What Is Nail Art Powder?
Nail art powder is basically assorted acrylic powder. It is used to create nail art, and it’s really great for beginners. It contains 60 different colors which give a choice of making various designs with various colors. It is a good product to have if you are doing nail art.
What Is Nail Art Powder Or Dip Powder?
Dip powder has got used in the nail-art for the last three decades. These powder gets made from color pigments and acrylic polymers, while the liquid hardening agent gets made from cyanoacrylates.
A combination of both leads to hardening from atmospheric moisture. This type of nail-art does not require a UV lamp for curing like the gel application systems. Nail dip process is durable and lasts around 3-4 weeks, and chipping cum cracking resistant.
How Is It Different From Acrylic And Gel?
Nail art powder falls in between the acrylic and gel application process. Using the dip powder process is far more comfortable than the acrylic in terms of odor, dust, and smoke, and alongside, it does not require a UV lamp like gel, for curing.
They last long, and as the nails grow from the base, you can keep filling up the dip’s growth and seal it off. It is also easier to remove than others.
How Does Nail Powder Get Applied?
First, you need to prepare your nails: manicure and shape them to perfection. You must apply a base coat and let it dry. You must then use a brush of activating liquid and dip the nail inside a jar of color powder.
Dust off the excess powder, apply another coat of hardening liquid and dip again inside the powder. Once you the required opaque hue, buff the excess powder from your nails and then seal off with a coat of topcoat polish. You have vibrant colored, shiny nails, and the entire application takes around 45 minutes.
Can You Do Designs With Dip Powder?
You can do various nail art designs on top of your dip powder layer, like adding bling rhinestones, foils, and dried flower petals.
You can do a French manicure with the dip powder, or add gel designs. The sky is the limit, and you can let your imagination soar with a dip powder base. You can also do nail stamping and acrylic paint over this colorful canvas!
How Do You Remove Nail Art Powder?
The most challenging part of all nail application process is to get the coating removed. The dip powder coating creates a thick layer, fixed firmly on your nail. The best way is to file and buff the top layers so that only a thin layer of color remains on your nail surface.
You can now use cotton swab and acetone to remove the remaining pigments and base coat from your nails. Once the entire coatings get removed, moisturize your whole hand to hydrate them and help your nail surface and bed breathe again.
Is Dip Powder Natural?
Dip powder gets made from color dyes and chemicals. They get dusted on top of another chemical layer so that they harden. Even if you add beneficial vitamins and minerals in this powder, it does not reach the nail below, through various segments, including the basecoat polish.
Hence, do not get carried away with an organic or natural claim concerning nail art powder. They get made from chemicals to help you beautify your nails.
Is It Safe To Use Nail Art Powder?
Dipping your nails in a container of nail art powder or getting them sprinkled is not hygienic if someone else has used the material previously. Infection from your finger and nail pass on to others through these powders.
Hence, it is advisable to avoid using dip powders in salons. Either, you must do this process on your own at home, or carry your dip powders for application at the spa.
Some salons use small containers of dip powder for every client, and the same gets later sprinkled for additional coats. The remnant powder gets disposed of, and not used on any other customers.
Only in such cases, you can venture dip powder application at such outlets. Though the dry powder does not help transfer bacteria or viruses, any moisture inside this jar is prone to such infection to spread.
Who Should Avoid Dip Powder Nails?
All those whose nails are cracked and brittle must avoid the dip powder process. For this application to be successful, you must have healthy nails and grows in length as per your satisfaction.
After you file and buff your nails, they must be in perfect shape to get colored, and it’s only then you must go with the nail art powder route. If you have any skin problems like psoriasis, you must refrain from dip powder use.
Can I Do Dip Powder Nail Art At Home?
Nail art powder treatment gets best done at the salon under professional guidance. Just like gel treatment, this application deals with chemicals that can damage your nail, cuticle, and the skin around, if not handled properly. You must only keep in mind the hygiene factor that needs to get adhered at the nail spas.
After-care Process To Get Followed
Like all nail enhancement process, you must provide enough rest and recovery time to your nails, before the next nail art. You must clip your nail and buff them, so there are no rough edges.
Avoid chipping and tearing of your nails during this period. Apply almond oil on the cuticles and the nail, for nourishment. The moisturizing lotion will make your hands supple and well hydrated.
History Of Nail Art
The origin of nail art can get traced to ancient Egyptian civilization between 5000 to 3000 BC, where women got their fingers and toenails dyed. Similar nail embellishment took place at other places around the world too. In Babylon in 3000 BC, men got their nails covered in black and green before they went to wars.
Around the same time, the first form of nail polish surfaced in China, where this liquid got made from beeswax, gelatin, egg white, vegetable dyes, and gum Arabic. The women folks dipped their fingers in this dye for long hours and left them to dry.
Around 600 BC, in the Zhou Dynasty, the royalty to signify their social status got covered their polished nails with gold and silver dust. Between 1368-1644, people of the Ming Dynasty, the rich were known to grow their nails long and wrap them with covering made of gold and precious stones.
Since their servants did all the household chores, they were able to maintain such elongated nails. The first actual nail art gets recorded during the Inca Empire between 1438-1533 in South America. They used to paint eagles and other motifs on their nails.
In the early 1800, Dr. Sitts invented the orange stick, which got introduced to push back the cuticle from the nail surface. By 1892, his niece developed a full set of manicure, which quickly started the nail care movement. Earlier, scissors, acids, metal rods got used to taking care of the nails.
In 1907, the first colorless nail polish got invented, and a short while later, basic color shades became available. By 1925, half-moon or lunar manicure got introduced with red and pink painted on the nail bed.
Between 1970 to 1980, the natural polish was in vogue. In 1976, French manicure became fashionable, and from 1980 onwards, nail art got established and has been growing exponentially ever since!
Nail Art Tools
To get your manicure done, these are some of the essential tools that you require, and are a must for your kit.
Scissors And Clippers
You should have a few small and sharp nail scissors in your kit. They get used to cut any chipped or cracked nails. You can also cut those hangnails or the dead skin at the corner of your nail. Be careful not to snap away from your skin or nail from the base.
The safest way to cut or shape your nail is the clipper or cutter. They are formed similar to the nail curve and reach the most difficult corners. Ensure that you have 2-3 sizes for your fingers and toenails, and they must be sharp. If the cutters are not razor-sharp, you tend to chip away at your nails, leaving them frayed and uneven.
You must be careful while using scissors and clippers and dispose of those when you notice rust on these tools. In case you have accidentally clipped to close to the base of your nail, or snapped away a bit of skin, immediately clean the area with antiseptic cream or ointment.
These days you find scissors and clippers, which are straight and angular, and you should choose the ones that suit your requirement.
Nail File
A nail file is a tool that gets used to shape and even the nail edge after being trimmed by an appropriate nail clipper. These files get made from emery board, glass, ceramic, crystal, or metal, and depending upon your nail type and requirement, choose the file. Electronic nail grinds get preferred by nail technicians and professionals.
Cuticle Trimmer And Pusher
These trimmers get made from metal, and their cutting edge is the shape of an eagle’s beak. They look like pliers and are small so that you can handle them with ease. Cuticles are a layer of soft skin that protects your nails from external damage, especially when they grow. It is not advisable to trim cuticles, since you may nip your skin and cause infection.
Spas and salons use these nippers to snap any loose hanging skin tissues, to beautify your nails. You have to protect your cuticles by applying cuticle oil and moisturizers, to keep them healthy.
Cuticle pushers could be metal or wooden, with an angular edge on one end, which gets used to push the cuticle skin back to the nail bed. This makes the nail look bigger and protects the cuticles from getting damaged and clipped.
Polishes
Types
There are various types of polishes, and they get used as per the requirement of nail art. Let’s look at them broadly.
Basecoat
This type of polish is transparent, or pink-colored, and gets used before the application of further coats of polish. They protect your nail from other harsh polish or nail art glue. Sometimes they get used as ridge fillers, and some polish has properties to get peeled without acetone.
Topcoat
As the name suggests, we use this polish as a final coating over your nail art, since it’s properties help harden the surface and deter from chipping and damage. This polish is transparent and quickly dries after application.
Gel Polish
Made from methacrylate polymer, this gets applied similar to regular nail polish. The difference is that it does not dry on its own, but requires to get cured using a UV or LED lamp.
This type of polish has double the life span from other polish and is equally hard to remove. You need to get your nails soaked with acetone for a few minutes before you can get the coating off your nails.
Matte Polish
Matte polish is similar to regular polish, except that the outcome is flat and not shiny like others. They get used in nail art applications since glossy designs on a matte surface stand out prominently. Over the years, these types of polish have gained wider acceptability and implementation.
Some Prominent Finishes
Nail polishes these days have a different type of finishes, and you choose, which would complement your other nail art activities, and your outfit. Some of the nail polish finishes are:
Glossy or shiny
Glitter or dazzling
Shimmer or shine with waveform
Magnetic or textured
Holographic or rainbow effect
Frost or icy-toned
Micro-glitter
Micro-shimmer
Lustre or reflecting light
Crackled or crack effect
Iridescent or color change from an angle
Opalescent or dispersing of light as in opal
Nail Polish Remover
This organic solvent may also include scent, oil, and coloring, and comes in the form of liquid, foam, or cream. They are available at different prices and get used as per preference.
Acetone also gets used as a nail polish removing agent, though extensive uses cause skin dryness and cracking of the nails. Acetone also removes artificial nails and glued materials. Isopropyl alcohol is another polish removing agent, which gets used.
Nail Art Stickers
Nail Stamping
This is the newest craze, a fashionable shortcut to nail art and manicure. There are parlors where you can get the stamping done, or you could get it done yourself. Hand-painted nails are getting replaced with this method since the outcome is much more detailed and exquisite.
You would require a base coat and nail polish, metal design plate, stamp holders, unique stamping polishes, and topcoat transparent polish.
You will need wipes to clean the metal stamps and acetone to clean the stamp after every application, buds, and a scraper to clean the plates and polish application brush to apply the special polish to the engraved stamps.
Rhinestones
To get bling-look to your nails, we use rhinestones of varied sizes and sparkle. Color stones also get used, depending upon the design planned. They get affixed to your nail using safe glues.
Tweezers
These pincers have different applications, from holding on to nail stickers to fixing rhinestones. The edge of these tweezers varies depending upon their purpose.
Tapes And Masks
Sticking tapes and stencil tapes get used in a variety of nail art activities.
Acrylic Powder
These delicate and coarse powder comes in various shades and forms, which gets sprinkled over your nail art in a planned way to get the best outcome.
Sponges
To provide a gradient look to your nail art, sponges get used.
Nail Art Brushes
You need special brushes to implement designs on your nails. Acrylic paints get used to creating these designs. There are various brush types, which help in this nail art process. Following types of brushes get used in this application:
Dotter tool
Pointer brush
Crooked detailer brush
Shader brush
Angled brush
Flat brush
Round brush
Stripette brush
Liner or striper brush
Detail brush
Conclusion
Nail art powder gets made from color dyes and polymers. This gets fixed to your nail surfaces with the help of liquid chemicals. You don’t require a UV lamp to cure or dry these coatings, since atmospheric air hardens the layers.
Since you apply multiple layers, you get opaque and glossy shades that withstand normal wear and tear. This type of nail art remains intact for nearly a month. You can also do other nail art designs on dip powder coated surfaces.