Polka dot nails sure do look cool. And today, I will tell you how you can get super sexy polka dots on nails at home I get lovely patterns using the simplest nail dotting tool.

Infact, you will be surprised you never thought of using it in the first place!

Not only that, getting those cute dotted patterns will not take you more than 10-20 minutes, depending upon the level of your skill!

For those of you who love to have those oh-so-sexy looking nails, do read about acrylic nail art.

I, for one, have no sense-of-art (if there ever was any), am low on creativity and am too careless to bother to try any elaborate patterns. I just happened to see white dots on nails of my friend once, and fell so much in love with those that I wanted to try them out myself. Ever since, I have stuck to simple patterns for diy nail art patterns.

As I mentioned already, I do not have the patience or the skill besides being perpetually short of time- that is a work-at-home speaking now! But when I want to indulge myself occasionally, I use glitters and rhinestones for enhancing their effect.

Over a period of time, I have mastered the technique of getting the most beautiful and symmetrically arranged polka dots on nails and want to share the same with more of my kind- who WANT those adorable nail art patterns but aren’t too good with them!

Let me share my wonderful secrets with you here.

How to Get Polka Dot Nails?

Before you can actually go on to dot your nails, you need to get the base right.

Begin your nail makeover with filing your nails. I have always maintained that the sexiest of nail art patterns will fail to make an impact if your nails are not properly filed. So, pick up your filer and nail clipper and shape them perfectly, according to the prevailing fashion or the shape of your hands.

Having done that, apply base coat. It not only smoothens the surface of the nails (which ultimately increases the life of your paint) but also prevents your nails from yellowing. This step, however, can be avoided if you are in a hurry.

Now decide the color combination which you want to  choose for your patterns, and keep the nail paints and all the other stuff you might need for the purpose ready for use.

The Simplest Nail Dotting Tool

Nail dotting tool #1. Toothpicks

Most people do not realize that the humble toothpick makes one of the best dotting tools for nails.

So much so that you need not spend on a ‘professional’ nail dotting tool available in abundance both in the market and over the internet.

Most people begin by placing a drop of nail paint in a bowl. If you choose to do so, make sure to choose non-absorbent paper because an absorbent paper like tissue paper, newspaper or toilet paper will absorb all the nail paint.

I have been doing something even simpler- that helps me ‘save’ my nail paint and also avoid unnecessary mess. I pick the nail paint off the brush using my toothpick.

Use the tip of the toothpick to create as many dots as you want. If you space them too far apart, you will have fewer dots. If you want more dots, place them closer to each other.

For slightly bigger dots, just grind the tip of the toothpick you are using against a nail filer to make it blunt. You could also try cutting the tip off with a pair of scissors.

Caution: When you are making smaller dots with a toothpick, let the nail paint or the base coat dry completely before you start painting the dots.

Nail dotting tool # 2: Cotton ear buds

Dip the tip of an ear bud in nail paint you have poured on to a bowl or a piece of paper as before, and use the buds to create bigger polka dots on nails.

Caution: Bigger dots can spread unevenly across the nail and look untidy due to which bigger dots should be painted before the base coat has dried up completely.

Various other nail dotting tools

I also used my grandma’s crochet once to get polka dots nails, I have used sewing needles & paint brushes (most experts use them- but this tutorial ain’t for experts, is it? ).

For me, toothpicks work best- due to which I prefer to stick to them.

Tips for getting best polka dot nails

Here is my secret formula to get the neatest polka dots on nails.

1. Paint your nails in a single color. Apply only one coat for best results.

2. Start with the middle of the nail and, depending upon how ‘thick’ or closely placed you want the dots on your nails to be, draw a line of dots across the middle of the nail.

This, below, is the simplest thing to do:

3. Once you have a straight line, draw another dotted line parallel to it taking care to place the dots in the new line in the middle of the dots of your first line.

This, you see:

After that, you can proceed to make a third line on the other side.

Simple, wasn’t it?

Just make sure to create a ‘<’ and ‘>’ pattern. When you make V’s, your dots will at least look neat and tolerable, even if they are not perfect.

Another secret I’d like to share with you is that by far, toothpicks make the best dotting tools for nails. I tried using ear buds once, but they would absorb too much nail paint and not give the best dots. You can keep your toothpick as sharp or blunt as per the size of dots you would like to have.

Another secret I’d like to share with my readers is to use FAST DRYING nail paint for the dots. That helps the dots dry fast, before you rub, touch or wipe them off.

Hope this tutorial using simple nail dotting tools all of you have at home will help you get lovely polka dot nails.