Lesson Lockdown: How To Preserve Your Nail Art Foil Mani's

Yo lacqueristas,

Today I decided to do a how to post on how to keep your foil mani's looking sparkling and unwrinkled and lasting more than a millisecond.  I did think this was common knowledge, but somewhere along the way I realized it isn't given how many questions I had gotten when I posted my scattered foil nails.   Once I understood there were really no blog posts or videos out there to show people how to keep your foils looking fantastic I realized I should probably write a post and do a video review.  So here we are! I'm going to run through the various techniques below and I'm sure there is one out there for everyone.  PS  let me know if I missed a method that you know about and leave comments, suggestions, and feedback below especially if you found this helpful!    Now let's get started!

Here's the bottom line - foils hold up for crap under any kind of wear and tear without topcoat.  Sorry there was really no nice way to put this.  For anyone that loves foils you already know this is true. You might get a single days wear out of a foiled manicure.  So then why the hell don't people just put a topcoat on it and keep it moving?  Well baby dolls they have and if you know a thing or two about foils you'd know topcoat ahem that is regular store bought or most indie brand etc topcoat RUINS foils.  I remember a few years ago when NailXchange (I cannot link her because her website has been corrupted) did this awesome post talking about all the experiments she tried to preserve her precious foil mani that she stamped over.  The conclusion of her experiments turned out pretty poorly alas....

But wait I can help you! I sound like a bad car salesman here right? You're like what is this bish gonna sell me now?  Lolol.  I'm not but I'm going to show you the severals ways to actually preserve your foiled nails:

1. Put topcoat over it.

But you just said....I know what I just said, but I didn't say what kind of topcoat ;)  Gel topcoat that requires curing was the only method that I knew of until recently to preserve and extend the shelf life of a foil manicure.  Unfortunately I'm not a gel polish girl.  They are expensive and I'm kind of against any system that prolongs the shelf life of my manicures beyond a day or so.  Not that my normal manicures don't last a week or so if I don't change them, but since I change them every other day or so gel polish just doesn't make much sense for me in the long run.  However this system is puurrrrffect for foils.  Your manicure will last and something about the formulation of gel topcoat does not cause the foils to wrinkle. Again this is only for the gel topcoats that need to be cured under UV or LED lamps not the newer gel-like systems that we've seen from revlon and sally hansen.  I'm talking the soak off stuff guys. I used Gelish for my video.

2. Put a waterbased topcoat/basecoat over it.

Picture Polish Revolution Glitter Base or any aqua base coat i.e. those basecoats for holographic polishes that make holos more holo.  This option is also somewhat  expensive.  I'm just telling you now the aqua basecoats and Picture Polish in general tend to be a bit on the pricey side. Both retail in the ball park of $10 per bottle.  I don't even own PP Revolution, because it isn't carried by any stateside retailer and is sold out on Nail Art Canada's website.  If you buy it directly from PP you need to buy at least 3 items, which for me is easy enough to do since I think their polishes are beautiful, but then shipping to the US is $20! Gah! Nah son just nah... Because of that I recommend going with aqua basecoats unless you are an Aussie native.  I have a couple from Nfu-Oh  and FNUG too. They both work extremely well of the two Nfu-Oh is the more affordable option.

3. Put waterbased varnish over it.

Yes that's right.  I remember reading a long long freaking time ago (September 2012 to be exact) on My Lucid Bubble about her experiences with preserving foiled manicures.  And one of the things she worked out was that you can use non-toxic water based varnish to make your foil mani stick around. I found an alternative to the brand she used, which is no longer in production, that is made right here in the US and is fully certified water based and non toxic.  Its so good you can just wash it off with water. You can purchase that here.  The best part of using these is the cost is super low and you get a lot of product all at once which will last you a very long time.

4. Slap some nail glue on that thang!

Huh?  Yeah you heard me.  In my head I hear my grandmother say, "A little prune juice ain't never hurt anything child."  Prune juice was her great leveler, but glue is mine ;) .  I use it when I break a nail.  I use it in my advanced stamping and now I'm using it for my foils! I like to use regular old nail glue not Elmer's or anything where the formulation is tricky.  I just wanted to test and see if it was actually a possibility and it turns out it works really well and is a cheaper alternative than say buying a LED system and topcoat just for foil stamping.  Ahem not that I was contemplating such an extreme endeavor *shifts eyes away*.  Once you apply the glue wait for it to dry and then just apply your normal topcoat as you would regularly. Its not quite a good as the above options as it results in some crackle, but its still better than regular nail polish.

Too Much Words? 

No worries!  I also took the time to create a video of this comparison.  My video and blog post can be used interchangeably however there will always be more information on my blog than there is ever in my videos.  I just don't like talking that much...

One More Thing...

I forgot to add this but obviously as these are all water based methods of sealing and protecting your foils you still need to put on a topcoat after these treatments are to prevent all your hard work from floating away! I just fall back on my previously mentioned favorite Poshe or Sally Hansen.

So here we are.... another epic like classroom lesson.  I'm a font of knowledge, technique, and inappropriate humor all rolled into one small milk coffee colored package ;)  Lol.  I hope this helped out for those of you struggling with foils.  I really wanted this to work so badly that I'm so happy now I can do it any time I want!  Please leave me your praises and curses below. Wait please don't leave me any curses :(  P.S. You can find my favorite nail art foil and foil glue here.  Thanks for reading land I'll see you next post....