As I said above, before the book gets into the tutorials, there are very informative sections about nail art basics: the natural nail structure, manicure products, nail art tools, manicuring basics, polishing basics, good nail habits, product ingredients, gel manicures, 3D elements used in nail art, how to remove polish, pedicures and incorporating nail art onto toenails, and combining techniques.
I learned a lot in these sections so don’t skip ahead to the tutorials when you get the book. Here are some sneak peek photos of the inside of the book. I didn’t want to show too many pages because I want there to be some surprises if you purchase it!
The nail art tutorials are split into 3 different categories. There are 30 that fall into the “Simple Designs” section.
There are 28 tutorials that fall into the “Intermediate Designs” section.
There are 19 designs in the “Advanced Designs” category.
When flipping through the book, I found over 55 design ideas that I’ve never done in the 4 years I have been doing nail art. So even as a seasoned nail artist, I am really happy to have this book!
The tutorials are explained very clearly with photos showing the step by step process. Most of the tutorials are only 6 steps each. Some of the more intricate are 9 steps, with 2 designs at 12 steps. There are only a few simple tools needed for each design as well!
The first tutorial I tried is the IKAT design from the front cover. This falls into the “Intermediate Designs” category.
I followed Emily’s instructions and I am happy with the results of my IKAT nails! I added a 4th color to my design, but aside from that I did everything in the tutorial! I was really happy with the simple, clear instructions for this design that I had never tried before.
- My base is Dior Saint Tropez.
- I used OPI Alpine Snow and Black Onyx for the black and white layers.
- Orly Frolic was the pop of color added in the last step before top coat.
And another little side note, there is an awesome Resources section in the back of the book and Adventures In Acetone is a named blog for nail art and step by step tutorials!!!! That is just so majorly exciting for me and I am so thankful to be included in the list of places to go for more nail art.
What do you think of Idiot’s Guides: Nail Art? After I finish writing this post, I’m going to follow another book tutorial for a holiday nail art look I plan to wear this week. I’m sure you will be seeing tons of designs from the book on my nails in the new year as well.
My thoughts? I am really impressed with this book. I’ve never had a nail art book before so I wasn’t sure if it would be helpful to someone like me that has been doing nail art for years. But honestly, I am so excited to try a lot of these! The clear photos, step by step instructions, and simple tools make this a winning book! There are designs for tons of holidays and occasions, or just everyday nails.
The informative pages were really helpful as well. Whether you are a beginner, someone who has been doing nail art for a while, or even want to buy this for someone who has shown interest in nail art, this would be a great purchase!
Idiot’s Guides: Nail Art is available for preorder on Amazon right now for $13.09 (list price of $16.95) with a release date of January 6th, 2015. (Actually, I just checked and it’s showing “temporarily out of stock” and you can add to the cart and will be charged when it is shipped.) It is also available in a Kindle edition for $8.99.
Thanks so much for reading! A big congratulations to Emily The Lacquerologist on this huge achievement!! You can check out her blog and follow her at the links below:
The Lacquerologist Blog: http://www.lacquerologist.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lacquerologist
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lacquerologist
Instagram: http://instagram.com/lacquerologist
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– Let’s paint something amazing! –
Comments
This looks like a fantastic book! I cannot wait to get it!
I hope to learn free hand techniques in the nail art book Sometimes I get overwhelmed trying to figure the designs out
I love her blog and I plan on getting this book. I am even more motivated to do so after reading your review of it! Wow, you are in the book too! That's quite an honor.
Ooh, this looks handy! I've missed so much in my absence! Congrats to her on her book and that's wonderful you were mentioned! Definitely putting this on my wish list! 🙂 I love that it so clean, well designed and LOVE that it includes nail care information as well!
This looks a super book, thank you for your review. It's nice that it has value for an experienced nail-artist as well as a beginner. I will add it to my Amazon wishlist 🙂