Nail piercing DIY

Nailpiercings have been in and out of trend, but sometimes I do like to wear them.
I will show you how to pierce your nail and how to make your own dangle.

Some FAQ's about nailpiercings:

Q: Will it get infected?
A: No! Not at all. The piercing doesn't go through any skin or flesh, it goes through the free edge of the nail. And which we all know, nails are made up out of keratin and dead cells.

Q: Does it hurt?
A: Only if you are squeamish about needles. No just kidding, it does not hurt at all. Does it hurt when you cut your nails with a trimmer?

Q: What happens to the hole when I take the piercing out
A: It will grow out as your nail grows, or if you want to get rid of the hole immediately, you just simply shorten your nail.

Q: Will this weaken the structure of my nails?
A: If placed in the right spot, it wouldn't.

Q: What if I get it caught on something?
A: Most likely the O-ring will open up and it will fall out. Worst case scenario... You'll end up with a severed finger and need to go to the E.R. (again, just a joke)

Anyway, let's get on with the step by step

The things you will need:
- 1 headpin

- beads / swarovski crystals / ...

- round nose pliers

- cutting pliers

- piercing tool

Take the headpin and put the bead on it. Let it slide all the way to the end.
With your round nose pliers make a bend 2-3 mm above the bead.

 Again, with round nose pliers, twist the wire around to create a loop.

 Then twist the wire around the base of the loop to close it off

With cutting pliers, cut off the excess wire. But don't throw it away, just yet.

With the piece you just cut off, you are going to make an O-ring. Place the wire on the round nose pliers and twist the wire completely around.

Cut off the overlapping piece of wire.

Open up the O-ring and put the dangle on.

Now it's time to pierce the nail. Grab your nail piercing tool. You can buy one in a nail supply store, or make one yourself out of a plastic handle and a small drill bit. 

Grab your finger and hold it into a death grip to make it doesn't want to bail out. Flip your finger upside down so that the nail faces the table. Place the drill on the underneath in one corner, far enough from the side and far enough from the edge. If you place the hole in the wrong place, you have a chance that the corner will crack off. Start turning the drill clockwise and put a little bit of pressure on it till you go all the way through. Twist anti clockwise to remove the drill from the hole.

When you have your hole drilled and your dangle ready, we will put them together.

Put the O-ring through the hole and grab each end with pliers and close it.

You can create all sorts of dangles, it doesn't have to be a crystal.

If you liked this DIY, don't forget to share it and I will see you next time!

Classy medallion nails

Don't we all love those beautiful 3D acrylic designs? But you have gel nails? You think you can't have some of that? Guess again ladies! Having some 3D acrylic art on your gel nails is easy. You still have the benefits of your gel nails but now also the benefits of 3D art. It is really easy. Let's have a look.

After prep and prime, apply a thin base layer on all 5 nails, one hand at a time. Go around the cuticles with a rose woodstick and let it cure for 2 minutes.

Apply a thin layer of clear gel on the free edge. This is the layer your glitter will adhere to. With a clean gel brush, apply the glitter on the nails. Wipe your brush between a paper towel to remove all the glitter and clean up your smile line. If you have 2 gel brushes, you can use one for patting the glitter on and one for cleaning up the smile line and for the whole gel application. After cleaning up the smile line, let it cure for 2 minutes.

Doing one nail at a time now, I apply a thin layer of builder gel clear on the entire nail. First the nailbed and last the glitter. Otherwise you will have glitter transferring onto your nailbed. After doing so, I am using the string technique to "build" the thickness of the nail. Go around the cuticle and let it cure for 3 minutes.

When all the nails are fully cured, I remove the tacky layer with none acetone nail polish remover and a lint free wipe. I also reshape the sidewalls and free edge.

Wherever you decide to do acrylic art is where you need to remove the shine of the gel nail. Acrylic needs those tiny scratches to adhere to. It has a tendency to pop off from something smooth and shiny and we want our art to last long. Make sure the nail is dust free.
Using NSI attraction radiant white, the same brand monomer and an acrylic brush, I picked up a medium size ball to create a circle shape on the nail. Keep patting the acrylic in place while it sets. When it's dry I used a stamp to create the zebra print.
I brush on a coat of Glaze 'n go on the entire nail and also on top of the medallion. Don't cure just yet, we need that coat to put our tiny pearls in. Just pick them up with a rosewood stick dipped in a bit of Glaze 'n go and arrange them around the medallion. Let it then cure for 3 minutes. Finish off the rest of the nails with a clear topcoat.

Nicki Minaj Nails

Sometimes we do design that are inspired by object, things we see, things we like. But also very often they are inspired by people and by the colors that they wear. This particular design was inspired by Nicki Minaj's I am your leader music video. The walls are green and the bathtub is purple.

Watermelon nails

Having a simple design is classy, but having a little extra is more fun. Sure, it's not everybody's taste, but if you like it, you rock it!

The previous design has been removed, as shown in this video. The nails are clean and dust free and are ready for being prepped.

With NSI prep dx, I am applying it with a small nail brush to the new growth. This is a dehydrator and it dries to a somewhat chalky white.

Next up is primer, applying it sparingly to the natural nail only. If applied on the left over acrylic, it can cause yellowing.

Right before applying the acrylic to the nail I am applying one more coat of primer to the natural nail only, for better adhesion.

Using colored acrylics directly on the natural nail can cause staining so I am applying a thin layer of NSI attraction totally clear over the entire nail.

Picking up a very bright pink acrylic color from EzFlow and placing it near the cuticle area. Pat it in place and drag it down towards the free edge. Shaping the smile line with your brush will create a smooth and crisp line. This is also called the reverse technique.

Repeating the same process on all nails with NSI attraction extreme pink. This is a translucent pink acrylic powder.

If you feel like your smile line isn't as crisp or as sharp as you want, you can always go ahead and file it.

With a premixed bright green glitter, I placed a small ball against the smile line and pushed it in place to create a thin line.

With a dark green premixed glitter, I filled in the rest of the free edge. Same goes for the rest of the nails.

Encapsulating the glitter with NSI attraction totally clear.

When all the nails are completely dry, I shaped and buffed them. Applying a coat of NSI Glaze 'n Go near the cuticle area of the ring finger as a sticky base for the "watermelon seeds". Picking them up with a dotting tool and placing them near the cuticle. Let it cure for a minute to lock them in place.
Then apply Glaze 'n Go on the entire nail and let it cure for 3 minutes.

Finish off your service with some cuticle oil.

3D Flowers

This time I have the honor to use a glitter mix from Melbeautynails called "Mardi Gra"

It's a gorgeous gold and purple mix with all sorts of colored hexagons.

Prior to the video, I removed the old design and already prepped the nails.

First, I start off by removing any excess dust and oils from the nails with Nail pure plus and a lint free wipe.

With the "Mardi Gra" glitter mix (mixed with clear acrylic), I put a ball at the free edge, spread it from side to side and with the flags of the brush, I fade the glitter up towards the middle.

I am using a Nr. 6 acrylic brush.

Next I put on NSI superbond primer and with a Nr. 8 acrylic brush, I picked up a ball of NSI totally clear and placed that at the cuticle area, leaving a space between the acrylic and the cuticle.

I pat the ball from side to side and swipe it down towards the free edge.

If you need more acrylic, you can always add an extra ball.

It's better to add more than to take away.

This is the same for all 10 nails.

After shaping and filing, I let my friend wash her hands to get rid of any excess chemicals on her skin and dust from the nails.

For the 3D flowers, I put some pure acetone in the monomer to let the acrylic dry a whole lot faster.

(This is so your ball of acrylic won't get runny/too wet)

I think I use 40/60 acetone/monomer.

I am using a Nr. 2 acrylic brush, which tip comes together to a point.

Picking up small balls of acrylic can be tricky, so make sure to have a little practice.

I place a tiny ball of NSI radiant white on the nail.

I put my brush in front of a ball and start pushing my brush down to whichever side I want my petal to be. when you lift your brush and you petal starts to form a ball again, this means you have to wait a couple more seconds, because it's too wet.

You know when your ball is ready when it starts to get dull.

Depending on your Acetone/monomer ratio, it takes longer or faster to dry.

When I get 3 petals, I place a ball of acrylic in the middle immediately put a Swarovski crystal on top and pushed it in. The color is in "aurora borealis" (AB)

If you need to fix the appearance of the centerpiece, do so.

I created flower petals on each nail.

To finish off the nail, I put a coat of NSI Glaze 'n go on the nails (NOT on the petals)

and let that cure for 3 minutes.

And last but not least I massaged the cuticles with cuticle oil.

I really love this design, Thank you Mel for sending me this glitter mix.

I hope you liked this tutorial and thank you for reading/watching

x