Hot Designs Nail Art Pens Review

Browsing my local Dollar General the other day, I came across Hot Designs Nail Art Pens. If you stay up-to-date with this blog, you know that I am obsessed with all things nail related, so I had to try this product. The kit was $15, which I felt was very reasonable for 6 different shades of nail polish. I purchased the kit with the classic colors, but there was another kit called "Glitz and Glam" that had brighter, more vibrant colors.

The Hot Designs Nail Art Pens kit came with everything you see below, including three double-tubes of nail polish, an instruction pamphlet, and an insert with some tricks and tips.

In the instruction manual, you will find an area of design ideas, along with blank spaces to practice in. I found these things to be very useful, especially in getting the hang of the pen. The tips mentioned that the pen often develops air bubbles, so it's very important in squeezing out as much air as possible before using to prevent a bubble from coming out and bursting all over your nail.

Below is one example of the nail design ideas and step-by-step tutorial.

Now, the coolest part about these nail art brushes is the fact that the cap acts as a nail art pen, and as a regular nail polish brush.

By pulling off the top cap, you get the nail art brush.

Snap the pen cap back on, and unscrew the cap to reveal the actual nail polish brush.

How neat is that?

Now, I tried the actual nail polish brush as a base. I used white. I found the polish to be a nice consistency, bright, and two coats were sufficient enough to cover my nail. The polish had a strong odor, but not unbearable, and it dries rather quickly.

In the following photos, you will see that I removed the white polish and instead, used a base coat of Pure Ice "Happy Hour." This is a coral color. Very bright and pretty for spring. The reason I removed the white polish is because it didn't match my outfit for a bridal shower that I was attending that afternoon.

Once my base coat had dried, I used the nail art pens to create a quilting design on my middle nail, and used it to create a very thin "tip" on the other nails. This is the result.

I'm quite experienced in doing my own nail art, so I didn't have many issues with the Hot Designs Nail Art Pens. There were, however, a few instances where air bubbles would form, but I paid careful attention to the pen tips and removed them from my nail before squeezing out any excess air. Once the air was removed, the pens worked perfectly.

The design that I drew with the pens has lasted for three days so far without any signs of wear. Fantastic!


Before moving along, let's discuss the pros and cons.

Pros

The polish is a nice consistency.
The polish dries rather quickly.
I have good control with the design of the nail art pen.
The colors are vibrant.
The double-tubes are convenient.
The price is very reasonable.
The color is long lasting, and lasts even longer with a clear top coat.

Cons

The odor of the nail polish is very strong.
The actual nail polish brushes seem rather cheap.
The pens often develop air bubbles that you must get rid of prior to use.

As you can see, there are more pros than cons here. You can even kind of cancel out the cons by taking some precautions. For example, if you're sensitive to smells, make sure the area that you're painting your nails in is well-ventilated. If you're not satisfied with the brushes, you can purchase your own nail brushes to use instead. Finally, if you follow the instructions in the pamphlet, the bubbles in the nail art pen should not be a problem for you.

Overall, I love these pens and I am very satisfied with my purchase. I would definitely recommend them to those of you who are just as obsessed with nail art as I am.