Okay. I absolutely hate it when I see a Youtube video of a nail tutorial or something and they’re talking about all these expensive nail polishes and products they use to do their nails. They’re like, “Oh, buy OPI nail polish because if you pay out the ass for it, you know it’s a good brand!” LOL Hell no. I am on a limited budget here, and I can do just as good with dollar store supplies, thank you very much. So I’m going to go over what’s good to buy at the Dollar Store and what you should splurge on. :)

Things to buy at the Dollar Store:

-Top coats/base coats. You can never go wrong with these. They’re all the same. Sally Hansen is a liar. Her topcoat does not dry faster. lol.

-Nail files. They’re all the same as well, unless you’re in beauty school and you’re told to go buy a certain grit nail file at the beauty supply store.

-Cotton balls/cotton pads and nail polish remover. I get mine at the dollar store, simply because they’re cheaper. They do just as good as the name brands.

-Cuticle oils/removers/cutters/pushers. You’re not going to find an off-brand of the oils and liquid removers, but they’re still going to be cheaper there than at Sally’s. And the cutters, oh yeah. I love them. They’re so easy to use and they all work the same. Just push back your cuticles and glide it across. Saves lots of time. Hell yeah.

-Toothpicks/makeup brushes/things to make dots with. As said before, you don’t need a dotting tool. You can use anything with a round end, and you can find all that at the dollar store :3

-Nail polishes. Well, this is kind of iffy. I’m not so fond of the L.A. Colors nail polishes found at the Dollar General, but my favorite polish brand, Pure Ice, is found at Walmart for $1.92 a bottle, and you can’t get any better than that. By the way, DO NOT buy Bon Bons nail polish, you know, the tiny ones in the little buckets at Walmart. They suck. They’re 99 cents and it’s SO not worth it to buy that tiny little bottle when you can get one 4 times as big for just a dollar more.

Now that we’ve got that covered…

What to buy at the beauty supply store/Sally’s: 

-Manicure implements. Aside from the cuticle cutters and nail files, you should not buy any other manicure implements at the dollar store. Splurge a little bit and get them at the beauty supply store for a little more because they will last you a lot longer and work a lot better. Things like clippers, scissors, and tweezers are most likely going to be better if you spend a little more money on them.

-Acrylic brushes/nail art brushes. Please, PLEASE do not buy brushes at the dollar store. They will suck and they’ll leave your nail art looking like crap. It’s WAY worth it to buy a more expensive brush, because it will last longer, and work better. They’ve got tons of different shapes and sizes at Sally’s, and they’re really not that outrageous.

-Fake nails/tips for acrylics. I’ve always found that the Kiss brand fake nails from the dollar store work okay, but not as well as I’d like them to. I buy my tips for acrylics from Sally’s, the Terrific Tips brand. They can be used for full nail, or acrylic, they come in clear, white and colored and they’re amazing :)

-Electric nail drills. If you’re just getting into and learning acrylics, a cheap e-drill from Walmart would be okay for you to use. They’re around $10 to $25 and they work alright, but they don’t have a speed setting. If you’re serious about doing nails and you’re going to make it a career, you’re going to want to buy a more expensive drill with a speed setting to make your life a whole lot easier. I’ve found that when I used cheap ones, my acrylics come out looking bumpy because the drill doesn’t spin fast enough. Don’t be a penny pincher when it comes to this, seriously. You’re going to get a slap in the face from your client if you do a shotty job on their nails.

Welp, that’s all I can think of for now. If you have any suggestions or questions, feel free to ask, and I’ll add them here. Happy nail designing! :)

Here’s something you all will love. It’s called a Manicure Saver Cotton Claw, made by ASP. What it does, is hold a cotton ball in the claw for you so when you need to clean up around your nails, you don’t ruin the nails on your other hand, or when you’re doing someone else’s nails and you don’t want to mess yours up. It’s a lifesaver! You can find them at most beauty supply stores. I found one at Sally Beauty Supply for about $4. :)