Katy’s blog, Nailed It, started back in October 2011 and is now one of the most popular nail blogs in the world. Katy hails from the United States and her nail polish collection isn’t the smallest – almost 700 polishes! In 2012, she was named as one of the most influential nail bloggers and featured in Glamour and Makeup.com – not bad at all! Katy says that posting daily was a huge part of her blog’s success but let’s not underestimate the influence of the fabulous Nailed It bright shades and signature quirky patterns.
Today Katy shares her nail art secrets with us. So read on lovelies, plenty of great advice!
Why nails?
Why not nails?! I don’t have the nerve to always wear the most fashion-forward duds and eye-catching eye shadows, but I can get away with anything on my nails. Getting to be creative every single day and sharing that with people is also a huge part of why I do it.
Favourite nail blogger?
It’s almost impossible to make a definitive choice about this, so here are a few of my idols:
Sarah at Chalkboard Nails
Eva at Coewless Polish
Camille at Pshiiit Polish
Sammy at The Nailasaurus
Though Camille and Eva don’t write their posts in English and I can’t understand it, they still inspire me with all their beautiful creations and attention to detail, both in polish and photographically.
Nail care product you can’t live without?
Burt’s Bee’s cuticle cream (though it’s more of a balm), especially in winter. Smooth and silky cuticles around perfectly polished nails is always a win.
For my sanity, I’d also have to say a quick-dry topcoat like Seche Vite, and a polish remover tub with bristles and acetone (like this one from Target). These two products make removing polish and sealing in a design a breeze!
The best nail care tip?
I have a how-to guide for giving yourself your own manicures actually (see it here). In summary though, I’d say:
• Clean up with 100% acetone and a thin, slanted paint brush
• Quick-dry topcoats are essential to the gal on the go that wants any semblance of sanity
• Always use a base coat. I’ve been applying polish to my nails daily for over a year now, and I’m proud to say my nails aren’t yellow, and I owe that all to base coats.
• Carry some cuticle balm with you wherever you go, and you’ll find yourself applying it much more often. This will save your fingers from looking shoddy beside your beautiful paint job.
NAIL POLISH FAVORITES:
Favourite nail polish brand?
I like different brands for different reasons, so I’m not sure I have a favourite. OPI has some of the best formulas, but China Glaze (Gingham nails with China Glaze – 1) has so many different colours at a more reasonable price point. I also love Zoya (Triangulate Position nails – 4) for their continued selection of colours, and essie is slowly carving its way into my storage drawers. I guess I don’t really have a favourite.
Favourite indie polish brand?
I often find myself going back to certain indie stores on Etsy to check their inventory, including:
• Windestine
• The Hungry Asian
• Shimmer Polish
• Sonoma Bento
• F4 Polish
Best luxury brand?
I don’t usually buy luxury brands, simply because it’s a bit too pricey for me. If I had to pick one, I’ve always looked at Illamasqua as one of my top favourite brands I can’t afford though.
Best budget brand?
One of the least expensive but most versatile brands I own and love is Sation. Their bottles retail for $5 each, which may not be ‘bargain’, but you get a much better colour selection and application than true bargain buys.
Which brand has the best formula?
OPI (Batman nails – 2) and Essie (Snap Happy Chauffeur nails 3) both have the best in my opinion.
NAIL ART:
Favourite colour combinations?
I love high-contrast. So whether that’s a bright neon and black, opposing colours on the colour wheel, or a shimmery white against a navy, I tend to gravitate more towards those combinations. Bright manicures are usually my favourite though.
Favorite pattern/nail art?
I made a list of my top 12 manicures in 2012 (image above). You can start to see the bright manicure trend there.
What’s your best tip for painting your other hand?
Besides a Kong size amount of practice, I also recommend using your dominant hand (the one that is being painted) as a moving canvas. It’s hard to control your fingers to be completely steady on your non-dominant hand, so twist your dominant hand upside down if you have to. If you want to make a straight line for example, sometimes it’s best to simply hold the brush in place with your non-dominant hand, and drag your dominant hand in the shape of the line. Then you don’t have to worry about steadying your already shaky hand quite as much.
The funniest/the most adventurous nail art you have ever created?
My funniest might have to be a recent project, where I depicted the movie A Christmas Story on my nails (see it here). It did take quite a while
to complete too!
Favourite nail art trend?
While this is always changing, I absolutely love the idea of accent or party nails. Sometimes doing your hand in one design isn’t enough, or you don’t have time to get an intricate pattern down on all 10 nails. Introduce the party nail, and you’ve got a more interesting and eye-
catching mani!
How do you get inspired for your nail art?
There’s no telling when inspiration will strike. I can literally look at a license plate and think “That’d be cool on nails!” Fashion, design, nature, music, colors…everything is a source of inspiration. There’s never any lack of it. In fact, sometimes there’s too much, so I’ve started drawing out designs using a stylus and my iPad to capture the idea in my head and translate it into something less transient. It’s helped tremendously!
Katy was interviewed by Maria Vlezko in September 2013. All images – provided by Katy.
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