DIY Chalkboard Nail Art Tutorial

So yesterday’s post about the Revlon Nail Art Chalkboard™ duos got me thinking about those of you who don’t want to plunk down cash on an expensive kit or invest in a short-lived trend. Why not shop our own stashes to create some Chalkboard Nail Art?

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I dug out tools, treatments and nail polishes that were otherwise collecting dust in a Helmer somewhere and DIY’d my own Chalkboard designs. If you’re even half as fanatical about nails as I am, you already have everything you need to make this happen.

What You Need

You can go two routes with the base color for your Chalkboard designs. Either grab a glossy black nail polish and matte top coat….

Or dig out those black matte nail polishes you bought years ago. If you don’t own a black matte, there are a couple new ones on the market. Obviously, the Revlon Nail Art Chalkboard duos contain a matte black but L’Oreal She’s So Matte from the new Mix & Matte LE collection is on shelves as well.

Don’t forget your nail art pens and polishes. You can also use a nail art brush dipped in pastel nail polish. These are just easier to use. Plus, the Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen wipes off with water so if you make a mistake, you can erase it.

For my first design, I started with a base of L’Oreal She’s So Matte. This color is so pigmented, I only needed one coat. And it dries super flat which makes it perfect for a chalkboard look.

I added chevron stripes, hearts and lines with Sally Hansen Nail Art Pens in Turquoise and Periwinkle. Now if I had better penmanship, in general, I’m sure my lines would be straighter but kindergartners write better than I do. I swear I get that from my dad whose writing looks like chicken scratch. He only uses straight lines, even for his S’s.

Now, because the Sally Hansen pens are water soluble, you must seal your designs with matte top coat. It’s good practice to do that anyway but I don’t want you to watch your designs go down the drain in the shower.

For my second design I started with a glossy base color, Sally Hansen Black Out. It’s super affordable, pigmented and wears well. Can’t beat it. Sinful Colors Black on Black is another fave of mine as well but any black creme will work.

Thanks to reader Katrice, I discovered that Orly Matte Top Coat has changed from when I wrote about it in my Matte Top Coat Comparisons years ago. It’s no longer satin but a relatively flat matte. I used it over Black Out to achieve my chalkboard background.

Application Tip: When applying matte top coats, make sure you get it all the way to the cuticle to avoid glossy bits of polish peeking through, as shown below.

Note: You can skip this step and draw your designs right on the glossy polish, sealing & mattifying it with top coat at the end. I find that the matte top coat helps dry the polish faster and makes it easier to draw on. Also, I’m showing it this way to demonstrate how Orly Matte Top Coat looks.

Finally, I added some playful designs using Sally Hansen Nail Art Pens, Milani Nail Art and Nubar Nail Art polishes. I sealed it all in with Orly Matte Top Coat, though I didn’t wait long enough for the nail art polish to dry and it smeared a bit. Lesson learned!

So, are you the type that would rather buy a self contained kit or DIY your own chalkboard look with tools you have at home? Have you tried chalkboard nail art? What kind of designs do you like to create in this style?

Shop The Post

Unfortunately, the Chanel and Orly matte nail polishes are discontinued but all the other products shown are readily available at drugstores, mass retailers and online. Shop the post above to purchase.

Disclosure: Product samples were provided by reps for the brands. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.