The Nail Art Secret Weapon You Already Own!: Guest Blogger
Nail art is a Birchbox obsession. One of the first places we look for inspiration is Glitter, She Wrote, Anna Norman’s cheery, imaginative blog, where she shares her gorgeous designs and muses about life in the Big Apple. This week, Anna takes us inside her nail guru world, and will show us how to get gorgeous, DIY art on our fingertips.
The Beatles said all you need is love. But if we’re talking nails, I say all you need is Scotch Tape.
For geometric nail designs like stripes, triangles, or zig-zags, Scotch tape is a girl’s best friend. With the help of a simple roll of tape, even the shakiest of hands can create clean, crisp designs.
For the look above, I used Color Club Neons in Jackie Oh! and Age of Aquarius, and Zoya Dove. Here are a few tips to create your own eye-catching Scotch Tape nail art. No one will believe you did your nails yourself!
- It’s best to do Scotch Tape nail art on second-day nails, but if you can’t wait a full day, give your base color at least a full hour of drying time. Waiting is hard, I know! But it’s the only way to avoid smudging and pulling up the first polish when you remove the tape.
- Cut Scotch Tape to the desired size and shape, and apply firmly to the nail. Run another nail along the edge of the tape to assure a tight seal. You don’t want any polish to run underneath the tape as you paint!
- Fill in the stenciled area with a contrasting shade of polish, and slowly remove the tape while the polish is still wet.
- Allow the polish to dry completely so the colors don’t smear into each other, and then finish off with a good top coat.
Glittery triangles, half-moons, lightning bolts—the options with Scotch Tape are endless! It is by far my favorite nail art trick in the book.
Dying for more brilliant mani advice from Anna? Check out the rest of her posts here.
