DIY Nail Art Designs: Fimo Makes Nail Art Easy

If you're already doing your own DIY nail art designs at home, chances are you're already familiar with the humble but ever so exciting fimo cane. Fimo slices can add variety and interest to almost any nail art design, and look absolutely stunning as well. Let's find out more about these interesting decorative canes.


What are Fimo Canes?

Fimo canes are made from polymer clay that has been baked. The canes are produced as one very large cane and intricate designs or details are added by packing together different colors of polymer clay in various patterns.

The large roll of clay is then shaped, pounded, and rolled until it's a fraction of the original size. Amazingly enough the original design, whether it be a flower, butterfly, or orange slice, remains perfectly proportioned inside the roll of clay.

Once the ends are sliced off the canes are then cut into 5cm lengths and baked to firm it and give it a rubber-like texture.

How are Fimo Canes Used?

Fimo canes can be used for a number of things, but the main purpose is decorative. It can be used to make jewelry, to decorate keyrings, cell phone covers, or anything else. It's also very popular as a form of nail decoration, and can be used on natural nail or on extensions. When used as part of DIY nail art designs, the fimo canes are sliced very thinly so that they can be applied onto the nail.

Ways to use Fimo Canes as Nail Decoration

The first, and easiest, way to use fimo canes as part of a nail art design is to simply glue the slices onto the nail's surface. You could use ordinary nail glue or even clear nail polish to stick the fimo slices onto the nail.

The second method involves using the fimo slices as part of nail extensions, and in this case the slices are 'built' into the nail tip itself. This makes the design permanent and also gives it a smooth finish. If you do not like the idea of having something three dimensional on your nails, then having the slices incorporated into the extensions would be the best option.

The Benefits if Fimo as Nail Art Decoration

The benefits of fimo slices as nail art decoration are fairly obvious. The first is that these slices are incredibly detailed, and you would be hard pressed to paint such intricate designs by hand using nail polish or acrylic paint. Fimo slices also save time, because like decals or nail stickers, they only have to be applied to the nail. Fimo also tends to be fairly cheap, and you can purchase wheels of ready-sliced fimo, or you could even purchase the canes if you'd like to slice it yourself. The canes are, in general, far more affordable than ready-sliced fimo.

The Downside to Fimo as Nail Art

The one downside that I've found using fimo slices is that the slices do not stick onto the nail entirely. I've tried pressing down on the sides of the slice using tweezers and even by putting my finger over it, but the sides still lift. This means that the slice won't follow the contour of your natural nail, so you have a really noticeable 3D effect. I also suspect that this makes it easier for the fimo slices to snag in your hair, or to come off.

If you purchase the fimo canes, be sure to get the right blade to cut them as well. Cutting fimo canes seems very difficult, and I find it easier to buy the wheels of ready-sliced fimo because they are already wafer thin.

I've not played around with fimo slices enough yet to really make up my mind whether it's something I'll use as part of my own nail art designs on a regular basis, but what I've seen so far has piqued my interest. The picture used for this hub is my first one using fimo slices, and I intend to experiment some more to see what kind of designs or application techniques I can come up with! I can't quite make up my mind what to call the design, it's either mojito nails or G&T!

More by this Author

Click to Rate This Article