Book Review: Homemade Nail Polish by Allison Rose Spiekermann; Ulysses Press

Create Unique Colors and Designs For Eye-Catching Nails

Whether you are looking to match your nails with a specific dress or just have fun playing with shades and hues, this unique guide is the key to stunning original nail art design and featuring one-of-a-kind colors. With step-by-step instructions, detailed photos, and recipes for dozens of different polishes—including cremes, shimmers, glitters, and more—Homemade Nail Polish will have you whipping up ahead-of-the-curve colors in no time.

 

My Review

I have always been a fan of color and design, so naturally I love anything DIY. If it’s created, I’ve thought about what it takes to make it. Nail color and designs are no exception. Do you remember my DIY Nail Art book review?

Nail color is a very easy and fun way to express your unique style. There have been MANY different colors that I’ve seen on Pinterest that I wanted to copy so badly. There are just so many beautiful mixes of colors that I am slightly addicted. Beautiful teals, turquoise, and corals. Sigh…

This 96 page book contains all the information you need to learn how to mix your own shades easily and quickly. Teaching you (and me of course) that we don’t have to be limited to the color choices at the nearest drugstore. Now the possibilities are endless.

There are two sections that are very detailed about the equipment and ingredients that are needed to begin your nail polish making journey. The ingredient list and what they are used for is extremely helpful. Glitter, glitter finishes & shapes, thinners, and bases and what to expect when you want to achieve a certain look.

This book has more than 30 recipes that help with getting used to mixing colors and even adding special effect pigments. There are very detailed pictures along with the instructions so that it IS very easy to follow along.

The pictures look absolutely amazing. Step-by-step follow along pictures are what I like to see in a DIY book, so that I know I am doing the process exactly right. This book definitely gets 2 thumbs up for how clear and detailed the pictures are!

There is even a section in the back to help with applying the polish right so there aren’t any smears or smudges. She takes it a step beyond and even shows how to tackle the techniques I had been dying to try. Most of them weren’t as hard as they look.

I am loving that the nail polish can be made with eye shadow. This makes the options endless. She even shows how to perfectly measure the different types of eye shadows, so that you get the desired color.

I love all the cool nail tricks and techniques in the back of the book. II t covers using scrapbooking punches to make nail decals, using gel pens for nail polish, making tape stencils, and how to get the galaxy look.

I’d always wondered how to perfect the gradient/ombre style. I even bought a dotting tool (before I got this book) and still couldn’t tackle the dotted style. I was pretty sure it was going to be a piece of cake, and the dotting tool failed me lol. I didn’t realize that I could’ve just used bobby pins instead. Oh well, the dotting tool is a nice addition to my nail box anyway.

Before you go running off trying to find the ingredients and the equipment, look in the back at the resources. The best places (with the best prices) are listed, so that you spend less time comparing prices and more time to enjoy MAKING the polish. She even adds an amazing list of nail art inspiration blogs that are a definite must read. I am loving looking at all the nail designs, so make sure you bookmark them!

About the Author

Allison Rose Spiekermann is the founder and creative director of Nail Pattern Boldness, an independent nail polish company based in Burlington, VT, which specializes in unique and innovative products to help both amateur and professional nail polish enthusiasts get more out of every manicure. She lives in Burlington, VT

Get the Book: Homemade Nail Polish 

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XoXo Jess

Book Review: DIY Nail Art 75 Creative Nail Art Designs by Catherine Rodgers; Adams Media

The Cure for the Common Mani! Get ready for nails that will get you noticed!

Going to a professional nail salon for perfect nails can get pricey. Now readers can learn to do unique and fabulous nail art designs at home. With just a few basic tools and skills, they'll learn how to ditch the boring French manicure and create nails of envy! From Girly Cupcake Nails and Jack-o-Lantern Nail Art to Rainbow Drip and 80s Retro Floral, this book has a design for every occasion and mood. It also includes full-color photographs that will guide readers through each step of the design, so that they'll never have to worry about how their nails will come out.

Catherine Rodgers, creator of the popular nail art Youtube channel Totally Cool Nails, shares her secrets in DIY Nail Art. Packed with easy-to-follow instructions and helpful tips for recreating Catherine’s stunning looks, this book will help you create one-of-a-kind nail art designs without ever stepping inside a nail salon.
Inside this colorful guide to all things nails, you’ll find seventy-five eye-catching designs including never-before-seen styles like Argyle, Light Burst, and Spiderweb Nails.

Complete with step-by-step photographs so you can nail your look every time, DIY Nail Art will have have you saying goodbye to the nail salon- and hello to fashion-forward nails at home!

My Review

Black Lace. Summer Citrus. Hot Pink Zebra. For most women, having cute nails is an absolute must. We’ve all seen the amazing pinterest posts showing pictures of those really awesome nail designs but didn’t know how to do it.

I wasn’t sure exactly HOW to even begin with doing something extravagant to my nails (even though I’m crafty).. so I was really excited to get this book. Once you break it down it isn’t quite so hard to figure it out!

I love that this book has step-by-step instructions with colored pictures to go along with it. This makes it easy to KNOW what to do without having to second guess yourself (like I do if a book doesn’t have colored pictures).

When I opened the box and seen the inside of the book, I was instantly hooked. I couldn’t stop flipping through the pages. These designs are absolutely BRILLIANT and beautiful.

There are so many different varieties of styles that there is something for everyone! It does take a little practice to make it perfect, but so does everything else. That is what makes it so perfect for beginners.
For someone who is always on the lookout for new ways to paint my nails, the book was perfect. It has a ton of pictures and very simply tells in detail which steps to take to get that look!

It explains in detail the tools and techniques of nail art (i.e. the dotting tool, nail art brushes, nail decals, acrylic paint…) I loved knowing that you can use Acrylic paint to do nails! I had no idea. It is so much more convenient and less expensive (because they come in big bottles) then having to buy a ton of different color nail polishes. (Acrylic paint can be mixed together to create an even bigger variety of color!) How cool.

Of course you don’t have to follow the color code in the book! You can always create the “background” color any color you want to mix it up even more! This even taught me how to create my OWN nail designs with the techniques it shows!

Really amazing book! Whether you’re a beginner or someone who wants to explore more nail designs, this book is for YOU!

BUY IT:  $11.35 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25.
DIY Nail Art: Easy, Step-by-Step Instructions for 75 Creative Nail Art Designs

Jessica Renee