I hope you all are having a good week. I have had a little lull in swatching, so I’ve enjoyed a little time for some nail art. This mani I’m showing you today however took far more than a little time. I chalk all that up to a learning curve though. Let’s take a look…

Last month when I was choosing a few items to review for Born Pretty Store I came across nail foil, I had been wanting to try it so I picked out this holographic silver. When it arrived I realized I didn’t have any foil glue, so I had to wait a bit longer before I could dive right in.

Here are my trials and tribulations using nail foil….

Attempt 1: The foil took pretty well to the middle of my nails but the edges remained bare.

Attempt 2: I was able to get more coverage on this attempt, but still had some bare edges.

Attempt 3: This time I started noticing that the foil had a ‘roughed up’ look to it after applying to my nail. I decided to try using a medium firm stamper rather than rubbing the foil so much before pulling off the clear backing.

 

ELAPSED TIME: 2 + hours

 

After 3 failed attempts I decided that the ‘roughed up’ look was just part of using foil, or at the very least this foil. And in an effort to save myself from spending another 2 hours I decided to re-aquaint myself with some tips and tricks to successfully apply foil. Why didn’t I do that to begin with?? Good question! I wish I knew.

Tip #1 Start with a base polish that closely matches your foil, or as close as possible. I decided that Color Club Worth the Risque was a pretty good match in this case.

Tip #2 After base polish is completely dry apply the foil glue. After it has turned clear and looks to be ready, then wait another 30 seconds or so.

Tip #3 Press firmly but not excessively till the clear plastic backing picks up effortlessly, leaving the foil on your nails.

Tip #4 Do not top coat. I tried a number of different top coats, both quick dry and not, but they all gave the foil a dulled wrinkly appearance.

Tip #5 This might just be me but I still didn’t find myself real excited with the outcome. When in doubt.. Stamp.

Tip #6 Paw prints make everything better.

Okay, so hopefully you all can learn something from my mistakes. I recently purchased a large selection of foil so I can do lots more playing around and maybe one day I can master nail foils. In the meantime, there are always paw prints.

So are you ready to jump right into using foils? Don’t let my learning curve desuade you. After all, we can never learn if we don’t try.

Take a quick look at Born Pretty Store to see their nail foils selection, or lots of other nail art items. And remember, use my code TFFQ10 for 10% off any regular priced items.

Born Pretty Store: Website ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ Pinterest

Until next time, stay polished!