When we saw these nails spotted at Lollapalooza a couple of weeks ago, we literally stopped in our tracks. This technique of using a variety of colors and linear tribal patterns instantly won over our prior skepticism of nail art. Inspired, we went on a mission to find the best nail art pens to doodle on our own nails.
You’ll need:
Start by painting two coats of polish on your nails. Let the polish dry completely.
Shake the nail pen several times, press the tip against a piece of paper to dispense the color, and apply designs to your nails. It helps to first practice on a piece of paper. Don’t worry about making mistakes, as you can wipe the pen marks away with a tissue while they’re still wet. When you’re satisfied with the designs, let it dry and seal it with a layer of top coat.
And . . . you’ve nailed it!! Easy peasy.
(top image via Vogue.com, rest of images by HonestlyWTF)
Very pretty! I just bought a kit myself that works as a stamp, but this looks simpler and more portable.
Fabulous! and so easy.
x
Michelle
http://www.michellesstylefile.blogspot.com
I love the light blue purple combo. I need some nail art pens pronto. =)
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I’m not huge into accessories so I’ve found that nail art is the perfect way to add a little bit of spice to everyday life. I never would have thought to do tribal prints though! Love the tutorial, thanks for sharing!
http://www.cositabella.com
Oh, I love those. Tres chic. I want to learn to do leopard print with a nail art pen…Cool or not? xoxo
This is so great, I’m gonna try it.
Nail-art can be so fun, it can really make an ordinary more interesting
Oh I love it! Have to test it right away! 🙂
Oh this is nice and easy – even I could do it!!
http://www.noaslibellule.blogspot.com
Love this! I’ve always looked at those nail pens, but had no idea they are so easy to use! I will have to try this out.
Ooh can’t wait to try this one! Love the pastel colorscheme you used.
xxdaily/weakly
http://dailyweakly.blogspot.com/
Oh these are so darn cool, gotta get a nail pen ASAP!
This is awesome . I am going to have to get one of those nail art pins..
Love this! What a cool idea. 🙂
Pinned this! Can’t wait to try 🙂
thistimeisacharm.blogspot.com
That is so cool.
ahh i love those so much! i need a nail pen…
so so fun!!! i used to work for sally hansen… those nail art pens are the best!!
so cute! xx
http://balletme.blogspot.com/
Cute nails 🙂
http://chicgeekblogger.blogspot.com/
Please take a minute to look at my trunkshow;
http://iouproject.com/tsh/jessica-karen/
I LOVE this DIY! The pastel nail polishes look so pretty!
xx,
http://www.alegallegos.com
That’s pretty fantastic!
Just a Silhouette
Such a fun idea!! Love!!
xo
http://www.PlumPrettySugar.blogspot.com
i would rather use the art deco nail polishes, I don’t like these from sally Hansen at all!
honestly wtf! lol
xxxo
http://angelieeee.blogspot.com/
you can also follow me on Twitter! 🙂 @angelieeee
I am surprised (pleasantly surprised) at how clear and how defined the lines are form the nail art pen! I need to pick myself up one of those- usually nail art pens don’t look that good. I love the bold colour on the pastel background too.
What did you think of the Sally Hansen nail art pen? I used it before and thought it was absolutely terrible.
@Septembre, I actually really liked them. The white one was difficult to use since it was streaky and blotchy. I tried the OPI/Sephora nail pens and found the Sally Hansen nail pens to be much better.
i just went to walmart and got the pink nail pen (i was bummed they didn’t have purple!) and my toes were already mint green…so cute!! thanks for always sharing your inspiration!!
Love this! I will definitely have to try it out!
http://thedailytiara.com
That green color from Essie is just what I needed to try before summer ends. xoxo
http://hellofridaybypaik.blogspot.com/
i’m not a huge fan of over the top nails but i must admit these are pretty sweet. thanks for the DIY!
xx, http://wordbyjessie.com/
I LOVE your blog! Honestly, it’s so inspiring go on to this blog. I just gotta ask: whats the name of the font on your blog titels? xoxo
I’ve noticed nail art popping up all over the place lately.. the crazier the pattern the better!
Darling
i’d love to say i will take the time to do this but i won’t. but i DO love it!
Here’s the problem, my left hand will look great, but my right hand will look completely different and messed up! Hmm…VERY cute essie polshes though! :))
ClassyCleverChic
Wow, those look so cute, I’ll definitely be trying it out!
obsessed with these nails anddd kinda jealous you went to lolla. can’t wait to try it out xxo
This is such a creative way to play around with nails, thanks for the DIY tutorial. I’ll be sure to try this 🙂
xx
So cool, I’ve got to try this!
http://fashionhacks.blogspot.com
Fantastic! I love this!!
http://www.evolvmag.com
i totally love it
LOVE Essie!
cute!! love the colors!! thanks for sharing
Love this! Now I need one of those pens!
xoxo
http://www.thewrittenrunway.com
Love it!!! So rad!!
Gorgeous nails… I don’t know if I could put that much effort in though hahah
Fashionable Collections
Ooo great idea! I actually have one of these Sally Hansen pens and never knew what to do with it, so now I do!
If you are into nail art you HAVE to check out Wah Nails. Its a London based nail salon totally dedicated to customised nail art, but even if you can’t make it in to enjoy its services, the website is a total hub for inspiration. There are even video tutorials to help you on your way..u’ll love it.
wah-nails.com
http://www.thegirlisdownunder.com/
this is a going on my “must try” list on my blog….credit will be given! you did a great job!
I’m so excited to see that someone is doing a DIY for my nail art from the vogue website..ii love to see poeple try out designs on their own..
If u guys want to try anymore designs and need some inspiration..check out my tumblr..
Rianailz.tumblr.com
really nice 😀 I need to find similar colours, their so beautiful!!
OMG your nails are so beautiful i wish i could do that, i always look like a 3 year old haha
I love this so hard!! I just wish I could do this more often, but my work doesn’t allow nail polish. Dumb!
I love it!
http://www.marketingdeluxe.blogspot.com
This is a realy interesting technique. I am not usually a fan of nail art but this is a look I would certainly try out.
Tribal nails are so amazing, I need to get a nailpen right now to do these…
http://www.converseandchords.blogspot.com
That is amazing!
I can’t wait to try it out 😀
Just tried this out after a friend recommended the site. My right hand does look a bit sloppy (and I used a Sharpie paint pen with matte nail polish) but I’ll definitely be doing this again!!!
what shade of the blue and green essies did you use? i’m dying to know!!
I used to do that all the time when I was little!
x
Sara
THE ART TYPE- DIY PROJECTS
http://thearttype.blogspot.com
i love it i love it
Easy and lovely 😀 LOVE IT!!!
Absolutely LOVE this. I love experimenting with different nail polishes, designs and ideas. Cool nails are a way to add interest to any outfit, from special occasions to everyday. The step by step instructions allows everyone to get a leg up on nail fashion, which in this day and age is a key thing, the same level as jewelry in the accessory department. Its a cute and CHEAP way to update your style, which in this economy is super good! I love it!
Those nails are really cute!
Might try them for our Nail project. I’m experimenting most with animal prints and newspaper echniques but this is also really interesting
Fifie
I love painting my nails so in words. It is AWSOME AWSOME AWSOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love the look! What are the names of those Essie pastels that you used? Thanks!
I blogged these pretty nails here: http://lettherealworldbegin.blogspot.com/2011/10/pretty-pinterest-nail-art.html
I found the nail pen and I fall in love! Sometimes I paint my nails as a red mushroom: http://mar-cer-alb.blogspot.com/2011/09/la-primera-caixeta.html
Mar
http://www.mar-blog.com
that’s so cute, but, I don’t have nail pen thing, is there another way I could design my nails like that?? xx
Do these pens show on dark polish such as black?
Hey!! that one’s cute!! lovely and girlish!!
Very cute and easy!
Loved this tutorial so much, I decided to feature it on my blog!
Check it out at do-a-doubletake.blogspot.com 🙂
what essie colors are all of these?
did you know that if you use top coat over your color and THEN use the pens you can erase mistakes with a damp towel. Then when perfected, use another coat of top coat to seal your design. Too cool!
Love this look, just tried it out for myself (with the white Sally Hansen nail pen). But does anyone have any tricks they use to make both hands look good? I’m right handed, so my right hand doesn’t look so pretty…
simply pretty……!!!!!!
Anyone know the name of the colors because the link won’t work for some reason….
I have used the Sally Hansen Art Pens in black and white and find that they don’t dry properly.
Even after 12 hours they smudged slightly and when I tried to put a top coat on it just made it worse.
This was one of the best.
Love this! Gonna do something like this very soon. Keep the nail posts coming!
http://www.nailartlove.net
THat’s great (:
Xx
Angela
http://nailartloverss.blogspot.nl
This looks very cool. Simple and nice. Just how i like it too. Have done some DIY Nail Art of my own. Have a look at it on my blog
http://seasoncheck.blogspot.in/2012/08/diy-monday-nailart.html
It’s very straightforward to find out any matter on web as compared to books, as I found this post at this site.
My homepage :: nail Art designs
wouldnt sharpies work too?
It’s an amazing article designed for all the internet viewers; they will take advantage from it I am sure.
Obsessed with this! So cool!
Hi,
Your nail art lover got inspired by love colors and designs and that describes my intense passion for nail services in lucknow.
Nail Art
Thanks!
Spot on with this write-up, I honestly feel
this amazing site needs a lot more attention. I’ll probably be
back again to read more, thanks for the advice!
Thank you for sharing this with us!