Tutorials
Do your own nails, properly.
Step-by-step guides to the techniques behind the designs: how to paint a clean French smile line, how the cat eye magnet works, how to take gel off at home without wrecking your nails. New to all of it? Start with the three steps.
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Three guides, in order
1Step oneChoose your nail shape
All nine shapes, how each is filed, and which suits your hands.
2Step twoPaint your first design
19 simple designs made with tape, bobby pins and hole reinforcement stickers.
3Step threeMake it last
Capping the edge, cuticle oil, and the prep mistakes that cost you a week.
Nail care
The basics that decide how long everything lasts.
How to remove gel nails at home without wrecking them
The foil method, what to do without acetone, and why peeling is what does the damage.
Brittle nails: why it happens and what actually fixes it
Why hardeners often make it worse, and the routine that works instead.
Press-on nails: how to get a set that actually stays on
Sizing, glue vs tabs, prep, and taking them off without damage.
French tips at home
The clean smile line, and how to keep it.
French tips at home: how to get a clean smile line
What you need, how to paint the curve, and how to fix a line that came out wobbly.
Gel French manicure at home: kit, cure times and removal
What the kit costs, how long each layer cures, and how to take it off.
How to make a French manicure last two weeks
The white tip always chips first. Prep, capping and top coat aimed at that one problem.
What makes a French manicure look expensive
It is the line, not the polish. What techs do differently, and what you can copy at home.
Nail art techniques
Every design has one trick that makes it work.
Each guide shows the finished looks, then explains the technique behind them.
Cat eye
How the magnet pulls the shimmer into a band, and why it needs gel.
Marble
Why real stone is never symmetrical, plus a saran wrap method.
Aura
Three ways the soft glow is made, including a sponge method.
Ombre
How a clean fade is built, and the sponge technique for home.
Swirl
The brush that makes a clean curve, and how to rescue a wobbly line.
Jelly
The sandwich technique, and how to keep the colour see-through.
Foil
The adhesive step most people skip, and how to stop foil lifting.
Leopard print
The two-step spot: real leopard spots are broken rings, not dots.
Matte
Matte vs glossy, and how to stop the tips going shiny.
Glitter
Where to put the sparkle so it reads expensive, and easy removal.
Polka dots
The spacing and sizing rules, and how to use a dotting tool.
Abstract
The rule that keeps a freehand design readable.
Before you book
Know what to ask for, and what it should cost.
Gel vs dip vs acrylic
Wear time, cost, damage and removal, compared honestly.
Read the guide Reference chartNail polish finishes explained
14 finishes from sheer to magnetic, with the words to use at the salon.
Read the guide ChecklistNail salon price checklist
Compare two quotes line by line and plan your manicure budget.
Read the guide PlannerWedding manicure timeline
A trial scorecard, a booking brief and a checklist for the wedding party.
Read the guideNew guides every week
Save the ones you want to try.
Every tutorial is pinnable. Follow along on Pinterest, or browse the whole library, newest first.