Thursday 8 August 2013

How I do my nails - DIY stiletto manicure for under 25p!


This post is long overdue I know, but I recently bought some new nails so I thought why not show you guys now :) 
I get a lot of questions about my nails - where I get them done, how I do them myself and where I buy the nails from, so here is the answer to all of your questions! (I hope...)


All of the nails I use come from an eBay shop called Pink-Candy, they sell plain falsies in all sorts of colours, bundles and shapes; the prices are really affordable and the delivery on many items is free! What more could you ask for? Recently I ordered a pre-pointed set of 120 nails, they arrived packaged as shown in the photos above and cost only £3.20.


As the pre-pointed nails are a new purchase and as a result, I haven't used them yet, I thought I'd also show you the pack I bought previously and the nails that were used to create the looks in the first set of 3 photos. These are incredible value for money - this is a set of 500 long oval shaped nails that I ordered around 5 months ago back in March for £3.75 + 99p P&P... that's about 20 manicures so far and I'm STILL using them! That's under 25p per set! As you can tell from the photos above, the nails are packaged according to size - I only use the middle to the smaller end of the scale and the rest of the nails I give to my grandma (aww) so none are wasted. 

I couldn't resist ordering the pre-pointed nails because of convenience, I often do my nails in a rush and the oval shape required filing and shaping in order to create the stiletto style that I prefer, the value for money is undeniable though and I would definitely order these again.

Once you've got your nails it's also useful to have the following items:

  • I like to prep my hands with a moisturiser first, it's also a good idea to push your cuticles down after you've applied it just to give a neater finish, I love this one by Neutrogena, especially for the colder months coming up!
  • Nail glue - I have used a few different brands of these but I am loving this one at the moment by Elegant Touch.
  • A nail file - sorry this one looks a bit worn! This is useful for shaping nails and just giving a finishing touch.
  • Nail scissors - these will come in handy if the nails are a bit too long or you want to change the shape completely and don't want to sit filing for hours! When buying the long oval nails, I would cut them into a rough stiletto shape first and then perfect the look with the nail file.

For the following tutorial I am using the pre-pointed nails:

I admit that this looks kinda weird because of the transparent colour of the nails, but this is what they look like after they've been stuck on! As you can see, the little finger nail is realllly long and the others are a bit too pointy, they just need rounding off a bit with a nail file...


Tadaaa! So this is the nails shortened slightly, shaped and ready to be painted! Now is probably the hardest part of the entire process...deciding on a nail colour! 


I usually keep the same set of nails on for about a week, after around 5 days at least one may have come off but I just keep a spare nail glue in my bag and re-stick it back on!

I hope this post was useful to any of you who wanted to re-create the look - with the pre-pointed nails the whole thing takes about 5 minutes, but shaping the oval ones stretches the process out by about 10 minutes. It's really not as hard as people think and it's definitely worth it for how professionally they turn out!


Love Ellen xx
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13 comments

  1. I love the matte black nail varnish! Where's it from?

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    Replies
    1. It's actually a dark green by Barry M with a Rimmel mattifying top coat :) xx

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  2. might try this! i don't usually go for nails as long as these but the oval ones seem right up my street
    sara x
    Studs On Saturday

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  3. So tempted to get myself some! The black nails look gorgeous.
    Just wondering, do your natural nails stay in good condition even though you're using nail glue on them so often?
    xx

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    Replies
    1. I often apply a strengthening top coat onto my nails before I glue new nails on and I find that this helps, I also try to give my nails a break every now and then but they're still in good condition :) xx

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  4. I really want pointy nails but my nails are naturally so long that I can't wear falsies :( But then the white bits not long enough to file into a point. First world problems! Ha. Love your black ones :)

    Sweet Monday

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  5. Love the shape of these claws :) great idea!

    Fab blog mrs - now following on GFC & bloglovin. Be great if you could check out mine :)

    Charlie xx
    www.lurchhoundloves.com

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  6. I love the pointed shape, the cat ones are adorable!

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  7. I don't know if this sixties girl can pull off claws, nonetheless very very tempting.

    Thanks for popping round,
    Ammie+Sharrie

    www.ammieandsharrie.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  8. your nails look amazing, i will definitely be looking into purchasing these :) x

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  9. Oh my god! Those nails are so gorgeous! How rough would you say you are with your hands, all the nails I've tried seem to come off so quickly and I'm unsure if it's the nails and glue or me!

    BeyondTheSky

    xox

    ReplyDelete

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