Thursday, December 15, 2011

Newspaper Nails

When I was at my friend's house over the weekend, I came across a new kind of nail art...newspaper nails! You don't need to go out and buy any fancy nail polish or stickers or gems; in fact, you should be able to find all of the necessary materials around your house! What I love most about these nails is that they're unique and subtle. They don't jump out an blink red lights. But, they are intriguing enough that someone may say, "Hey, what's that?" So, when my friend from Tennessee came over yesterday, I thought I'd give it a try! Here's the run-down of how to glam up your nails with this scholarly new twist!


The supplies you need are really simple:
  • base coat & top coat (We forgot to use a base coat, and it still turned out alright. However, a base coat may produce better results.
  • light color nail polish (white or cream works best)
  • newspaper
  • scissors
  • rubbing alcohol
  • small glass dish/container
  • Optional: 
    • cotton balls
    • Q-tips
    • nail file, clippers, etc.
First, above all things, cut up your newspaper! Small, rectangular shapes work best. Don't cut them to fit your nail; they should be slightly bigger. You'll need a minimum of 10, but cut out more just in case. Feel free to search for fun fonts or small graphics that you like (like a star), but make sure it's black text on a white background. Also, as we learned, it is a waste of time to search for specific words that you want to appear on your nails because 1) They'll come out backwards and 2) They most likely won't all fit. Plus, the surprises are always the best!

Now comes the painting! If you're feeling fancy, take out your cute polka-dot nail file or clippers and shape your nails as you desire! Then, follow this brief video tutorial for instructions on painting: 


Here are some tips we discovered while painting our nails that they don't include in the video:
  1. Use a cotton ball to press the newspaper on your nail. This will apply more pressure. Hold for 30-40 seconds.
  2. The results come out best when you press the newspaper on your nails so the text is in a linear line.
  3. In the video, they say to use gray nail polish. However, any light color nail polish will work. White, creams, grays, etc.
It may take a couple tries to master, but once you get it down, the result is really satisfying! Have fun!

Sweet Dreams,

Megan ;)





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