Saturday 3 May 2014

Dot Dot Dotters!

When I first started dipping into nail art I wasn’t very sure how serious I would take it. I didn’t know if I would, or even could, keep up with it. For that reason, the less money I spent on tools, the better. So, off I went on an internet adventure, looking for ways to improvise. After a little research I found a few ways to make dotting tools with stuff you probably already have! If you are a seasoned nail artist, this should come as no surprise to you. If you are a beginner, you’re in luck! I am here to share these not so secrets with you.

What you will need:
  • toothpick
  • bobby pin
  • pencil and straight pin
You really only need one of those things but I’ve included all three plus an actual dotting tool for comparison.


 The toothpick is pretty easy to use. Simply, pick which end to use (depending on the size you want your dot), dab into some polish or acrylic paint and dot away! If you aren’t too confident in your dotting skills then I recommend using acrylic paint. It is much more forgiving. If you make a mistake, just take a q-tip, put a little water on it, wipe it off and VOILA! Its like it never happened.
I think the trick is to have a light hand. If you put too much pressure while dotting one of two things can happen; the polish will push out and there will be none left in the middle or, it will be a million times harder to get a good looking dot. Don’t be afraid to do a little practice run on a piece of paper before going on to your nail.


The bobby pin is a little trickier. Like the toothpick, you don’t have to do anything to it, just dab and dot. It is very thin and flat which makes it easy to lose grip. You can open it up if that helps. This one is something I would use as a last resort.
The pencil and straight pin is by far my favorite makeshift dotter. The width of the pencil makes it super easy to handle and the semi flat head of the pin is the closest you will get to an actual dotter. All you have to do is stick the straight pin into the eraser end of the pencil. Easy peezy, lemon squeezy!


There you have it, three different ways to make your own dotting tool with stuff that you most likely have just laying around. I’ve used all three and a dotting tool on a piece of paper to show the results each one gave me. With the dotting tool and toothpick I used both ends to get different sized dots. As you can tell, they all look pretty similar.


Dots are very versatile, so don’t be afraid to get creative! Here is a mani I did using all four tools:


You can barely even tell the difference, huh?! Now, get to dotting!


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