Home » Nails » Nail Tutorial: How to Do a Dotticure with a Bobby Pin

Nail Tutorial: How to Do a Dotticure with a Bobby Pin

posted in: Nails
April 28, 2014

How to Do a Dotticure with a Bobby Pin

I’ve been wanting to join in on the nail art fun for a while now. Two things have held me back: 1) I’m clumsy as hell and always mess up my nails immediately after doing them and 2) I didn’t want to invest in the tools in case I ended up being terrible at it. I’ve heard others recommend using bobby pins for nail art on the fly, and since they come in packs of 100 for 99 cents, I thought I’d give it a go with the most basic design: a dotticure!

For this mani, I used Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Longwear Nail Enamel in Lady Luck for the base color, and Revlon Brilliant Strength Nail Enamel in Provoke for the dots.

I stretched open my bobby pin as much as I could without breaking it, which made it a lot easier to isolate one of the ends (which is apparently called a quickle, but I’m not sure how credible my source is).

Watch my full tutorial below:

So easy, right? I finished it off with a layer of top coat and it looked great. I see a lot of dotticures in my future! Right after filming this, I tried my hand (no pun intended) at a flower design on my thumb, but failed… miserably. Practice makes perfect, though! Hopefully I can bring you another nail tutorial sans nail tools soon.

Have you ever MacGyvered your own beauty tools?

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34 Responses

  1. PrimeBeauty
    | Reply

    Love the color combo

  2. Melody Robinson Wright
    | Reply

    Very subtle dotticure. Cute!

  3. Ingénue Coquette
    | Reply

    super cute – i use bobby pins too!

  4. Brooke @ Blushing Noir
    | Reply

    That is seriously the best idea… never would’ve thought bobby pin! You saved me $$$!

  5. FabZilla_Kath
    | Reply

    Cute mani!! Shame on me and blame the ever shaky hands, I suck even at the simplest dotticure.

  6. Mai
    | Reply

    I used to do this with my manicures!

  7. mynewestaddiction
    | Reply

    Great tip. I love the shades you used

  8. Betzy Carmona
    | Reply

    I love it ! I had use that technique before then went on to purchase a set of dotting but then lost it.

  9. Lisa Marie Heath
    | Reply

    Gorgeous combo! And yes – Bobby pins work in a pinch!

  10. Kelly R
    | Reply

    I love the color combination! I love dotting tools. And I still use the occasional bobby pin.

  11. Honeygirlk
    | Reply

    I love the color combo. 🙂 I have a dotting tool – but when I first started with nails I used my bobby pins. 🙂

  12. Allison @neversaydiebeauty
    | Reply

    Love that color combo. I don’t have any bobby pins anymore so I either use Q-tips with pointed and rounded ends or my cheap essence dotting tool that works great. Cute tutorial

    • Miranda | SlashedBeauty.com
      | Reply

      I get too frustrated with Q tips because the little fibers stick to my polish and ruin the finish 🙁

  13. Ange
    | Reply

    My favorite color combo’s!! I love the bobby pin trick I’ve be using it forever 🙂

  14. Kimmi @ The Plastic Diaries
    | Reply

    Gorgeous. I love orange and pink together

  15. EBBlogAshley
    | Reply

    I love polka dots! I might be able to do this. Love that you are just as clumsy as I am. I cannot do nail art at all!

    • Miranda | SlashedBeauty.com
      | Reply

      LOL I’m clumsy just doing one color on my nails!

  16. beautybymissl
    | Reply

    Very cute! I love dotticures!

  17. Aleya Bamdad
    | Reply

    Cute colors and design.

  18. Eugenia
    | Reply

    Great tutorial, simple and easy!

    • Miranda | SlashedBeauty.com
      | Reply

      With practice I’m hoping to get some more easy but cute nail art up here soon! I’m such a noob at it!

  19. Sheila Arkee
    | Reply

    Super easy and fun! Dotticures are the way to go.

    • Miranda | SlashedBeauty.com
      | Reply

      Definitely fool proof!

  20. RebeccaBBird | HelloPrettyBird
    | Reply

    Very clever!

  21. Noelle
    | Reply

    I totally do this when I can’t find my dotting tool. It’s such a great alternative!

  22. Nidia Doherty
    | Reply

    I hacked a dotting tool with a pin stuck in the eraser end of a pencil… but I did eventually break down and buy dotting tools, because I like the feel of them better. Even though I have several in different sizes, I find that one double-sided one can make pretty much all the dots I need – though I do also use a super-tiny one for delicate nail art. Great hack! Dots are awesome.

  23. Anastasia
    | Reply

    I used to do this before I bought a set of nail art tools 🙂 So easy!

  24. jamie @makeuplifelove
    | Reply

    I never would have though to use a bobby pin. I have used the top of a q-tip after you cute the cotton off and it worked well. but this for sure if a better idea. Great idea and tutorial!!

  25. Phyrra
    | Reply

    So simple and easy! Love it!

  26. Hey Aprill
    | Reply

    Genuis! never thought to use a bobby pin!

  27. Erika
    | Reply

    Well done. 🙂 Another way to make a dotting tool is to use a glass headed dressmaker’s pin pushed into the erasure of a pencil. You can use different pin head sizes for different sized dots.

    • Miranda | SlashedBeauty.com
      | Reply

      Oooh that’s a great idea! I think I have some of those lying around my sewing kit

  28. Cosmetics Aficionado
    | Reply

    That is a great idea!

  29. Norah Salazar
    | Reply

    I love this idea. For nails, I am usually a one color type of gal but I would totally try the dots 🙂

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