You don’t need to be an artist to paint cute nail art!  With artistic nails becoming more and more popular, we’re always on the lookout for ways to make our fingers look fancy without requiring lot of time and extreme talent.  Our beauty contributor, Megan from Razberriez, is here today to show us a simple technique for making your own nail stencils, allowing you to easily add personality to your manicure.

Project estimate:

  • Basecoat*, on hand or $1 and up
  • Two nail polishes*, on hand or $2 and up
  • Topcoat*, on hand or $1
  • Wax paper or a plastic baggie, on hand
  • Painters tape, on hand
  • Mini Scrapbooking Punch (small enough to fit the nail), on hand or $1 and up

Total:  Free and up

*Polishes used here:  Essie Grow Stronger basecoat, Color Club “blue-ming”, OPI Black Onyx, Sally Hansen Mega Shine topcoat

To create your nail stencil, start by cutting up your plastic baggie/wax paper into even squares. Then, take your low-tack painters tape and lay it on top of the squares so that they stick together. This will prevent the mini punch from sticking to the tape.

Take your mini punch and stamp out the design you would like on the tape. To make it easier when you go to put it on your nail, use scissors to cut them into smaller pieces. You can find these mini scrapbooking punches at various craft stores, I found mine for $1 each. They usually have a fun variety of designs you can choose from, so pick your favorites!

Now that you have made your nail stencils, apply your favorite base coat to all of your nails to help prevent chipping and staining. It will also help this cute manicure stay on that much longer.

Once that has dried, paint your nails with the polish of your choice. These have to dry until they are 100% dry so that the painters tape won’t ruin the nail polish underneath when you peel it off. I recommend waiting an hour or two.

After you’ve ensured that all of your nails are dry, you can then decide which nail you would like to apply the design to. I chose my thumb because it was the largest nail. Gently peel the plastic backing off of your stencil and then carefully press it onto your nail.

Using a contrasting nail polish (I chose black), paint over the stencil with thin coats so it doesn’t bleed through. Let this dry for 1-2 minutes before peeling it off.

Peel off your nail stencil and viola! Now you have an adorable design on your nail. The stencils can be reused, but I only would reuse them if I was using the same color again. Otherwise, I would just make a bunch and cut them out at the same time.

Apply your favorite top coat and you are done! These nails are sure to impress any crowd. Have fun experimenting with designs and different shaped punches to further customize your manicure!