Review: Fing'rs Color Splash Nail Art Kit (my very first fan brush manicure!)

Purchased by Me 

The title of this post is actually a bit misleading, as I am only really reviewing the brush here today, and I'm not using it for its intended purpose (more on that in a bit). I have to confess that when I first spotted this kit in the Fing'rs Heart 2 Art display that's now at Walmart, I wanted it solely for the brush.

You see, I've been wanting to try a Fan Brush Manicure for a while now, but for some reason it's hard to find a fan brush at the drugstore. Well, I confess that I haven't been looking too hard for one, but when I do remember to check the makeup brush displays at my local drugstores, I can never seem to find a cheapie (under $10) fan brush. And of course I refuse to use one of my good fan brushes for this, since it's going to get covered in polish and acetone.

So instead of ordering some fan brushes online or visiting my local art supply store, I decided to pick up this set, which is very reasonably-priced:

 Fing'rs Color Splash Nail Art Kit

(retail: $6.48 at Walmart)

So just like the Fing'rs Striping Kit, I'm taking you along with me on my first Fan Brush Manicure attempt! Keep reading to see the results...

The title of this kit is the Splash Nail Art Kit, and this is what Fing'rs suggests:

I have actually done splash manicures (remember this one from two years ago?) and all it really takes is a few flicks of the brush that comes with a bottle of nail polish. You don't need a separate brush for that look, but I bet that a fan brush could make things easier. But as I said earlier, I really wanted to try a fan brush manicure with this brush, so let's get down to business, shall we?

The brush is very small and very precise--here's a photo next to a tube of lipstick for perspective:

The bristles are very soft to the touch, and they're nice and firm. I was actually very pleasantly surprised by the quality of this brush.

So here are the polishes I selected for my very first fan brush manicure:

 China Glaze Mahogany Magic

China Glaze Laced Up

Sinful Colors Nail Art Polish in Bad Chick

Wet n Wild Tickled Pink

I specifically chose colors that I knew were pretty opaque after one coat, just so that the colors would (hopefully) appear vivid on the nail.

NOTE: Instead of trying to explain the actual technique to you in words, I think it's MUCH easier if you see it in motion. So take a look at this video and then come back here, OK?

Waiting...waiting...did ya watch it? OK good! Let's proceed:

Not too bad for my first time, eh? 

And here's the best part: you only need a tiny work-space and the process doesn't make a mess!

Even if you are not a nail art person and you have botched other types of nail art in the past (Hello! Story of my life!) this one is so simple that I promise you can do it. Seriously, if I can do it, you can do it.

TIPS:

• You really only need a surface that's big enough for a few dots of polish and a cotton pad.

• In between colors, I simply dipped my brush into my Target Dip-It polish remover, gave it a few swirls, brushed off the bristles a bit and then used a cotton pad (pictured) to dry off the brush before dipping the tips of the bristles into the next color.

• Many nail art gurus suggest using acrylic paints in favor of nail polish for the stripes. I can understand this, because acrylic paints allow you to paint very clean, fine and precise lines. However, after playing around with the polishes I used in this tutorial, I HIGHLY, HIGHLY suggest that if you're going to use nail polish instead of acrylic paints, you select polishes that are opaque yet have a THIN consistency. The Sinful Colors and Wet n Wild polishes I used are on the thicker side and if you look above, you'll see that they create "globs" at the starting point of the stripes. That's because the thickness of the polish holds the bristles of the fan brush together. But the China Glaze polish I used, Laced Up, has a thin, almost watery consistency (yet it's still quite opaque) and I was able to achieve much thinner, more precise lines with that polish.

FINAL VERDICT: This brush rocks. If you've been wanting to try a fan brush manicure but you haven't been able to find an inexpensive and/or small fan brush in your area, I definitely recommend picking up the Fing'rs Splash Art Nail Kit. At under seven bucks, you also get three mini bottles of polish and the brush in this kit is of very nice quality. The bristles are resilient even after being dipped into acetone, and I haven't experienced any shedding while using this brush. Again, I can't speak to how this brush will work for its suggested use (splash art manicure) but if you've been wanting to try a fan brush mani, I think you will be very happy with this purchase.

Do you own any of the nail art kits in the Fing'rs Heart 2 Art Collection? I'd love to hear how they're working for you!

The products featured in this post were purchased with personal funds. For more information, click here.