Hey girly girls! I thought it would be cool to show you what nail art brushes I use! Before I got really big into nail art, I was befuddled by brushes. I honestly did not know what kind to get, where to get them, which ones to use for what, etc. Anytime a blogger wrote about brushes my ears perked up because I felt like they all knew this stuff and I was in the dark! I think at first I started using a little Sephora nail art brush that my sister got me for xmas. But then, as I tried more detailed work I realized I needed some more specialized brushes. That’s when I decided to buy a daVinci nail art brush set from amazon.
Da Vinci is a German brand and they’ve been around forever. Since they have a reputation for making high quality brushes, I figured I couldn’t go wrong with them. Although they specialize in artists brushes, they also carry an array of nail art brushes that are specifically designed to withstand acetone. Here’s their pdf catalog of nail brushes. I got my 4-pack set from amazon for around $25. I thought that was pricey… but I previously purchased some cheapo striper brushes from China and they sucked because the bristles got all splayed after one use, so I threw them away. These daVinci’s work much better. I was a little turned off from stripers though so I didn’t start using the striper in the da Vinci pack until just recently, but it works great. When I’m done with it I dip it in acetone to remove the polish, then I rinse it with water and the bristles stay together, not like the cheapo ones I used before where the bristles all stuck out like a wild hairdo. But, my most-used brushes in the set are the detail brush (for little detailed things) and the big brush is nice and stiff so I use it for cleanup around my cuticles. There is one brush in the set that I don’t really use much since it’s a little bigger than the detail brush. But, it’s handy to have lying around.
One technique I’ve been thinking about lately is one-stroke. Do I need a special one-stroke brush? I dunno! My mom is awesome at one-stroke, but she does big flowers, so none of her brushes would work for me. I figure a brush that is flat with a straight edge would work? I stopped by Michaels craft store and looked through the brush section. I found some that MIGHT work, not sure really. But they were $5 a piece. My mom noticed a sale sign that all the michael’s brand brushes were on sale for half off. So I found a multipack with 5 brushes that came to only $2.99. If the flat brushes in the pack don’t work, then I’m only out a few bucks! Some of the other brushes in the set looked useful for nail art too, so why not? Here’s what they look like….
Notice how the striper/liner brush has a few bristles that are bent back? That always happens to me. Always. How freakin annoying! They don’t usually bend back, and I have to cut them off. Even the high-quality da Vinci’s had a messed up brush like that- I contacted amazon and they sent me a new set. Does this always happen to you too? Is this common and I shouldn’t worry about it (it’s just somethin that happens), or is it grounds for returning/exchanging the product?
Craftynail 