Tweezers are a thing of the past!!!

So, having read the title of this post, you may be slightly concerned that I am about to let my eyebrows become overgrown caterpillars!!!. But fear not, I'm not about to throw my trusty tweezers away - I just won't be needing them anymore when it comes to placing gems or studs on my nails!!

I haven't been doing my nails for very long (about 3 months) but in that time I have done nearly 90 manis (that's nearly one a day!!!). Many of these manis feature some sort of nail adornment, a stud, a Swarovski crystal, a pearl or a glequin and this week is no exception

This mani was created for this weeks A-Z challenge where V is for Valuable. As you can see from the photo, this involved placing 20 gems on my nails that I had just painted with Rimmel London Frankie My Dear.

Whilst I love how a mani looks once the gems are in place, getting there can sometimes be a challenge!!!

First there's the issue with actually picking the gem up with the tweezers - this can be very hit and miss for me and several gems have pinged out of the tweezers grip, never to be seen again!!! 

Next is the issue of placing the gems - either directly onto the freshly top coated nail or using nail glue. Either method works well for me for the first few gems but inevitably after 2 or 3, the tweezers get a bit of top coat or glue on them, become sticky and once I've  picked up the gem with the tweezers, it doesn't want to leave them and it sticks to the tweezers rather than my nails!!!

Finally, there's the issue of putting any unused gems back in their container - this too can prove tricky (especially when you've just done your nails!!!)

These issues are now a thing of the past (along with my nailart tweezers!!) thanks to a simple tool I purchased during my last visit to Sally's. It's called a Sticky Picky and is made by Beauty Secrets. Sally's had cleverly placed it by the till area where it caught my eye. I hadn't gone in there to buy it (I didn't even know such a thing existed!!) but then I often find that I leave Sally's having purchased far more than I intended - I just can't help myself!!!

It's a really simple tool, with a small blob of sticky silicone at the end, that allows you to pick up a gem and accurately place it on the nail, without the need for glue. Amazing, no misplaced gems, no sticky tweezers and a quick and easy way to put the gems back in their container afterwards with no danger of damaging your mani. 

The silicone blob can be washed in water and left to air dry to regain it's stickiness when needed and it has a sparkly lid (I love a bit of glitter!!) to protect the tip when not in use.

I know that this sticky picker is going to see a lot of action and will be an essential part of my nail art kit - and where nail gems are concerned - Tweezers are a thing of the past!!!

Xoxo