False Nail Applciation - and dotting tool practice = PIC HEAVY

I can see this dotting toll coming in handy for nail art in the future.....This is my first 'real' mani using this nifty dotting tool that I picked up in the scrap-booking section of my favorite dollar store in my town. This is Ardene 'Matte About Blue' from yesterday, and Sally Hansen Insta Dri 'Mint Sprint' on the diagonal. The dots are China Glaze 'For Audrey', which apparently I have never worn as a full mani!!!! Whaaaat? I am wearing ChG 'For Audrey' on my toes right now, I love love love that polish colour!!!

Keep reading for my pic heavy tutorial on how I apply false nails. Tomorrow - or possibly this evening I will post a tutorial on how I replace a damaged false nail. If you don't feel like reading on here are 4 tips for applying sheer/see-thru false nails;

1. Use lotsa glue, like a split pea size, or even a sunflower seed size, or, or........ okay maybe look at the glue photos. I'll think of something to compare the amount of glue to.

2. When you apply the nail over your 'lotsa' glue, hold for at least 15 to 25 seconds - this makes a huge difference in the amount of bubblez.

3. Don't freak out if the glue seeps out or gets on your cuticles. Have a paper towel handy and fold in a few times so it makes a point - hold the point on the area where the glue is in order to absorb some of the glue. If you own a sanding/buffing block with various sized grits or coarseness then you can buff out glue blobs, and even fingerprints which I have done below. It is not the ideal example as I have a humongous bubble beneath the fingerprint but it is a good example of what NOT to do.

4. The nail files that Nailene supplies with their false nails are COARSE!!!! take your time when filing your false nails, and check to make sure that you are not over filing your false nails.

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Some happy news; I have figured out how to take great videos. I had NO IDEA it would take 4 hours to 'upload' a 1 minutes and 28 second video to YOU TUBE, though.... that was surprising. So here is some Friday Night thankfulness.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU~ To anyone out there posting awesome make-up and nail art videos. Thank you soooooooo much. My weekend goal is to get some nail Tut's up. I had no idea it would be sooooooo hard to make a video of things - UP-CLOSE, like with the camera less than 6 inches from my nails - but I did it.

Anyoo - before the heavy duty info, here is a fun mani I did to stretch my previous mani

So; after wearing Ardene Matte About Blue for the day, I decided to add Mint Sprint on the diagonal using nailene Straight french tip guides, then applying two coats of S.H. Insta Dri in Mint Sprint. I actually got alot of bubbles with the mint sprint....

When Mint Sprint was dry, I removed the french nail tip guides and applied a coat of Nailene Acrylic Strong Top Coat. Since I painted my Toes with ChG 'For Audrey' and already had it on hand, I thought I should practice using my dotting tool and dotted ChG For Audrey along the diagonal line where the two polish's meet.

Here is a shot of Sally Hansen 'Mint Sprint' I am pretty sure I just bought this a month or so ago, why is it separating already

A sunshine pic

Close-up

♥♥♥

So; here we are at my false nail application tutorial. From start to finish, I can apply a fresh set of nails in under 10 min.... I wear false nails becuase my natural nails are very thin but super-duper sharp. I cut people. And myself.

False nails are way, way easier and faster to paint. I find painting false nails to be much much faster than painting my real nails, and the polish lasts a lot longer. There are so many high quality and inexpensive options available in regards to false nails. I prefer Nailene nails becuase they are wide enough for my nail bed, they do not taper and they are often a better value for my $$$.

At least once a month I get an email about my trophy wife length false nails ( fing'rs brand ) and have found that there is very little options in regards to loooooong false nails. Most lengths are 'sport' or 'active'. I think that if someone is looking for something a little longer than what is available in department stores or pharmacies, then I would encourage them to check out beauty supply stores.

Below; Nailene Couture Nails in 'Tweed'----- that stitching is adorable!!!!!

please ignore my dry cuticles and all the glue accidents! It was really hard to apply these; apply glue, file etc = and then stop and take photos! Really, really hard. But I think I put together a helpful and informative post.

These are the nails I used purchased by moi specifically for this tutorial

ALL Nailene nails come with a PLASTIC cuticle pusher, a coarse nail file and pink tinted glue

In order to get photos on how to shape false nails so they mirror the curve of the base of my nails and my cuticles I have painted my REAL nails with a dark polish ( S.H. NO CHIP 'Tuscan Dreams') This is a fabulous example why I am really into false nails. 15 minutes after I applied this polish, I grabbed my jacket and totally got a fabric imprint on my nails.... this was only 2 coats of the dark polish, with a coat of base coat - no T.C. If I apply polish to my false nails, they are usually bone in less than 30 min, and thats after two coats of polish and before T.C.

Here, I have placed a false nail near the base of own natural nail to show the difference between the curvature of the false nail and the base of my real nails.

Here is the false nail placed directly against the base of my nail, notice there is a gap between my cuticle and the false nail. The base of the false nail is much more square, and needs to be shaped to match the curvature of my cuticles.

Here I am filing the false nail, using the finer side of the Nail file. I take my time and periodically check my progress. The Grey side is the finer side, while the Black side is very, very coarse.

AFTER; here I have filed the false nail to match the curve of my real nail. I also had to take down the sides just a bit, I swiped it across the file 3 times and that about does it. I try to have just a sliver of space at the sides of my nail. This will ensure that the false nail is not TOO WIDE for my nails. If the false nail is TOO WIDE for your natural nails you will get a BIG BUBBLE - like in my thumb which is posted a few photos down.

~ BEFORE ~

~ and AFTER filing ~

and here it is placed against my real nail

GLUE!!!!!

At this point I have shaped all 10 of my false nails, and have them laid out in order to apply them. I make sure that my nails are free from any oils or moisturizer and that my hands are fully dry. Your natural nails ABSORB WATER and nail glue or nail polish will not adhere properly to your natural nail when they are 'retaining water' A good habit to get into is enveloping your natural nails with a clear polish or top coat, to ensure that water or even the water in moisturizers will not penetrate into your natural nail.

Below: This is the amount of glue I use to prevent bubbles. IT DOES SEEP OUT IN AREAS but if you have a paper towel handy you can absorb most of the glue. I fold a small piece of paper towel several times and create a point which you can hold up against the glue mistake, DO NOT RUB, just try to absorb as much glue as you can. Any glue that gets on your nails can be CAREFULLY buffed out using a multi grit sanding block, buffing block or fine file.

So - I would say that this amount of glue is a smidgen too much but I find if you use a good amount in relation to the surface of your nail you get less bubbles.

here you can see the glue has seeped out from beneath the false nail. While trying to take photos of this the glue hardened and I did not get to it in time. I did buff it out with a nail buffer block, though.

Here I have applied glue to my middle fingernail. You can see the nail beside my middle finger has some glue showing along the side of it. After applying glue I have held the false nail down for approximately 15 to 25 seconds, it's a little overkill, but I want to ensure the glue fully dries. The space along the sides of my nail is needed in order for any excess glue to seep out. Initially it looks bad up close like this, but after I wash my hands and apply moisturizer it is not noticeable

Yes, this fuzzy photo is the nail file glued to my finger finger = fabulous! It was just a little glue and fell off shortly after this photo♥

Here is a known problem that I often read about. This is my THUMB nail, and I have not shaped this false thumb nail properly. This is the second largest size available in Nailene nails, and usually when I shape these nails I take down the sides a little in order for them to adhere FULLY to my natural nail bed.

What happens in this situation is the nail adheres to the sides, the base, and the tips of the natural nail, but because there is no room for the false nail to fit properly on the natural nail =it 'tents' -for lack of a better word- leaving a very visible air bubble between the natural nail and the false nail.

I also used way too much glue, and have gotten glue all over the pads of my fingertips = leaving a fingerprint on the surface of the false nail.

Below - the false nail placed over my natural nail

This is a little too much glue, which results in quite a mess - BUT - you CAN buff out mistakes like this using a fine sanding block or buffing block.

Below you can see the enormous bubble, as well as my fingerprint on the surface of my false nail. Along with alot of glue along the sides of my nails

I used a fine fine buffing block to buff out the fingerprint. When you have a bubble like this when wearing sheer or translucent french mani or funky french tip nails, there really is only 1 thing you can do

STICKERS!!!!!!!

So when applying false nails, take the time to shape them. During your 'dry fit' make sure there is a small space between the sides of your nail and the false nail. it will make a huge difference.

After all my nails are glued on, and I have gently buffed out any glue mistakes, I always use a small angles brush to swipe acetone underneath the tips of my nails where my free edge meets the false nail. This area may be coated in glue which is a good thing! That means there is a good adhesion between your natural nail and your false nail.

Below - MY THUMB where I have a lovely fingerprint due to using too much glue on my thumb.

The bubble makes it hard to see- but I used a very fine sanding block to buff out the fingerprint while retaining the high shine of these false nails..... It is possible to buff out any glue mistakes- just take time to do it slowly and use a fine sanding block.

This is before I wash my hands of False nail dust, my SKIN will absorb enough water and moisturizer so that any wayward glue stuck to my SKIN anywhere will gently be sloughed off. = DON'T PICK at glue that may be stuck to your skin. This happens to me and I just leave it ♥♥♥ If you wash your hands and apply moisturizer it will eventually be washed off.