one side to the other. Repeat the operation as many times as necessary until you have all the lines you want. We again dip the brush in the black enamel and draw the second line. 17.2.8 DRAWINGS In the shops or online you ll also find stickers with drawings that are simple to apply. You can apply a top coat of varnish over them or leave without. Peel off the drawing from its sheet and apply to the nail using your orange stick to firmly put in place. 192 P a g e
Apply a top coat of varnish to finish if you wish. 17.2.9 FRENCH MANICURE The French manicure is the most popular in nail makeovers. White enamel and pink are the classic colours. But this style has also evolved into more intense, contrasting colours. Apart from being a classic manicure it is a particular technique. The idea is to paint the tip of the nail with a different colour from the base of the nail. For this technique there are stickers (see above) to help define and cover the tip or free edge of the nail (the white part) so you can apply enamel smoothly. To do it by hand with a brush apply the colour from the edge of the nail towards the centre using only the tip of the nail brush and carefully skirting the nail. It is important that you do this from the side to the centre. If you want to do a classic French manicure, choose white and pink enamel. Start with the white colour on the tip of the nail and allow to dry. One layer is enough. Then apply the pink enamel all over the nail and allow to dry. If you want a more intense pink colour, apply a second coat. If you choose other more contrasting colours complete the manicure by applying a coloured glaze on the entire nail. Allow to dry. 193 P a g e
Apply the second colour at the tip of the nail, either with stickers or freehand. One layer is enough. Allow to dry. If you have smudged any enamel on your fingers or under your nails, wrap a cotton pad on your orange stick, dip in nail polish remover and clean off. 17.2.10 GLITTER To decorate nails with glitter, the first step is to apply a layer of either coloured or transparent enamel. 194 P a g e
Insert the brush into the pot of glitter and place on the nail while the enamel is still wet. The glitter will stay attached to the enamel. Allow the first polish to dry and then apply a layer of top coat or clear polish. Nail art techniques 2 Instructions Dots In this video we'll use orange and blue enamel, an orange stick and foil paper. You need a base gloss colour, in this case orange, an orange stick and another nail colour, in this case blue. Apply the orange gloss nail polish to all nails. Put a couple of drops of the second nail colour onto some foil. Dip the conical end of the orange stick into the blue enamel on the foil paper. With the tip of the orange stick containing the blue nail polish, press on the nail making a dot. Repeat with a second dot. Lines In this video we'll use pink and black enamel and straight stickers. You need two different colours of enamel, in this case pink and black. You also need some stickers, in this case straight. Apply the pink polish on the nail. Allow it to dry. Break off a sticker and place it carefully on the nail diagonally. Apply black enamel above the sticker towards the tip of the nail. It doesn t matter if you don t get a straight line as when you peel off the sticker it will be a clear line. Allow it to dry. Take off the sticker slowly so it doesn t stick to other nails. Drawings In this video we'll use nude and transparent polish, orange stick and nail art stickers. Apply the nude polish all over the nail. Next we need the clear nail polish, stickers and orange stick. Choose your desired sticker. Carefully remove the sticker with the orange stick and place 195 P a g e
it over the nail. Once deposited on the nail, press firmly with the orange stick so it stays securely attached to the nail. Apply clear nail polish to fix your nail sticker. French manicure In this video we'll use: white, pink and clear enamel. To do a French manicure by hand, apply the white nail polish from the edge of the nail towards the centre using only the tip of the brush and carefully skirt the nail. It is important that you do this from the side towards the centre. Start with the white colour on the tip of the nail and let it dry. Apply only one layer. You can help clean any unwanted polish with a cotton ball soaked in nail polish remover on the tip of an orange stick. Then apply very light pink enamel all over the nail and let dry. Glitter In this video we'll use clear and black nail polish, gold glitter and a nail brush. To decorate our glitter nail the first step is to apply a coat of nail colour, in this case black, but do not let it dry. Insert the nail brush into the pot of glitter and deposit some on the nail with the polish still wet. The glitter will stay attached to the polish. Apply on the tip of the nail. Remove excess glitter polish or from the nail edges with an orange stick and cotton wool soaked in polish remover. Allow the black polish to dry and apply a coat of clear polish, being careful not to take off the glitter. 17.3 Examples of decoration Below we show different examples of nail decoration and the steps for using the techniques discussed above. It is very important to let each layer dry thoroughly before applying the next polish. 1. This nail consists of three nail polishes: red, black and pink. Polish the nail with pink enamel. Either freehand or with the help of a sticker, draw a straight diagonal line and fill one side with black enamel. Repeat the same operation in one of the corners of the nail with red enamel, drawing another straight diagonal line either freehand or with a sticker. 196 P a g e
With the orange stick dipped in red enamel make small dots over the pink enamel. 2. This model consists of two nail polishes: red and white. Make up on the entire nail with red enamel. Apply a second coat of red enamel. With white enamel draw a line on the edge of the nail as in a French manicure. You can do it freehand or with a curved sticker. 3. This model consists of two nail polishes: white and black. Polish the entire nail in white. With black enamel, draw a crescent on the tip of the nail and fill it with black. You can do it freehand or help with a curved sticker. With the orange stick dipped in white enamel, draw three lines of dots on the black enamel. With the orange stick dipped in black enamel draw dots on the white enamel. 4. This model consists of three nail polishes: pink, red and white. Polish the full nail in pink. Apply a second layer of pink enamel. With the orange stick dipped in white enamel, draw large circles on the pink enamel. With the orange stick dipped in red enamel, draw dots on the white circles and on the pink enamel. 5. This model consists of two nail polishes: black and white. Polish the entire nail in white. With black enamel draw a crescent on the tip of the nail and fill it with black. You can do it freehand or with the help of a curved sticker. 6. This model consists of two nail polishes: nude and red. Polish the entire nail in nude enamel. Apply a second layer of nude enamel. With red enamel, draw two diagonal symmetrical lines and fill above them in red. 7. This model consists of three nail polishes: purple, white and black. Polish the entire nail in purple. 197 P a g e
With white enamel draw and fill a diagonal line across the middle of the nail, either freehand or with the help of a sticker. With black enamel draw a parallel line on the other side of the white enamel and fill. 8. This model consists of two nail polishes: white and red. Polish the entire nail in white. Apply a second layer of white enamel. With the orange stick dipped in red enamel draw big dots and drag them into a flame shape. Also draw some smaller dots in red. 9. This model consists of two nail polishes: champagne and black. Polish the entire nail in champagne enamel. Apply a second coat. With black enamel, draw a line on the tip of the nail like in the French manicure. You can do it freehand or with the help of a curved sticker. With black enamel draw a diagonal line across the bottom and fill it carefully. 17.4 Products on the market There are many products on the market with which to care for our hands and we can buy them in different establishments. They are in two categories: Cosmetic products are products that we apply on our skin - creams or soaps. Useful products are the tools, i.e. what you use to do a manicure, pedicure or nail makeup. They also include nail polish. These products can be found in the perfume, cosmetic and beauty sections of some supermarkets and hypermarkets. For treating with specific creams you can use a pharmacy. 198 P a g e
Exercises Exercise 1. Collect all the nail polishes you have and examine them one by one to see condition they are in and remove the ones that are not good enough for a professional nail artist. Shake vigorously to blend the polishes well. Then open the bottles. Clean the brush along the edge to examine its consistency. If the coating is a dense, smooth fluid then the enamel is good for use. If, instead you notice a kind of oily layer above the enamel colour, the consistency is not uniform. If it contains lumps or the enamel is so dense that it adheres to the brush and doesn t slide freely on the nail, it s not good enough to use and it s better to throw it out. You want to achieve the best results possible with your nail art. Exercise 2. In this exercise, practice the technique of sponging. You ll learn why it is important to wait for each layer of polish to dry completely before applying another. Choose two colours of nail polish. Apply one of them on the surface of our nails and do two layers. With another sponge dipped in your second chosen colour, sponge on the nail. On one nail, wait until the base colour is dry. On the other nail, apply the sponge when the base colour is still wet. 199 P a g e
Notice that the blurring of the well dried nail is perfect and the nail surface is smooth and soft. On the nail where you applied the sponge over the wet enamel, notice how the enamel is rough to touch and has a rough appearance. Exercise 3. For this exercise, practice the cracked enamel technique. Apply normal enamel on one of your nails. Choose a colour you like but that contrasts with the cracked enamel. Apply the cracked enamel and wait for it to crack. Next, touch your fingertip on the base enamel and on the cracked layer. The cracked layer comes away. This shows how essential it is to apply a sealing polish or clear nail polish as a top coat on this type of enamel. After this is applied and dry, your fingertip can run over it without removing the nail art. Exercise 4. Practice the technique with brush strokes in this exercise. Choose a strong polish colour (red, black). Draw parallel horizontal lines on one of your nails, about three or four. On another nail draw parallel vertical lines, about two or three. Notice that the nail with horizontal lines appears wider when compared to the nail with vertical strokes. The second looks narrower and longer. This is due to an optical effect produced by the parallel lines. You must use contrasting colours. Exercise 5. For this exercise, practice using the orange stick. Follow the steps to create the nail art in the picture. This model consists of three nail polishes: pink, red and white. Apply polish on the entire nail in pink. Apply a second layer of pink enamel. With the orange stick dipped in white enamel, draw large circles on the pink enamel. With the orange stick dipped in red enamel draw dots on the white and pink enamel 200 P a g e