Polka Polka Polka Dots

I love nail art that has polka dots and today I received some dotting tools that I had ordered.  Of course, you don't necessarily need dotting tools to make dots.  Since I've never done dotting I decided to try a toothpick, and a bobby pin in addition to the dotting tools to see which gives the best results.

After applying my base coat I applied three coats of my base color to give myself a nice palette to work with.  I started with the toothpick.  I didn't care for this as a dotting tool, it was inconsistent and hard to create clean dots with.  With practice and care this could be a useful dotting tool but I did not get good results on this try. I have read that if you let the polish build up on the tip you can achieve better and cleaner dots, unfortunately I am not that patient.

Toothpick dots

Next I tried the bobby pin.  I found this to be a better tool than the toothpick. The small bead on the end of the pin is very much like the dotting tools I purchased.  It created a cleaner and more consistent dots.  The only downside is there only one size. 

Bobby pin dots

Here is a tip that I found very helpful: put your polish on aluminium foil instead of paper.  The polish will dry quicker on the paper and there is a chance it will leak through.  The polish will also dry on the foil but not as quickly.

Lastly, I tried the dotting tools and I honestly likes these the best.  The dotting tools create a clean dot with little effort.  I ordered my set off eBay for a very reasonable price.  I got a set of five with two ends, that gives me ten different dotting sizes.  These tools are well worth the .99 cents investment that I made. My final vote goes to the dotting tools for their ease of use, variety of sizes, not to mention they're kind of pretty.

 

While I was playing with my dotting tools, I accidentally knocked my finger on the edge of the counter.  This is not the first time I've done this and it is so infuriating. In an attempt to fix it I used my finger to fill it back in, I then licked it to smooth out the finger print.  It didn't fix it completely but did improve it, I would only recommend this if you are in a major rush and don't have time to redo it completely.

I enjoyed dotting so much I ended up doing an entire design with my dotting tools.  I removed the dotting experiments I did previously and started fresh. I used three colors from my Nabi Collection.  After applying my base coat I applied three coats of Pastel Misty.

Pastel Misty, Fuschia, Sky Blue

Then using a medium size dotting tool and my Fuschia color.  I started with three dots down the middle of my nail. I then added two more dots on either side of that row. I did this on all my fingers.

After I finished with my Fuschia I went back with a slightly smaller dotting tool and Baby Blue. I completed the design with a top coat to keep it sealed.  I really like the end result.  It came out kind of good, the colors are bright and funky.  These colors are definitely more of a spring palette but I thought it would be nice to brighten things up a bit. 

As you can see from my end result that I am not great at this, not even close.  This process was fun and easy though, and I recommend anyone try it.  I imagine with a little practice and a steadier hand this could make a really fantastic mani.

I hope you enjoyed this post and find it useful.  I apologize for the poor pictures, I will make an effort to make future pictures clearer and brighter.