Please note that the following are not available in e-book edition.
• Gems and Studs
• Non-toxic Peel-off Nail Polish
• Dotting Tool
• Stripping Brush
Before You Start, Some Important Info
To do the projects in the book you will need:
• A standard top coat or clear polish
• A standard base coat if desired (clear polish will also work)
• Cotton balls and swabs
• Polish remover (if using a base coat and/or regular nail polishes)
• A little dish or bit of aluminum foil for mixing
• Tweezers for handling tiny embellishments
If desired:
• Small cosmetic sponge (for Splatter and Horizons)
• Glitter polish (to complete Black Snow and Chicks & Bunnies)
• Standard polishes (for Hollywood, Ghoulish Glamour and the alien in Cartoonmania) plus scotch tape (for Hollywood and Ghoulish Glamour) and striping tape (for the alien in Cartoonmania)
The designs in your booklet were created using standard nail polishes, coatings and removers that you can buy just about anywhere. The polishes in your kit are water-based and meant for practice purposes. They are non-toxic and, if used alone, will wash off with soap and water. To make your nail designs last when using these polishes, you will need to apply a standard top coat or clear polish (try for “5-free” polishes—no Formaldehyde, Dibutyl Phthalate, Toluene, Formaldehyde resins or Camphor resins). This top coat or clear polish will also act as a glue to make gems and studs adhere to your nails.
The polishes provided can be mixed to create most of the colors used in these projects. For example, pink mixed with a little yellow will give you a peach color; mixing red, yellow and a little blue will give you a brown shade, and so on.
You can use these polishes over a standard base coat, over clear polish, or on bare nails. If you are applying the polishes to bare nails, followed by a topcoat, you can remove them by peeling them off; a standard polish remover will be needed to remove any regular polishes/coatings that are applied directly to nails.
Most of the projects in your book can be completed with the polishes in your kit. However, water-based polishes are not compatible with tape. For any designs requiring tape (like Hollywood, Ghoulish Glamour, or the alien Cartoonmania) use standard nail polish. For Splatter and Horizons, just have a small cosmetic sponge on hand to create the designs.
To access the video demos for these projects, visit this book’s page at www.tuttlepublishing.com.
Contents
Part 1
The Basics
Common Problems
Quick Solutions
Part 2
Oils and Essential Oils for Nails
Part 3
Basic Tools
Other Accessories
Part 4
Base Coats
Part 5
Nail Art Tools
Part 6
How to Apply Nail Polish
How to Remove Nail Polish (Regular)
How to Remove Nail Polish (Glitter)
Nail Designs
Rainbow *
Magic Flowers *
Metal Moment *
Cherry Blossoms *
Chicks & Bunnies
Hollywood
Dots, Bows & Stripes *
Horizons
Black Snow
Ghoulish Glamour
Cartoonmania
Splatter
* Try these designs using the stuff in your kit plus a regular topcoat!
Part 1
THE BASICS
Nail structure and composition
First, let’s see what nails are made of and take a look at their structure.
A nail is composed almost entirely of keratin, with small quantities of vitamins, mineral salts, fat, water, and amino acids making up the balance. Fragile and dry nails often contain less water than average, while flexible and soft nails contain a higher percentage of water than average, close to 18%.
In terms of its structure, the nail can be subdivided into the nail matrix (the germinal layer), the nail plate (the actual nail), the nail walls, and the nail bed.
● The nail plate: is the largest part of the nail. It consists of layers of keratin.
● Nail root: is the bottom of our nails and is visible in the lunula (that little half-moon at the base of the nail).
● Body of the nail: is the central, pinkish part of the nail.
● Free edge: is the free, protruding part of the nail that is not bound to the nail bed as the nail plate continuously slides forward over the bed. In nail jargon, the curved line that marks this edge is called the “smile line.”
● The nail wall is the folded cuticle that covers the edges of the nail bed and the base of the nail (its root).
● Finally, the nail bed is a dermal tissue full of nerves and