Tuesday Tip: DIY False Nails

I really don't think nail art was made for busy women. I've become a bit disheartened with nail art lately because it seems whenever I paint my nails, I just keep bodging it up. I either smudge my nails whilst trying to clean up the skin around the nails or dent them whilst doing something when I think they're dry. 

I decided to try out false nails (to design myself, not pre-designed) to see if they would make my life easier, so bought a box of 200 nails from Boots a few weeks ago (here, but sold out so try Kiss or eBay!). I have only just realised they multitude of ways false nails will be awesome for a clumsy girl like me. I'll explain...

♥ By painting my designs onto false nails, I can get both hands perfect.

♥ My skin won't get in the way whilst painting the nails. This means no annoying tidy-ups tarnishing the finish of the nail! Also I'll be able to do more perfect stripes and dots because I will be able to get from edge to edge easier.

♥ I can paint the nails, then go and do whatever I want whilst they're drying - unlike the restrictions of having dry or annoyingly-almost-dry nails.

♥ If I have free time, I can pre-design lots of different nails, so when I need awesome nails in a hurry I can just stick them on and go! Perfect for spontaneous nights out, hurriedly getting ready to go to an event or even gifts for friends. I think sticking nails on on a train is much less stressful than trying to paint them on the train like I usually do!

I decided to use my false nails for the first time last night and in my typical scour-the-house-for-a-solution manner, devised a pretty random method of holding each nail whilst painting them, which also doubles up as a way of holding them still whilst they dry! I filmed the process and took pics too (below the vid).

You will need: Nails, glue, tape, cotton buds, nail polish!

1. Wrap tape around a cotton bud once, sticky side down.

2. Turn the tape back on itself and wrap around so it's now sticky side up

3. Pop your nails onto the sticky bit, leaving some tape visible.

4. Get painting!

5. Add a design if you fancy. I did stripes and used the leopard heart stickers from the 17 free gift! 

Finished product:

I left the nails for about an hour to fully dry (although I will probably leave overnight in future just to be extra sure) and then stuck them onto the nails using some Kiss nail glue.

I then filed the nails down, as they were VERY square, so they are fairly short, like my own nails. 

My verdict? The whole process did take a bit longer than I thought, but I think it's because it was my first time and I was experimenting etc. The result is amazing. They feel very secure and look so smooth and professional. Because I've filed them down, it's really hard to tell they're fake. Scratching itches has become a lot more satisfying now, and I am not living in a constant state of fear of chipping my weak, bendy nails like I usually am. The only niggle is that I fear they will make the condition of my nails worse, but they have been so weak for so long, they're never going to improve, so sod it! My falsies may just have reignited my love of nail art!

Do any of you use falsies? Do you have any tips to share with a newbie here?

xo