Unit 7: Nail Art Part 1

French Tips

A French manicure consists of a clear, beige or pale pink color with a white band at the tip of the nail. Traditionally, French tips are applied to a nail with a natural shape. Below, we will cover the classic design but there are many variations.

You can use gel, acrylic, shellac or standard polish to create the look. You can also use French tip extensions with gel or acrylic.

You will need:

• Base coat
• Two colors – white for the tips and your chosen shade for the rest of the nail
• Top coat
• French tip guide stickers for neatly painting the tip.

The generic steps for creating French tips are below. Adapt them for use with gel, acrylic, etc.

1. Prep the nails.

2. Apply base coat.

3. Apply a coat of the pink or beige color.

4. Place a guide sticker below the tip of the nail. Make sure it’s securely in place then paint the tip white.

5. When the tips are dry, apply another coat of the first color to the entire nail.

6. Finish with top coat.

Jelly Nails

Jelly nails are inspired by jelly sandals which were popular in the 1990s. Like the sandals, jelly nails are colored and translucent, with texture. Gel color is the popular choice for creating jelly nails.

You will need:

• Clear gel
• Color gel
• A container to mix the clear and color gels.
• Decorations for adding texture – this may be sequins, other film shapes or strips of angel paper.

To apply jelly nails:

1. Prepare the natural nails.

2. Apply base coat and cure.

3. Apply a coat of clear gel and place the decorations on top (except for crystals – apply those at the end). Cure under the UV lamp.

4. Apply a second coat of clear gel and cure.

5. Apply the color coat. To achieve the glassy effect, mix two parts clear gel to one part color. You can apply color to the underside to add dimension. If needed, apply a second coat.

6. Apply top coat and cure. If desired, glue on crystals or other decorations.

Stencils

If you are not good at painting free-hand, nail stencils are an easy way to create precise nail art. You need two or more color polishes for working with stencils.

After applying the base coat, apply two coats of the main color to each nail and allow it to dry. After that, position the stencil on the nail plate and gently press to secure it.

Next, paint the second color polish over the stencil and leave it to dry. Gently remove the stencil and apply a top coat. For more intricate designs, you may wish to use more than two colors.

Airbrush

With airbrush nails, you apply acrylic-based paint using an airbrush gun instead of painting by hand. You can paint freehand or use stencils. Using airbrush along with stencils is ideal for beginners wanting to practice the technique.

Airbrush sets come with nozzles of different sizes for different levels of precision. You also need to use the correct paint for the nozzle size. Smaller nozzles require more fluid paint so that they do not get clogged up. This affects the colors you can use because the lower-pigment colors are thicker.

Your airbrush set should specify which paints are compatible. However, you can dilute the paints for better compatibility.

Always wear a mask when airbrushing and clean the airbrush gun after each use. Some airbrush guns come with cleaning sets.