Hey Fam! Today, I want to share my Amazon favorite finds for making press-on nails that will help you do the job much easier and safer.
Have you ever been working on a set and the nail tips keep falling off the nail stand, or maybe you need a clean-up tool for nail art or something to step up your photography game? I know, me too! So here are the exact items I found that have worked for me, some recommended by other amazing artists that you can purchase off Amazon.
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Let's start with nail safety practices.
My must-have #1, I will not work without them, are my 9 mil Nitrile Powder Free Exam Gloves. When I started doing nails, I went on Amazon and got the least expensive box of nitrile gloves I could find, thinking any glove would be enough to protect my skin, right? While any type of protection for your skin is better than zero protection, you have to look at the thickness of the disposable gloves you wear.
You want to look for the highest mil number, like 8, 9, or 10 mil thickness. The 9 mil Nitrile Powder Free Exam Gloves are 100% latex-free and are available in size small, my size hehe.
It's super important to pay attention to the thickness of gloves when we're handling all kinds of tools, brushes, and gels. Even just wiping can lead to cross-contamination, which can happen without us even realizing it. And the molecules in gel products are tiny - they can sneak right through thinner nitrile gloves.
Hey, have you heard of the PressOn Portal? It's a really cool community for people who love press-on nails and make it a business. They have this awesome class that you should check out - it's all about staying safe and using the right products. I learned so much from it, like how to properly find disposable gloves. Did you know that skin allergies are permanent? That's why it's super important to learn these safe practices early on and make them a habit.
I recently discovered something amazing, and I am absolutely in love with it! While scrolling through Instagram, I stumbled upon a post by a girl who recommended disposable nose filters. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find her post at the moment, but I'll make sure to tag her as soon as I do. She was talking about how these filters are incredibly comfortable to wear while filing nails and act as an additional layer of protection for your lungs. It's important to note that these filters aren't a replacement for a dust collector, but they do offer some extra protection.
I suffer from very bad environmental allergies, and I am allergic to HEMA, so I use these with my dust collector turned on when I am working on press-ons. It gives me more peace of mind and less of an itchy nose.
Nail Art
If you enjoy gradient/ombre nails and you are looking for an airbrushed look, use eyeshadow palettes. If you need the full technique, here's a masterclass on ombre techniques, but if you have it down and just need a good, affordable color palette, I found this eye shadow palette that works like a charm.
On my nail table, there is one item that I cannot do without. While using a french cleaning brush for cleaning up french nail smile lines is a must, it is not always enough when it comes to cleaning ultra-tiny mistakes while painting nail art. That is why I decided to try using disposable micro brushes. My mom is dentist, and she uses these in her office. To my delight, they worked wonders on nails! These sticks have a plastic body and a lint-free fiber tip, and are perfect for cleaning up tiny mistakes. They come in different fiber-head sizes to suit your needs.
After painting a set of nails, there was nothing more annoying for me than cleaning my metal nail art palettes with cured gel on them.
First, don't wait til later to clean your work area. Make it a habit to clean your palettes and brushes and put your gels away before leaving your desk, this will save you many ruined brushes and palettes. But I know sometimes things get in the way and it's inevitable, so I recommend silicone nail art palettes.
Cleaning these items is super easy! You can put them inside a lamp to cure any remaining gel on them, then take them out and quickly peel off the gel. This set includes six items, providing plenty of options for different uses. They also make great surfaces for 3D gel molding.
Omgoodness, have you bought every size and color looking for one that fits the tiny pinky nail tips? I have! So here is the best nail tip stand I have found to fit my 9-14 size nail tips.
Before, I used to stick a glue dot onto a wooden cuticle pusher to do pinky nails. However, this was a very time-consuming and annoying process because the wood sticks would roll all over the place, making a mess.
Now, I use glue dots to attach the nail tip holders and then place my nail tips on them. The holders have strong magnets and look pretty, making them perfect for content creation. I absolutely enjoy using them!
Lastly, content creation.
As I mentioned before, I have invested time and money in learning about product photography and content creation, and here are the two things I use every day:
When it comes to lighting for photography, natural sunlight is my first choice. There's nothing better than it, but unfortunately, it's not always available due to time constraints or bad weather. To solve this issue, I purchased a photography light which allows me to work even when there's no access to natural light. I've tried other lights in the past, but this one has been the most reliable for me. It's easy to set up, doesn't take up a lot of space and it's incredibly bright, just like studio lights. If you get one of these lights, you'll be very happy with its performance. I know it's a more pricey item but I would start with one and later on get a second one. Trust me, they are worth the investment.
For photography, you will need a light source, your phone and some PVC backdrops. Personally, I find these ones to be the best as they come in universal colors that work great for creating press-on content. They are also made of resistant and easy-to-clean material which makes them perfect for recording nail art tutorials. You don't need to buy all the colors or fancy backgrounds as these basic colors will get you a long way. There are a lot of amazing photo editing apps available, and most of us end up using background removal tools to get the desired look, so don't fret too much about this. The key is to practice and experiment with these items to find your own style. Remember, it's all about practice, and there's no shortcut for it.
If you need guidance on how to create aesthetic content for your pressons, here's another class you can watch on press ons photography at the Press on Portal; I'm telling you, they cover everything there.
Okay! No more gatekeeping for me. Those are my best, most useful, and worthwhile purchases from Amazon so far. I would love to hear your thoughts on any of these items if you decide to give them a try, and I hope they make your pressons' journey easier like they have done for me.
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Thank you for hanging out with me today, and I hope you have a lovely, blessed week. Byeee!
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