The newest craze in nail design is creating a work of art in every manicure with a nail art pen. These pens are tubes of nail polish that provide fun and exciting ways to express one’s creativity and style through nail art.

Compared to traditional nail polish, nail pens provide better control in application with their fine tips. These fine tips are what make nail pens perfect for French manicures and for adding intricate details to manicured nails.

Nail art pens come in a variety of styles. Some are made as single or double-sided pen, some as two-way pens which feature an applicator brush and a fine tip that can be used alternately. Double-sided nail pens provide two nail colors in one tube.

Nail pens are also available in an assortment of colors. Some even contain glitter for additional flare. The recent addition to the nail pen trend is the 3D nail art pen.

3D nail art pens are made with special inks that inflate once they are applied, creating a bulky 3-dimensional nail art.

Here are some nail pens to try!

• Sally Hansen Nail Art Pens are unique, fine tip nail pens with environment-friendly, water-based nail color.
• Nail Jazz Nail Polish Pens are pens that come with an applicator brush and a pen nib that makes do-it-yourself nail art easy.
• Nail Delights 3D Nail Art Pens (Set of 12) are nail pens with thick, acrylic water-based paint.

Although nail pens come in different styles and packaging, there’s only one way to use them. If you’re new to nail pens, here’s a quick guide.

• Mix the nail polish within the nail pen by shaking it with the cap on.
• After shaking, remove the cap for use.
• Gently squeeze the pen for it to dispense the nail polish. Squeeze on a tissue paper first to remove hardened polish from the tip.
• Apply on nails and style with whatever design you like.
• Replace cap after use to keep the nail polish from drying.

There are dozens of nail art designs that you can easily do with these colorful and innovative nail pens. But before you start creating your nail art, remember to go through the basics.

• Create a clean canvas by cleaning and buffing your nails. The beauty of nail designs are much appreciated with manicured nails.

• Apply a layer of clear or neutral color nail polish for a base coat. This is necessary to even out the nail’s surface even more and make your nail art last longer.

Try out these do-it-yourself nail art pen designs!

Floral

• Apply a base color. Try using red nail polish to make your floral nail art stand out.
• Wait until dry.
• Using a nail brush and a green nail polish, create flower heads and stems.
• Wait until dry.
• With a different colored nail pen, draw some petals. Use bright colors.
• Wait until dry.
• Complete your floral design by drawing leaves on the stems. Use a green nail pen.
• Allow to dry.

Checkerboard

• Apply a black base color.
• Wait until dry.
• Draw checkerboard squares on top of the base color with a medium-tipped nail pen. You can use any color aside from white.
• Allow to dry.

Glitter

• Apply a base color. Use a dark color to make the glitter noticeable.
• Wait until dry.
• Use a nail glitter pen to outline the tips of your nails.
• Allow to dry.

Holiday

• Apply a base color. Select a color that matches the holiday theme.
• Wait until dry.
• Use nail pens to draw designs that is in tune with the holiday—snowman for Christmas, hearts for Valentines Day and flags for the 4^th of July.
• Allow to dry.

Animal Print

• Apply a neutral base color.
• Wait until dry.
• For a leopard print, create spots by drawing irregular circles.
• Wait until dry.
• Add a touch of flair by drawing in inner spots on the circles with a nail glitter pen.
• Allow to dry.

Style TIP 1:

• Ask a friend to help you out with your dominant hand.

Style TIP 2:

• Always apply a clear top coat once your nail design has dried. This will help protect your work of art from easily chipping off.

Get yourself a nail art pen and be creative!

Nail art pens are the latest in nail technology. It is a new and exciting way for you to style and get creative with your nails. A nail art pen has an applicator tip that provides control in applying color and customizing design onto your nails compared to a nail polish brush.

Different nail art pens are available in stores—a single-colored pen, double-sided pen, two-way pen and a group of nail pens packaged as a nail art pen set or kit.

• Single-colored pen is a nail pen of one color nail polish.
• Double-sided pen is a nail pen which has two different colors of nail polish on each end.
• Two-way Pen is a bottle of nail polish that comes with an applicator tip that you can screw on for easy designing.
• Nail Art Pen Set is a pack of assorted nail colors and includes tiny nail art decals that you can use to accentuate your nails.

A nail art pen kit may consist of eight nail pens with a few accessory pieces or as much five hundred pieces! A variety of accessories such as rhinestones, nail art decal, nail art stripers, nail motifs, nail tattoos and artificial nails provide endless options for you to custom design your nails.

Here’s how to work a nail pen:

• Shake nail pen with the cap on. Make sure the cap is firmly placed.
• Remove the cap and push pen on a hard surface to dispense color.
• Apply on nails as desired.
• Firmly recap pen after use.

Now that you know how it works, here’s how to do nail art:

• With a manicure kit, clean, shape and groom your nails. Make sure that your nails are free of old polish.
• Go through your nail polish collection and choose the color you want to apply as your base coat and what nail art pen and accessories complement it.
• Evenly apply the base coat. Let it dry.
• Apply nail art designs. You can go with your own designs or use the sticky nail guides that are provided in your nail kit. Let it dry.
• Spice your nails up by applying nail accessories such as rhinestones or glitter powder. Let it dry.
• Protect your nails and your art by applying a clear topcoat nail polish.
• Make your art last long by reapplying clear nail polish every two days until you finally decide that you need to redo or change your nail art.

Nail pens are affordable. You can do nail pen art for as low as $15. Here are some you can choose from:

• Migi Nail Art Pens – A revolutionary nail design tool kit that provides affordable artistic options for you to design your nails. These pens are available in individual color pens, double-sided pens and two-way pens that come with a nail polish brush and a patented applicator tip.

• Rio Nail Art Pen Kit – A nail art set that includes eight bottles of different colors with double-ended applicators, a tutorial video on how to do nail art, nail design chart and base application brush.

• Elegant Touch Nail Art Dimensional Deluxe Rhinestone Kit – A set to accessorize your nails and body.

• Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen – A fine-tip pen that makes drawing precise lines for a French manicure easy. This kit comes with a mistake-proof formula that corrects without damaging dry nail polish.

• Bon Prix Nail Set – A 553 piece nail set that includes 352 nail motifs, 120 nail tattoos, 75 silver studs, 2 bottles of varnish, 3 glitter pots and a carrier.

• Nail Art Brush Pen Set – This set comes with eight dazzling colors, an art brush and an art pen.

• ArtDeco Nail Art Kit 104 Basic Set – This set makes it easy to apply nail designs as it comes with a design plate, specialized design varnish, scraper tool and transfer pad. This kit also contains 3 Design Varnish in white, black and purple.

• Le Chat Nails 6 Hologram Glitter Set – This set includes six nail glitter powders that are sure to add more flair to your nail art.

So what are you waiting for? Express yourself or even share it with a friend and go crazy with nail art pens!