What are fimo sticks and what are they for?

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Manicure is an important component of a woman’s image, so girls pay close attention to the design of their nails. Many representatives of the fair sex prefer the classics in the form of a French jacket or a plain coat, but most fashionistas still like to experiment.

New products regularly appear in the field of nail design, one of them is fimo sticks. You can use fimo for nail design at home, and real needlewomen can even make their own sticks from polymer clay.

What it is

Fimo for nails is polymer clay made in the shape of a small stick. It reaches 5-7 centimeters in length and has a diameter of about 5 mm. The material has high plastic properties; it quickly hardens in air and during polymerization in a lamp.

There is a special design inside the tube. In order to create an unusual design, you need to thinly cut the clay and attach the resulting small pieces to your nails. Fimo clay simplifies the creation of a manicure, because you don’t have to sit and draw small details on the nail plate for hours. Just cut off a piece and the design is ready. Juicy fruits and berries are made so realistically that you want to try them all.

If you don’t want to do the cutting yourself, then the manufacturers have thought of everything for their customers. For your convenience, the straws are sold immediately pre-packaged, cut into small pieces. You can buy fimo sets at a cosmetic store or order online. The price for one stick starts from 10 rubles.

There is a special knife for cutting fimo polymer clay. It is a small sharp blade with a handle. Its cost starts from 50 rubles. It will be quite difficult for beginners to learn how to cut thin slices for the first time. Remember that the stick should be cut into pieces that are almost translucent. They should lie on the nails in a thin layer and not weigh down the coating.

From one block 5-7 cm long, approximately 150-180 fimo pieces are obtained.

Varieties

There are a huge number of images inside fimo sausages. We have collected the best and most popular options for you:

Features of application

Some tips will help you create a unique and perfect coating:

• for multi-colored Fimo sausages, transparency is needed; a transparent gel is best for design, but acrylic should be abandoned;
• Fimo can be placed in a chaotic order, close to each other, or layered one on top of the other, filling the free edge or the entire nail;
• the figures can be cut in half or into quarters;
• the best substrates for fimo are white and transparent;
• in the design it is allowed to use colored substrates of a contrasting shade;
• You can diversify the design with fimo with all kinds of patterns, glitter and other decorative elements.

What is fimo?

Fimo is a small clay tube or stick (about 7 cm), cut into thin slices (about 5 mm). Polymer clay (resembles sculptural plasticine in structure), from which the tubes (or rolls, as they are also called), are made, has high plasticity and quickly hardens or heats up. Special dyes are added to it to make the manicure bright and colorful.

Fimo figures are ideal for acrylic and gel nails, as their density helps to hold the figure securely. Of course, you can also experiment with your nails, but you need to understand that such a design will not last as long as you would like. How to fix the figures correctly? Read on.

Basic technique for working with fimo

Working with fimo for nails is quite simple. After all, these are the most unpretentious decorations for manicure that can be. It is only important to know some nuances and remember the most important rules. You can get acquainted with them and other techniques in this section.

How to use

You need to get the hang of cutting a tube of polymer clay. It is important that all the pieces are thin, about 1-2 mm. If you cut it too thick, such bars can injure the skin and significantly make the design heavier. If you have a small sausage lying around somewhere and you don’t know how to use fimo for nail design, then try experimenting. You can create a floral arrangement on your nails and create a delicate and feminine design. Treat your kids to a butterfly manicure or create a tropical fruit design for yourself.

How to attach

There are several ways to glue fimo. They are suitable for both natural nails and designs with regular polish or gel polish, as well as for extended nails.

1. There is a special glue for polymer clay that can be used to fix the pieces. But the price is quite expensive and starts from 250 rubles.
2. Expensive glue can be replaced with analogues, use glue for rhinestones or for tips.
3. If you use regular varnish to create the coating, then fimo can be fixed with a transparent varnish or topcoat, pressing it tightly to the nail plate.
4. If your manicure is done using gel polish, then you should use something thick with a sticky layer. Extension gel, a drop of acrylic or top coat will do. But in this case, the layer must be very thin so that the fimo does not drown in the thick liquid.
5. If you choose the option with extended nails, then fimo are easily attached to transparent gel or acrylic, and then dried in a lamp.

Fimo in professional nail design

The nail technician certainly knows how to do a fimo manicure. Professionals also use this decorative element in the design of extended nails. The plates are laid out in the required order on all or some of the nails and covered with a layer of gel. To ensure that the manicure is practical and the decor does not interfere with your everyday life, the master will try to make the surface of the nail smooth so that the decorations do not rise above the plate and their edges do not protrude beyond its boundaries.

There are a lot of design options, as well as pictures on this decorative element. Depending on your wishes, you can choose fimo fruits, flowers, emoticons, hearts, leaves, images of animals. Of course, this fimo manicure is not suitable for business women. But for teenagers and young, active girls, this is a godsend. You can create simple-to-execute, yet complex-looking 3D designs that you couldn't do by hand with a brush. The stickers look quite cheap, and the stencil will not allow you to make multi-color images so accurately, so fimo can be considered a godsend for craftsmen.

Design ideas with fimo

Fimo for nails will help diversify your design. Feel free to experiment with small stripes, circles and figures. All plates can be easily combined with each other and create an unusual composition on the nails.

Fruit glade

You can attach clay to the natural nail plate using the most ordinary varnish without using special glue. But it may take a little longer.

What you will need:

• clear nail polish;
• fimo;
• top

How to make nail designs with fimo:

1. Apply clear varnish point by point to the natural nail where the pieces will be attached.
2. Carefully place them in that place and press a little with your fingers.
3. Wait until the regular varnish dries.
4. Place other pieces on your nails.
5. Apply clear varnish, add glitter if desired.
6. Secure the design with a top.

You can see how to create a fresh design with fimo for nails in the video.

Stained glass design

Slices of polymer clay are real helpers in aquarium design. They go well with volumetric equipment and other shiny elements. In this design, the clay is attached to a clear gel.

What you will need:

• manicure files;
• degreaser;
• buff;
• forms;
• primer;
• gel base;
• transparent gel;
• camouflage gel;
• brush for laying out gel;
• liquid for removing sticky layer;
• lint-free wipes;
• fimo;
• orange stick or toothpick;
• glitter, mica, broken glass;
• finish (can be replaced with clear varnish).

How to do:

1. Prepare your nails for work: degrease the nail, remove excess length and remove gloss.
2. Place the marked forms on your nails and secure them firmly to your fingers.
3. Apply primer and coat your nails with a thin layer of base.
4. Make a backing of the free edge using a brush from a thin layer of gel. Shape the length and shape of the nail.
5. Carefully remove the form and fill the stressed area with a thin layer of camouflage gel to give the nail a natural color.
6. Place small pieces of mica, glitter or “shards” of broken glass on your nails.
7. Place fimo pieces on your nails using a toothpick.
8. Apply a small layer of gel to fix the fimo on your nails.
9. Send the design to cure in a lamp.
10. If desired, add a few more decorative embellishments to the design.
11. After drying, cover the design with a finishing topcoat.
12. Dry all layers in a lamp and remove the sticky layer.
13. File your nails and give them a beautiful shape.

Fimo for nails look especially elegant using the aquarium design technique, where only the free edge is filled, an example can be seen in the photo.

Fimo design with gel polish

The main advantage of gel polish over regular polish is that such a manicure lasts much longer - up to three weeks. The disadvantage is that this varnish requires drying in a special UV lamp. If you have all the necessary materials and tools to create a gel coating, you can easily experiment with fimo.

We bring to your attention a master class on how to work with fimo and gel polish to get a long-lasting and original manicure:

1. Prepare your nails: adjust the length, shape the edges, and trim the cuticles. Be sure to polish the surface of the nail plate and remove any accumulated dust.
2. Coat your nails with a degreaser or wipe with nail polish remover.
3. Apply a special base for gel polish and dry your nails in a lamp. First, cover four nails on one hand, dry, then cover the nail on the thumb and also dry in a lamp. If you apply the coating to all your fingers at once, the product on your big toe nail will drip to one side while you dry four nails.
4. Apply two layers of colored gel polish, drying each layer separately. Determine the thickness of the layers and drying time based on the recommendations of the coating manufacturers and the power of your lamp.
5. Using a dot, apply a drop of clear topcoat to the nail plate in the area where you plan to place the fimo piece.
6. Apply the pre-cut fimo circle to the nail using tweezers and press firmly.
7. Apply a clear topcoat to the entire nail surface, sealing the edges, and cure your nails in a lamp.

If fimo is cut thin enough, the surface of the nail after applying the topcoat will be smooth - without protrusions. Sometimes fimo is specially cut quite thickly and pressed loosely against the nail to make the manicure voluminous. In this case, it is better to use special glue to attach decorative fragments.

We make fimo ourselves

Did you know that you can make fimo for nails yourself at home? If you didn’t find clay in your store or there wasn’t the option you needed, then you can make the sausage yourself, coloring it as you wish.

Strawberry nail sausage

A juicy and ripe polymer clay tube can be used not only in nail art, but also for various decorations. You can choose the size yourself, starting from the smallest. This recipe yields an average of about 10 sausages, which will last you a long time. Polymer clay can be found in office supplies. Its cost starts from 100 rubles.

What you will need:

• red polymer clay;
• white polymer clay;
• knife;
• rolling pin

How to make fimo:

1. Roll out 2 balls of clay and make 2 small right triangles with an acute angle of 30 degrees.
2. Connect the triangles to form a rectangle.
3. Roll out with a rolling pin and cut it into several strips of the same width.
4. Roll each strip into a ball.
5. Knead each ball thoroughly until the color is uniform. The result should be a color palette from bright red to white and pink.
6. Roll the strips into sausages and place them together next to each other.
7. Roll out the sausages with a rolling pin to create a smooth color transition from light to dark. Cut the layer clearly according to color.
8. Take a small piece and roll it into a white cylinder about 1 cm high.
9. Wrap the cylinder with the prepared strips. Each strip should be enough for a full turn. If it’s not enough, you can tighten it up.
10. Form a triangle, cut it on the sides and place a thin layer of white plate there, which will help imitate the streaks of strawberries.
11. Press down the clay and wrap the resulting berry in a red layer of clay.
12. Press the sausage until you get the desired volume. If the sausage is too long, then it needs to be cut off by 5-7 cm.

Manicure ideas with this decoration

Fimo for nail design can be used in different ways:

• place the jewelry on the tip, you will get an unusual jacket;
• using single plates, you can focus your manicure on decoration;
• by combining lines drawn with acrylic paint and fimo, you can create entire pictures;
• By placing decorations throughout the nail plate, you will get an interesting textured coating.

If you want to make a bright and unusual manicure with your own hands, but do not have the skills to paint with acrylic paints and want to spend a little money, fimo nail designs are suitable for you. You can combine these decorations with sparkles and coatings of different colors. Don't try to make all your nails the same. In addition, you can use this decoration to design your toenails in the summer.