There are plenty of reasons why girls and women choose to wear fake nails. In addition to enhancing the appearance of your hands, fake nails can protect natural nails from damage or breakage, or they can make your hands look longer or skinnier by visually drawing attention away from parts of your hand that you’re self-conscious about. If you have younger girls in your household who are interested in wearing fake nails, you may be concerned about how to prevent them from picking at them until they come off, damaging their real nails underneath.
1) Wristbands
Wristbands are a great option for smaller fake nails. First, you need to choose a band that can fit snugly around your finger—your local beauty supply store should have an assortment to choose from in different sizes. Then, simply trim off any excess length with your scissors.
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2) Temporary Tattoos
If you want to add a little touch of glamour and sparkle to your nails, look no further than temporary tattoos. Just paint over them with a clear top coat when you’re done to keep them from peeling off in all your bags!
3) Finger Paint
You don’t have to pay salon prices for perfect nails. Finger-painting your nails is an easy way to add some pizazz while saving money—and maybe even adding a little color to a child’s world. Mix several colors of nail polish together, and apply them quickly with a brush or toothpick onto each finger. This is also a great idea for holiday celebrations.
4) Glitter Polish
One of our favorite looks for Halloween or a princess party is glitter polish. This is an easy look to pull off, and it makes your little girl’s nails look like a fairy tale. Glitter nail polish comes in many colors, so you can match it to any costume or event you’re planning on attending.
5) Colorful Tape
Choose a fun pattern, like stripes or polka dots, and cover your nails with colorful tape to create cool-looking false nails. You can get away with plain old Scotch tape, but try using painters’ tape instead—it’s stronger than normal tape and won’t peel off or leave a sticky residue. If you have trouble finding painters’ tape at your local store, check out an art supply store for options that are stronger and longer lasting.
6) Water Filled Beads
Start with clear beads and a small spoon. Fill each bead with water, starting at one end of your row and ending at another, with enough space to stick your nail in between. Squeeze them in tightly but leave enough room to set your fingernail into it. Cover these rows of beads with another layer of clear nail polish to ensure they’re firmly attached to your nails.
7) Sequin Designs
Kids love glitz and glam, so why not give them some bling with a little help from an adhesive-backed sequin? If you want to try it out, here’s how: Place your hand on top of a magazine. Hold down your thumb with one hand and then quickly use a pair of scissors to snip off bits of sequins on each side of your thumb—you can also dip whole sequins in nail polish remover for about 15 seconds to remove their shine.
8) Decals (stickers)
If you’re looking for easy, inexpensive nail designs for girls, then stickers are an excellent choice. You can apply these glittery decorations to your nails and use a little bit of nail polish remover on them if they aren’t sticking well to your nails. This is a fun and fast way to get beautiful nails that don’t require any painting skills at all!
9) Rope Style Bandages
Rope style bandages are a cheap and fun way to achieve a unique look. Most kids will have seen Disney’s Frozen at least once, and rope-style fake nails are perfect for creating Elsa-inspired nails. Find small, plastic ropes (they can be used for hair bows too!) from a craft store and make sure to measure each nail before you glue them in place. The result is an easy do-it-yourself manicure that requires little skill or money but looks great!
10) Bubbles
Bubble nails are pretty basic. Use a dotting tool or toothpick to apply different colors of polish onto a clear base coat; don’t overdo it, as too many colors will make for an odd look. After drying, cover with a top coat, then blow bubbles on each nail for your own personal bubble bath!