Nails Inc Mani Markers

[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] I feel quite excited about nail products again as my nails have finally got back into shape – ironically, just as my hair is misbehaving. Somehow, I thought the two were linked, health-wise – I haven’t done any research on this but at the back of my mind I think that is the case. Anyway, I’ll look it up later – for now though, these Nails Inc Mani Markers have made my day!

If you’ve ever done any mindfulness colouring, think of this as the beauty version. I could create patterns all day long with these pens. They have a press down fine point nib – you press it down to bring the colour through – but otherwise, they’re very similar to any stiff felt tip or liner pen. It takes several (cough.. many) presses to get the nail colour to appear, and you need to re-press often to fill in lines or get a flow going so have a piece of cardboard nearby so you can press and paint without interruption.

I’m really impressed with what these can do – on the packaging, there’s a QR code so you can see patterns or shapes for inspiration but otherwise, just go with the flow, so to speak. There’s always the thorny problem – depending on which is your lead hand – of not being able to replicate intricate patterns on the other hand. I know that I’ll need to practise and keep things simple, but you could consider just doing one feature nail on the hand which isn’t your lead and leaving it at that. A little heart is easy, as is just a black or white dot at the base (lovely on nude look nails).

I mean, these are by no means perfect (you’ll also never be looking that closely at your hands and neither will anyone else!) but for a first shot, I’m quite pleased. I wanted to check the flow and how well you can infill – the flower pattern is really the simplest that anyone can do and you can probably do the other hand as well with that one. I’d start by practising on bare nails so you don’t ruin your mani. The instructions say to coat with a quick dry but I didn’t need to – the polish in this format dries quickly and easily so a top coat is just to protect your design. They’re £5 each or there’s a set of 3 for £10 HERE. 

NB: I’ve discovered why you need a top coat – your design will rub off if you don’t protect it!

 

non affiliate HERE