Painting Toenails

SarahMarie1987 · June 07, 2015, 05:22:51 PM

So my amazing wonderful best friend bought me a small kit of "essentials". It has a mascara (Maybelline Great Lash), an eye shadow (Wet N' Wild Silver Glitter), and a four nail polishes.

The brand is ELF. I love the names and colors!!

1) Skinny Jeans - Blue
2) Purple Dream - Purple
3) Smokin' Hot - Red
4) Mango Madness - Orange/Pink

So my very dumb question is how do I go about painting my toes? I have picked them because it will be easier for me to do them, and I really love the idea of having them done as a secret/gift for myself.

Ms Grace · June 07, 2015, 05:59:42 PM

Trim and file your toenails first. I find putting little wads of cotton wool between each toe is a useful way to spread the toes and makes it easy to paint each individual nail. Apply the first coat and allow to dry before apply a second coat (and maybe a third?). My attempts are fairly amateur but decent enough. There are quite a few useful tutorials on YouTube though.

Valwen · June 08, 2015, 11:28:55 PM

toenails can be hard especially when you have a stomach i just put my foot up on something slosh nail polish all over the toes sorta trying to get it on the nails, repeat a second and a top coat so it looks like a 5 year old did it, then the next day I take a hot shower and rub off the excess paint on my skin it tends to peel right off.

fingernails are similar but I have been doing them so long its usually pretty good but the hot water shower still helps with the little mistakes. also if you didn't know you can really speed up drying nail polish by putting your hands under really cold water, not directly on the nail but running down the hands and over it, though wait 10 minutes for it to dry some first, the cold accelerates the chemical reaction that causes the paint to dry. It's amazing how many women don't know that trick.

and now I will refrain from raving about sally hanson miracle GEL no light nail polish.

--Serena

SarahMarie1987 · June 12, 2015, 07:16:09 PM

Thank you for the help! It is very appreciated!

I am torn between the purple and the blue polish. Hmm. I'll will figure out something. I'll will post a picture of them when they are done. :-)

carlab · June 18, 2015, 10:30:00 AM

Check and make sure you buff your nails before you paint them. I naturally have very thick toe nails with literally ridges on my big toes. Get a buffing tool and smooth them down. This makes a huge difference in how easy it is to spread the polish and also how smooth the finish looks.

You should also pick up some quick dry top coat. Sally Hansen (available most places) makes a good one. That will keep them from chipping for longer, but still let you take the polish off when you need to (or are ready for a new color.)

Oh, and make sure you have nail polish remover and Q-Tips. If you are like me, you will paint your skin a lot until you get the hang of putting on polish. Q-Tips will allow you to get off the polish off your skin without accidentally removing some of the polish you just put on your nails.

Good luck and have fun! Practice really does make perfect, so don't hesitate to paint and remove every couple days while you perfect your technique.

SarahMarie1987 · June 18, 2015, 01:56:45 PM

So I went with blue!!

It's my favorite color. :-) Must be the Aquarius in me

.

I don't know how to post a picture though. So help? Please and thank you? (And a virtual cookies!!)

Nicole · June 28, 2015, 01:56:27 AM

I've gone with Black for the past month or so.
Never thought I would, but loving it

SarahMarie1987 · July 08, 2015, 09:29:50 AM

Quote from: Nicole on June 28, 2015, 01:56:27 AM
I've gone with Black for the past month or so.
Never thought I would, but loving it

I think black is a nice color choice. :-)

I may do a mango next. It is very summery and flirty, but I do want to get a little tanner first. Way too pale.

angiegurl · July 08, 2015, 03:51:41 PM

I did mine yesterday. The color is "An affair in Red Square" by Opi. It is basically a shimmering deep Red somewhat like the red found on a Christmas bow. I love Opi colors and the polish itself. It goes one easy and flows real well to create a smooth surface. I have some small flower stencils and I am thinking of putting on a white flow or two.

What do you ladies think about starting a post where we can post pic's and show off? (no i don't have a foot fetish. i just know how much of a pita putting color on toenails can be)

barbie · July 08, 2015, 04:18:10 PM

Just apply it for your convenience. Few people will pay attention to how well it was done.

In my case, I apply green manicure every 2 weeks after cutting my toes. It takes less than 3 min.

barbie~~

SarahMarie1987 · July 14, 2015, 06:07:31 PM

Quote from: angiegurl on July 08, 2015, 03:51:41 PM
I did mine yesterday. The color is "An affair in Red Square" by Opi. It is basically a shimmering deep Red somewhat like the red found on a Christmas bow. I love Opi colors and the polish itself. It goes one easy and flows real well to create a smooth surface. I have some small flower stencils and I am thinking of putting on a white flow or two.

What do you ladies think about starting a post where we can post pic's and show off? (no i don't have a foot fetish. i just know how much of a pita putting color on toenails can be)

How would we get pictures up? Otherwise, yes I am down for any lovely advice and pictures we can share and help one another.

Tamika Olivia · August 08, 2015, 06:39:28 PM

Nail polish has become something of an obsession of mine over the past week. I've been listening to Miss Gender (great podcast, highly recommend it) and Ashley conveys her love of polish nearly every week. I went and bought a bottle of Essie (Play Date) a light lilac. I wore that for a few days, but I wanted more so I went to Ulta. Bought a top coat and a new polish, Mineral Solution's Emerald Sand. I like how it looks, though I had hoped for a little more green.

I'm gonna go broke from nail polish if I'm not careful.

SarahMarie1987 · August 11, 2015, 08:23:02 PM

Quote from: TamorTom on August 08, 2015, 06:39:28 PM
Nail polish has become something of an obsession of mine over the past week. I've been listening to Miss Gender (great podcast, highly recommend it) and Ashley conveys her love of polish nearly every week. I went and bought a bottle of Essie (Play Date) a light lilac. I wore that for a few days, but I wanted more so I went to Ulta. Bought a top coat and a new polish, Mineral Solution's Emerald Sand. I like how it looks, though I had hoped for a little more green.

I'm gonna go broke from nail polish if I'm not careful.

A top coat? Is that the clear polish that would go over the color to give it a bit of gloss? I know a few of the women in my life have used that. Right now I have been just using a color polish (ELF Blue "Skinny Jeans"). Going to swap it out for a purple one I have.

Tamika Olivia · August 11, 2015, 10:32:41 PM

Yeah, the top coat goes on last and gives some sheen. It also helps the polish last longer by guarding against chipping. Also, tried out some OPI, a reddish pink. It's a little too runny for my taste. Maybe it's a better fingernail polish, but didn't work for my toes.

SarahMarie1987 · August 12, 2015, 09:32:24 AM

Quote from: TamorTom on August 11, 2015, 10:32:41 PM
Yeah, the top coat goes on last and gives some sheen. It also helps the polish last longer by guarding against chipping. Also, tried out some OPI, a reddish pink. It's a little too runny for my taste. Maybe it's a better fingernail polish, but didn't work for my toes.

Interesting about the top coat. I don't mind if if my color chips right now. I am still working on giving myself a nice pedicure.

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Painting Toenails