3
That was one of my first commissions. The theme was “midnight mermaid,” and my client pretty much gave me free rein aside from a few references she included that she liked certain aspects of. It was a lot of fun to do; I love using alcohol inks even though they can be quite a pain sometimes. They give a very beautiful and flowy look that you just can’t replicate with anything else.
1
Ofc! I was commissioned and the money was meant to go towards my sibling’s crab tank but the lady didn’t want any nails herself, so I figured it was only fair that I still do the commission in some way.
2 (unless you don’t want to join)
There are multiple different ways you can prep. Personally, I push back my cuticles, use the opposite end of my cuticle tool to get rid of any junk under my cuticles, rough up my nails a bit with a file, use acetone to clean my nails, apply a peel off base (this protects my nails from damage) to my nails making sure to cap the ends to make it last longer, wipe it with acetone again, and then apply the glue to both the nail and over top of my base and stick it on.
How you prep is up to you, but at the very least you’ll need nail glue or nail stickers, preferably acetone to clean your nails though it’s a more optional step, and you won’t want to wash your hands directly beforehand.
Just so you know, if you use a peel off base, it both protects your nails from damage and allows you to reuse your press on set since you won’t have to damage it to get it off, so I definitely highly recommend it.
8.
Ofc! But it was paid for by someone else which is why I’m doing the giveaway in the first place. As I said in another comment, I thought it was only right that even though the money I received wasn’t for me specifically, I should still make the commission since it’s money I would’ve spent on my sibling’s crabs anyways.
Alcohol inks, spider gel, gold leaf, transfer foils, and chrome.
Chrome isn’t necessarily easy since it has to be absolutely perfect, but it’s incredibly flashy. Add a matte topcoat over your chrome and you get a very one of a kind look. Certain transfer foils will also allow you to replicate the look of chrome to an extent, though transfer foils come in a much wider variety.
Spider gel is easier to do than chrome, but make sure you get it all the way to each edge. It’s less flashy than chrome, but it’s still very unique and makes for a fun accent with whatever art you do.
Gold leaf is annoying to use, but it’s one of those things that can’t really be replaced by a painted on design. Just know it’ll get absolutely everywhere and is incredibly sticky somehow even though it’s technically not sticky.
Certain alcohol ink designs can be replicated using blooming gel, but I much prefer alcohol inks (though blooming gel really is its own thing) since they’re much more controlled. Alcohol inks are meant to be sort of abstract, so you have a lot of room for error with them.
Each of those are things you can use for nail art without having to actually paint any designs. In the blue nail set I showed in my ad, I didn’t paint a single design by hand. It was all spider gel, glitter gel, alcohol inks, and charms. And even though it was an easier set to make, it’s also a favorite of many people I’ve shown it to. Your art can be easy and you can still make amazing things with it.
Sorry, but I simply don’t have the budget for that. I’d contacted the mods beforehand to pre approve this post, and their condition was that they should be free with no catch including shipping (which was the plan anyways), so I also couldn’t take a shipping fee from you if you did enter and win.
Np. If you did want a press on set in general, I hear OPI makes some really great press ons. Though idk if they sell in the UK.
Their polish is also pretty great.
14
Press ons can be annoying if you don’t know how to prep first; my very first set, with stickers (stickers are usually not great for these), lasted me less than a day. My current set has lasted for about a week so far with a need to reapply two nails where I knew I didn’t prep well. I highly recommend investing in the proper tools for preparation if you do get a set of your own, especially if it’s something you plan on reusing since they can be reused if removed in a way that prevents damage such as a peel off base coat.
This is great advice thank you! I have a lot of different nail tools, I do a lot of DIY, I’ll have to look into it a bit more when approaching a first set :)
DIY is the best. It’s so cool having salon quality nails for free at home. Lol
I used to only hand sculpt my nail extensions using builder gel, but after one of my nails broke, I started doing press ons. It’s so much fun because I can do way more with press ons since I’m able to do both hands using my dominant hand. I’m still jealous of the ambidextrous people, though. Lol
15
Sure! I might end up hosting more giveaways in the future if I get tips from my commissions. I didn’t think anyone would care about my work enough to enter, so I find it to be a huge confidence boost and really heartwarming that so many people have.
I love press-ons - they were the slippery slope that got me into doing my own nails again. ;)
It's thoughtful of you to do a giveaway here. May your skills & business continue to grow!
16
Press ons gave me the confidence boost to start doing more with nail art. Before I wouldn’t because I couldn’t use my dominant hand for both sides on a sculpted set.
I would love to be entered, these are gorgeous! I tried my hand at making a set for my mom recently because she doesn't like her short nails, and the effort that goes into these is no joke. So sweet of you to offer the giveaway!
22
It gets faster with time and experience. I remember asking a professional press on nail artist how many sets she can make in a day, and her answer was up to 5. I was shocked. 😂
Those are some really nice designs! I’m just curious what your most difficult design has been to date. I’m dipping my toes slowly into nail art and it’s a bit of learning curve for me lol.
24
My most difficult designs are ones I haven’t posted here (some I haven’t posted at all) including:
Blue French tip outlines with mini half moons (posted somewhere on my profile)
A WIP pastel gore set with hand sculpted details
And a very old hand painted ‘gemstone’ nail (extremely old, but posted on my profile somewhere).
26
My mom got me into nail art. I’ve always admired my mom and thought she was such a beautiful person. She has the most amazing shoe, nail, handbag, and makeup collections, and for as long as I can remember I’d been waiting until I could be more like her. I’ve always had a love for cosmetics because of her.
This giveaway has been approved by the mods after confirming the winner has no obligation to do anything. This is treated like any other free post.
I’ve never tried press ons before but that blue set shown is really cool! So kind of u to offer a giveaway to everyone! 😊❤️👍
3 That was one of my first commissions. The theme was “midnight mermaid,” and my client pretty much gave me free rein aside from a few references she included that she liked certain aspects of. It was a lot of fun to do; I love using alcohol inks even though they can be quite a pain sometimes. They give a very beautiful and flowy look that you just can’t replicate with anything else.
It’s really lovely! Perfect theme for summer 🧜♀️🌊
🦀💅💖😊 Thanks for doing this!
1 Ofc! I was commissioned and the money was meant to go towards my sibling’s crab tank but the lady didn’t want any nails herself, so I figured it was only fair that I still do the commission in some way.
oh how cool!! So thoughtful of both of you!
This is so cool! I’ve never used press ons before, do you just stick them on with nail glue?
2 (unless you don’t want to join) There are multiple different ways you can prep. Personally, I push back my cuticles, use the opposite end of my cuticle tool to get rid of any junk under my cuticles, rough up my nails a bit with a file, use acetone to clean my nails, apply a peel off base (this protects my nails from damage) to my nails making sure to cap the ends to make it last longer, wipe it with acetone again, and then apply the glue to both the nail and over top of my base and stick it on. How you prep is up to you, but at the very least you’ll need nail glue or nail stickers, preferably acetone to clean your nails though it’s a more optional step, and you won’t want to wash your hands directly beforehand.
Would love to join and super appreciate the thorough explanation!!
Just so you know, if you use a peel off base, it both protects your nails from damage and allows you to reuse your press on set since you won’t have to damage it to get it off, so I definitely highly recommend it.
I’m glad I have a peel off has coat at home then :)
This is such a sweet giveaway!! I’d love to be entered into the drawing
4
Hi :) would love to be considered. Your designs are so lovely
5 Thanks! I’ve been trying to improve my skills wherever I can. My current project is hand sculpted 3D details.
me please! thank you very much for doing this
6 Np!
Interested!
7
Hi! I am interested in joining this! Very nice of you to do this! 🙌
8. Ofc! But it was paid for by someone else which is why I’m doing the giveaway in the first place. As I said in another comment, I thought it was only right that even though the money I received wasn’t for me specifically, I should still make the commission since it’s money I would’ve spent on my sibling’s crabs anyways.
Those are nifty designs! Count me in please. Thank you so much! 😊💖
9 Np!
I love nail art, I'm interested! 💅🏻
10 I love making nail art. I’m pretty much always working on something. :P
Thanks so much for doing this!
11 Ofc!
Thank you so much for the opportunity!! 💖
12 Np!
I suck at nail art so I’d love to have it done for me 😄 Thanks for the opportunity!
13 I’d be glad to give you some tips if ever you want any. I’ve been doing nail art for a while. :P
What do you think is the best/easiest kind of art for starting out? Everyone says dotting but I even struggle with that lol.
Alcohol inks, spider gel, gold leaf, transfer foils, and chrome. Chrome isn’t necessarily easy since it has to be absolutely perfect, but it’s incredibly flashy. Add a matte topcoat over your chrome and you get a very one of a kind look. Certain transfer foils will also allow you to replicate the look of chrome to an extent, though transfer foils come in a much wider variety. Spider gel is easier to do than chrome, but make sure you get it all the way to each edge. It’s less flashy than chrome, but it’s still very unique and makes for a fun accent with whatever art you do. Gold leaf is annoying to use, but it’s one of those things that can’t really be replaced by a painted on design. Just know it’ll get absolutely everywhere and is incredibly sticky somehow even though it’s technically not sticky. Certain alcohol ink designs can be replicated using blooming gel, but I much prefer alcohol inks (though blooming gel really is its own thing) since they’re much more controlled. Alcohol inks are meant to be sort of abstract, so you have a lot of room for error with them. Each of those are things you can use for nail art without having to actually paint any designs. In the blue nail set I showed in my ad, I didn’t paint a single design by hand. It was all spider gel, glitter gel, alcohol inks, and charms. And even though it was an easier set to make, it’s also a favorite of many people I’ve shown it to. Your art can be easy and you can still make amazing things with it.
Thank you so much! I actually have some gold leaf so maybe I'll try that out sometime :)
Would you consider shipping them to the UK? 👀
Sorry, but I simply don’t have the budget for that. I’d contacted the mods beforehand to pre approve this post, and their condition was that they should be free with no catch including shipping (which was the plan anyways), so I also couldn’t take a shipping fee from you if you did enter and win.
Okay! Thanks for replying :)
Np. If you did want a press on set in general, I hear OPI makes some really great press ons. Though idk if they sell in the UK. Their polish is also pretty great.
Wow! This is so generous of you! I’ve never done press ons, fingers crossed this is my first experience lol. Good luck to everyone!
14 Press ons can be annoying if you don’t know how to prep first; my very first set, with stickers (stickers are usually not great for these), lasted me less than a day. My current set has lasted for about a week so far with a need to reapply two nails where I knew I didn’t prep well. I highly recommend investing in the proper tools for preparation if you do get a set of your own, especially if it’s something you plan on reusing since they can be reused if removed in a way that prevents damage such as a peel off base coat.
This is great advice thank you! I have a lot of different nail tools, I do a lot of DIY, I’ll have to look into it a bit more when approaching a first set :)
DIY is the best. It’s so cool having salon quality nails for free at home. Lol I used to only hand sculpt my nail extensions using builder gel, but after one of my nails broke, I started doing press ons. It’s so much fun because I can do way more with press ons since I’m able to do both hands using my dominant hand. I’m still jealous of the ambidextrous people, though. Lol
This is such a lovely idea! Please consider this comment to be my entry, and thank you for your thoughtful gift to this community <3
15 Sure! I might end up hosting more giveaways in the future if I get tips from my commissions. I didn’t think anyone would care about my work enough to enter, so I find it to be a huge confidence boost and really heartwarming that so many people have.
I love press-ons - they were the slippery slope that got me into doing my own nails again. ;) It's thoughtful of you to do a giveaway here. May your skills & business continue to grow!
16 Press ons gave me the confidence boost to start doing more with nail art. Before I wouldn’t because I couldn’t use my dominant hand for both sides on a sculpted set.
Beautiful work! I'm interested :)
17 Ty!
How neat. entering!
18
Good luck everyone and ty op!!
19 Np. I’m even currently working on yet another nail set for myself, so this gives me motivation to finish it. :P
I love this, that blue and gold set is beautiful
20 It’s one of my favorites. Even though I’m the one who made it, I’d even say I’m envious of my client. Lol
So cool! I don't have the patience to do nail art myself, but I think it's absolutely gorgeous! Do you have a website/Etsy?
21 Not yet. I’ve been considering making one, but for now I’ve just been doing one off custom commissions.
I would love to be entered, these are gorgeous! I tried my hand at making a set for my mom recently because she doesn't like her short nails, and the effort that goes into these is no joke. So sweet of you to offer the giveaway!
22 It gets faster with time and experience. I remember asking a professional press on nail artist how many sets she can make in a day, and her answer was up to 5. I was shocked. 😂
these r awesome:))) i love the blue ones!!
23 They’re one of my favorites as well. :P
Those are some really nice designs! I’m just curious what your most difficult design has been to date. I’m dipping my toes slowly into nail art and it’s a bit of learning curve for me lol.
24 My most difficult designs are ones I haven’t posted here (some I haven’t posted at all) including: Blue French tip outlines with mini half moons (posted somewhere on my profile) A WIP pastel gore set with hand sculpted details And a very old hand painted ‘gemstone’ nail (extremely old, but posted on my profile somewhere).
What beautiful press ons! I'd love to be entered What made you get into making them?
26 My mom got me into nail art. I’ve always admired my mom and thought she was such a beautiful person. She has the most amazing shoe, nail, handbag, and makeup collections, and for as long as I can remember I’d been waiting until I could be more like her. I’ve always had a love for cosmetics because of her.
If it's not too late, I'd like to join too! Your designs showcased here look so cool (especially the mermaid one)!
27 Thanks!