Galaxy nail art tutorial

This nail art is so easy to do. I was surprised myself at how good the effect is with hardly any effort! It can get a bit messy so put tape around your cuticles first or have some nail varnish remover and cotton buds to hand to clean up afterwards. Here's how I did it...

You'll need a bit of sponge. I cut a small piece off a kitchen sponge. You could also use a makeup sponge or even tissue paper scrunched into a ball. If you use the tissue you'll need a few sheets. You'll also need a selection of 'deep space' colours. I used black as my base colour and then I used a silver glitter (for a starry effect), white, dark blue, light blue and bright purple. You don't have to use these exact colours though, just use similar ones or whatever shades of blues and silvers you have to hand.

Apply a base coat to your nails. If you don't have any use a very pale nail polish. You don't have to use a base coat but it stops your nails from being stained black and blue when you take it off! After you've done your base coat, apply a base colour. I used black but any other dark colour would work.

When your base colour is dry add small blobs of all your colours onto the nail. They don't have to be in any particular order and they don't have to be neat either.

When you've blobbed all your chosen colours onto your nail, dab all over with your sponge. Add more of your colours here and there onto your nail and keep dabbing until you're happy with your effect.

Finally apply a clear top coat or a glitter to finish off. You could even. Paint on a few individual stars with some white or silver polish on the end of a toothpick or dotting tool.

Happy days :)

Ni

xxx

Nail art tutorial - gradient/blended/ombré nails

This blended colour design is ridiculously easy to do!  Please give it a go because the results are fab and a real talking point.  Use any colours you like, in this tutorial I used blue and pink because I liked the clash and I thought it they would stand out a bit more for my pictures.  You'll need Base coat or clear nail polish, two (or more if you're feeling ambitious) colours of nail polish and a sponge of any sort...

 

 

So first you should apply your base coat or clear polish.  When this is dry paint your nail in the lightest colour.  In my case, pink!

 

 

Next you need your sponge.  You can use any kind of sponge you have handy to do this bit.  I used a makeup sponge.  A kitchen or bathroom sponge cut into smaller bits works just as good!  Paint a blob of each of the two colours next to each other onto the sponge.

 

 

All you need to do now is blot your nail with the nail polish on the sponge.  Move the sponge up and down the nail a bit so it blends.  You may have to re-apply more polish onto the sponge depending what sponge you use, as I found it soaked up some of the polish as I blotted! 

 

 

Repeat this technique on all your nails.  Don't worry if it gets a bit messy, nail polish remover and a cotton bud will clear it up when you're finished.  To save the hassle of cleaning up afterwards you could take the time to put bits of masking tape around your cuticle and the skin around the nail and you can just peel it off afterwards.

 

 

Apply your top coat and you're all done.  So easy!

 

 

Give it a try and don't forget to show me pictures of your efforts and variations!  You can use the hash tag #nomechompskinailart on Instagram or show me on Twitter @nomechompski :)

 

Take care

 

Ni

xxx

 

 

 

Gorgeous nails are easy!

I studied beauty therapy sciences at college and learnt and adapted a lot of the things I know now from doing it.

It's so easy to restore damaged nails and a few easy steps can help you to repair them.  You don't need to spend lots of time giving your nails some TLC and you definitely don't need to spend a fortune!

Pay attention to your cuticles! Often they look unsightly when they grow up your nail bed and stick to your nails, the stuck cuticle also prevents the nail from growing.  To prevent this make a habit of pushing your cuticles back gently with your towel while your hands are still wet after you've been in the shower.  Your cuticles will go softer when they're wet and this will make it a lot easier to push them back. 

Olive oil works wonders! I swear by olive oil, not only is it good for your insides and outsides, its good for your nails too!  Massage it into your cuticles before bedtime.  It softens them and the stimulation of the blood around the nails encourages them to grow.  Another cool thing you can do with olive oil is make your own hand/foot scrub.  Chuck some salt (sea salt is best but table salt works just as good or even sugar!) into a bowl and add to this some oil.  Don't put too much oil in as this will just leave your hands greasy.  On ratio you should probably use two parts salt to one part oil.  If you have any handy you could add a drop of your favourite essential oil although the only purpose of this is to make it smell nice.  Mix the salt and oil together and that's it!  Scoop a bit into wet hands, rub together as if you were using soap and rinse off for beautifully soft hands.  Amazing what a blob of olive oil can do!

Invest in a nail file. You don't need to buy a flash one, just a normal nail file will do.  I prefer banana files (they're shaped like a banana if you hadn't guessed!) because their shape makes it easier to file the edges of your nail.  No matter what shape you like to file your nails, always remember, don't scrub your nails with the file. Just use a sweeping motion filing inwards, doing one side at a time until you achieve your desired shape.  If you've chipped your nail or it's snapped off, unfortunately it's going to be shorter than the others, this is one of these sad facts of life we have to deal with I'm afraid!  But even still, shape it with your file and at least it won't look tatty.  It will grow back eventually!

Strengthen your nails with top coat or clear nail varnish. Clear nail varnish or top coat is really easy to find. Paint your nails with it to help strengthen them. It makes them lovely and shiny too!

French manicures add length and the white bits are easily done with plasters! I love french manicures, it's such a classic, and it makes your nails look really fresh and clean so this is good for everyone and is brill for disguising discoloured nails, or if you're after a more natural, subtle look.  It also makes short nails look longer.  A lot of people tell me they struggle painting the white tips on, and to be honest I struggle a bit myself sometimes when I'm having a wobbly day.  You can pick up french manicure stencils for really cheap from ebay, or if you can wait for them, just make your own stencils by cutting the shape you want out of a plaster or some masking tape!  Try experimenting with the shapes and make pointed tips instead of rounded ones, or use different colours instead of white to spice up your manicure or to turn this daytime look into more of an evening or occasion one.

I hope this has rescued a few nails in the world!

 

Take care,

Ni

xxx