Feature Friday: Nail Artist Kimberlyn Tong

Happy !

Today we are featuring Nail Artist Kimberlyn Tong. If you love nail art you need to follow Kimberlyn who started Nailmachine to fuel her own passion for nail art. Once you visit her site and social media you’ll want to try all of her designs! Kimberlyn is super humble about her amazing skills which puts her followers at ease about tackling her designs for themselves. She’s not a paid professional, but is learning as she goes and just loves to share her design experiments with the world.

: Tell us a little about yourself.

: Hello everyone! My name is Kimberlyn and I am turning 18 this year. I am currently studying Business Studies in Ngee Ann Polytechnic and spend most of my free time doing nails. I first fell in love with nail polishes at the age of 12 when my mother brought me to a nail salon to get a pedicure. From then, I started painting my own nails using my grandmother’s nail polishes and soon, I started owning my first set of nail polishes consisting of seven colors: black, white, sky blue, dark blue, baby pink, beige and dark green.

: First off, we love your nail designs! How did Nailmachine get started?

: Nailmachine started off as Nailstory on Instagram but after finding out that there was a Nailstories, I decided to change my username. So how did I get the name Nail machine? Ahaha, I was listening to EXO’s song called Machine and just got that random idea of changing it to Nailmachine.

Also, my Instagram account used to post fake nails only but after roaming on Instagram for a while, I realised that people preferred looking at designs on real nails instead. Thus, I decided to paint on my own nails instead which was definitely more challenging but I have learnt a lot from it like how to have healthy nail beds, filing them regularly, how to have clean cuticles and most importantly, treat my nails more gently.

Unlike many other nail accounts on Instagram, Nailmachine grew in followers rather slowly because of the designs I post. They are not the most creative set of nails but I am very proud of each and every design I have done. I created the account to learn more nail techniques from other nail artists, not for the followers. But that being said, having followers liking and commenting on my photos is actually very encouraging.

: What are some of your favorite nail products?

: Hmm… there are many nail polish products that I like. Starting with nail polishes, some of my favourite brands are Picture Polish, Ciate and Butter London and for cheaper alternatives, The Face Shop, Etude House and Pastel.

What do I look for in order to consider a nail polish to be good? Having a good brush. When there is a good brush, I can paint very easily because of having a better control of the brush. And also, polishes that does not stain.

PP, Ciate and Butter London are perfect because of their brushes, polish quality and have an amazing range of colours to choose from!

Another nail product that I love a lot is the nail pump by Innisfree. It has a very good pump whereby I can pump just the right amount of polish remover to prevent wastage. Also, there is a lock function to prevent the polish remover from evaporating.

: What tools would you recommend for people who want to start doing nail design?

: The most important would be a flat brush, better if it is angled, from cleaning up the cuticles. Next, a thin brush for designs. I bought a packet of nail art brushes from daiso and they can last really long. Lastly, a dotting tool that can come in handy for most of your nail art designs!

: You use a lot of innovative nail techniques (stamps, water marble, decals). Did it take a lot of practice to get these techniques down?

: Honestly speaking, I didn’t practice much for the techniques… I nailed most of them in the first try but I think it is not just about your skills, the polishes you use plays a really big part too. However, if you want to perfect all your skills, then of course you will need more practice like how I need more practice for water marble because the outcome is always different.

: Your nails always look so glossy. We have to know…what top coat do you use?

: Ahaha, Seche Vite is a huge rescue for this one. It dries in less than 10 minutes and expands the lifespan of your polishes too.

However, there’s one more thing to that glossy effect! Try adding another layer of top coat before the Seche Vite top coat. Use a cheaper top coat first before Seche vite. For me, I use FaceShop’s top coat before Seche Vite to enhance the glossy effect!:)

: What is the longest time you’ve ever spent painting your nails?

: I don’t exactly remember… maybe 3 hours? I don’t really mind spending long hours on my nails because it is the only time when I stop thinking about all my worries and problems. It really helps me to just focus on one thing, my nails. This is probably why I long nail painting so much.

: You live in Singapore. What about where you live inspires you?

: I can’t exactly pin-point what inspires me but some times when I stone, an idea can just pop up in my mind. But of course, not every design came out as pretty as in my mind.

: What experiences/opportunities have you gained from putting your nail art on social media?

: Having my nails on Instagram made me realise how many people actually enjoys nail art and it gave me the opportunity to work with many talented nail artist for nail collaborations. Moreover, I get to meet new people that shares the similar interest as I do which is very heart-warming in a way.