In the last blog (showing the easy, NailSnaps way to create a seriously awesome shattered glass mani), we touched on something mind blowing – you can customize NailSnaps even further!

You may have tried a cool nail look you saw on Pinterest or Instagram and ended up with a nail fail. NailSnaps make easy to get ANY image or pattern your heart desires. AND since NailSnaps arrive already printed with the look you want, it's easier than ever to add glitter, gems, studs, metallics that take your nails into the custom stratosphere! Let's go!

The super easy stuff.

Adding sparkle

Here's the most obvious and easiest one to get out of the way. Apply your favorite glitter polish over your NailSnaps for extra pizzaz. Note, some polishes shrink as they dry so don't apply the polish to the sheet or you could end up with a crispy, wrinkly mess. Instead, apply your fav glitter polish over your already applied NailSnaps.

The look above is a NailSnaps design made from a print by Alphonse Mucha over-laid with iridescent and gold glitter.

Dry Brushing

Dry brushing is basically exactly what it sounds like, almost. I like to do this with metallics on my white marble nails. You can do this after your NailSnaps are applied, but it's even easier while it's still on the sheet, because you don't have to deal with extra cleanup on your fingers.

1. Take your chosen metallic polish (or whatever polish) and wipe the brush on the sides of the bottle until the brush has very little polish on it
2. Brush on a few strokes of polish around and on the sides of the NailSnaps wrap.
3. Apply your NailSnaps (see application tips). Below are three completed examples. Gold glitter on white marble + glossy top coat, silver glitter on white marble + matte top coat, and silver glitter on blue + glossy top coat.

Add a matte topcoat

I debated whether or not to include this one at all since it was so simple. You can do this before or after application.

The pretty easy stuff.

!*Important Note about curvy nails*!

In some of the following tutorials, I'm going to be adding more glitter to the NailSnaps wraps than we did above. If you have curvy nails, you may find it difficult to apply the bedazzled NailSnaps wrap to your fingernail. If this is the case, apply the NailSnaps wrap to your nail before applying the glitter. Follow these steps normally. In order to avoid cleanup, use a smaller makeup sponge so you don't get any glitter on your cuticles or the sides of your nail.

The accent nail

There are a lot of really great nail designs on Instagram and Pinterest that feature a glittering nail accent. I love the glitter. I love the sparkly nail accent. What I don't like, is that good or polishes are rarely opaque in one (or 5) coat(s) and the fact that glitter is a huge pain in the butt to get off of your finger. Glitter, why are you so difficult to put on and take off?!

Nail artists have ways to circumvent the opacity issue. There are certainly workarounds for getting it off your finger, but the majority of those ways are still pretty tedious and sometimes don't always work very well. NailSnaps are really good at this because you can simply peel them off.

For this you will need:

• A makeup sponge (latex free is best, but a regular latex one will work just fine)
• Your favorite glitter polish
• Top coat
• NailSnaps!

1. Apply your favorite glitter polish onto part of the makeup sponge. In the gif below I'm using a pair of tweezers and a tiny makeup sponge. This is because it was easier to do this on camera, but when you're doing this on your own, you can use a regular sized sponge and your fingers.
2. Now, dab the bedazzled makeup sponge onto your chosen NailSnaps' wrap.
3. Repeat until the glitter is opaque.
4. When the polish is completely dry, apply your NailSnaps to your fingers like usual.
5. Apply top coat and tada! You have a sparkly glittery accent nail.

When you're ready to take your NailSnaps off, you don't have to deal with having to scrape off the glitter. All you have to do is peel off the wrap like normal. Doesn't that look satisfying? No more sitting around with acetone soaked cotton and tin foil wrapped around your fingers. 

Glitter and Metallic Gradients/Ombre

Using a makeup sponge with glitter and metallics gives you the power to do a couple other things when it comes to nail art. One of them is the now nail art staple, gradients.

1. If, for whatever reason you want to do a plain color gradient (not glitter/chrome/metallic), then prep your NailSnaps wrap with a matte topcoat and allow to dry. Because NailSnaps are shiny and smooth, it makes creating a uniform gradient with regular colors more difficult. A matte top coat will give regular polish something to stick to. But remember, you can always print beautiful NailSnaps ombres without having to deal with polishes!
2. Paint a stripe of glitter and a stripe of clear coat on a makeup sponge.

3. Dap on the NailSnaps wrap. I'm applying the glitter so that it is most concentrated at the cuticle. Of course you can apply the gradient in the other direction so that the glitter is most concentrated at the tip of the nail, but if you do this remember that the NailSnap is longer than your actual nail, and apply the glitter more in the middle of the NailSnaps wrap than the square tip.

4. Repeat until desired effect is achieved. Allow to dry.
5. Apply your NailSnaps normally and apply a top coat. Viola! 

Glitter and Metallic Accents

In keeping with the use of a makeup sponge to apply glitter, you can be more selective about your application and apply accents selectively to your NailSnaps. This gives you a more concentrated shine than dry brushing.

I find it's best to use chrome polishes as opposed to glitter polishes for this. If you do use glitter, you want to find a polish that has a higher concentration of glitter.

1. Apply the nail polish to a small piece of a makeup sponge.
2. Dab on the areas of the NailSnap you want to sparkle.

3. Allow to dry and apply the NailSnaps to your nails normally. Apply topcoat and you've got some gorgeous nails.

Rhinestones and studs

1. Brush on a layer of clear/top coat onto your NailSnap where you want your embellishments to be.
2. Using a craft tweezer or any other tool of your choosing, apply your rhinestone or stud to the NailSnap and gently tap down to secure.
3. Allow to completely dry and apply the NailSnaps to your nails normally.
4. (Optional) Apply a hefty coat of top coat. You're done!

The relatively easy stuff. 

Taping

In theory, taping is pretty easy for regular nailart. You use striper tape or scotch tape to block off sections of your nail, paint over, take off the tape, and you have a gorgeous, clean design left on your nail.

Where it gets annoying and complicated, is when the polish underneath the tape isn't completely dry and you accidentally rip that off when taking off the tape. Or when you have puffier skin around your nails that make it difficult to get clean edges. NAILSNAPS TO THE RESCUE! Why? Because it's flat. And not on your nail. And you don't have to be ambidextrous. I'm going to be adding some shiny stripes to Olga Kay's designs!

1. If you have striping tape, use that. Otherwise you can use scotch tape. You don't want the adhesive to be too strong, so put the tape on the back of your hand first, to weaken the adhesive. (You don't have to do this for striping tape.)
2. Place tape on the NailSnaps sheet where you want your stripe to be.
3. Paint (or sponge) over with nail polish.
4. While the nail polish is still wet, take off the tape.
5. Allow to dry completely. Go take a shower, watch TV, prep your nails.
6. Apply to your nails as usual, and apply top coat. You're done!

I hope you found this post helpful. Remember, any nailart tutorial you find online can easily be applied to NailSnaps, and in some ways, I like this better. Why? Because I can paint on my NailSnaps and let them dry while I do other things I wouldn't be able to do while waiting for the nails on my fingers to dry. And no cleanup around the cuticle. And removing the designs usually require no acetone (unless the adhesive sticks to my nail).

Do you have any tips and tricks to further customize NailSnaps? Share them in the comments below!