Have you ever been scrolling through Instagram? Found some nail art you liked? Really liked that weird-ass salmon shade? Realized it was acrylic paint? Well, I'm gonna show you why exactly nail artists use acrylic paint instead of nail polish.
It Doesn't Dry Up Immediately
Unlike regular nail polish, acrylic paint won't dry up immediately. Nail polish is designed to be quick-drying and relatively thin. This doesn't make nail polish ideal for mixing colors on a palette. Acrylic paint, on the other hand, was made to sit on a palette while the artist works. The science behind this is that nail polish is made with isopropyl alcohols and acetates that dry up quickly while most acrylic paints are water-based. Water doesn't dry as quickly as these drying agents do therefore making acrylic paint ideal for color mixing.
You Can Make Any Color... Literally, Any
As long as you have the three primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) along with white and black you can make any color. Want to make purple? Mix red and blue. Want to make pale yellow? Mix white and yellow. Ya know, the stuff you learn in kindergarten! It's so easy to make a color you don't have in your nail polish collection! I highly recommend giving this a try.
It's Easier To Paint Designs With
Because acrylic paint isn't made with alcohols and acetates, it's easier to paint with. When you use nail polish to paint a design it can often turn out lumpy. This is because nail polish is sometimes thicker when it doesn't contain too much alcohol. The reason some polishes are made this way is to maintain their opacity. However, it's not the greatest tool when it comes to nail art. This also goes along with the fact that nail polish dries fast and it can make it harder to paint designs with in general. Another cool thing you can do with acrylic paint is to paint a quick-dry topcoat over your base color making sure to let it fully dry. Then you can paint your design on top and scratch off any mistakes with a toothpick. This is pretty ideal for beginners if you ask me.
The Downsides
Even though I love working with acrylic paint, there are some downsides to it. The main one being its opacity. I find that acrylic paint tends to be streaky when not working on a canvas. However, this problem can be resolved by using multiple coats or painting in a crosshatched pattern. As long as a nice topcoat is applied after it's fully dried, then your nail art shouldn't be streaky.
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