Best Nail and Beauty Products for Warhammer 40K Mini Painting

I also take care of my nails sometimes. Sometimes I paint my mini. And sometimes I paint my mini while getting my nails done. The fields of nail art and miniature painting have a lot in common. It requires patience and a steady hand and shares many of the same tools and materials.

I do not believe that beauty products can or should replace dedicated miniature painting tools. But in some cases, these hairdresser essentials can get the same job done for a fraction of the price of products made for painting minis. In some cases, you may get unexpected and wonderful results.

If you’re ready to expand your miniature painting arsenal with less traditional tools, here are a few suggestions you can find online or in the beauty aisle of your local drugstore.

Image: Artdon

Nail art brush 31 type set

The best place to start is with a synthetic nail art brush. Pound for pound, it probably won’t be much different than what you would buy at your local hobby store. They come in a variety of similar brush shapes and sizes. Unless you think the aesthetics of the design are particularly off-putting, you may want to consider getting a pack of inexpensive nail art brushes if you need to replace your current mini painting brushes.

Image: V05

V05 Matt Hair Clay

If you do a ton of mini paintings, your brushes may end up in the press, becoming worn out and hardened with acrylic residue after several uses. However, proper maintenance can extend the life of even the cheapest synthetic brushes. Soap and hot water will help keep your brushes looking new, but the tips will eventually lose their shape. To fix this, we’re turning to hair products.

All credit goes to Midwinter Minis for this clever suggestion. Use a small amount of matte hair clay on the tip of your brush, gently shape it into your palm and leave it on overnight.

Image: Sally Hansen

Sally Hansen crackle overcoat

Nail polish shares some similar properties with model paint, but we don’t recommend using it unless you’re desperate. In general, nail polish tends to be too thick for use on models and is sometimes more expensive per bottle than most Citadel paints. But when you’re in a pinch, there are a few similar nail supplies that can help you achieve some interesting effects.

For example, using a matte or glossy nail polish top coat can give your model a sticky or dry finish. Using a “hard” top coat can be useful for adding terrain textures similar to those seen in Citadel’s “Martian Ironearth” or “Astrogranite”.

Image: Mizuse

3D Nail Art Gel

If you want to add some texture to your mini, our 3D Nail Art Resin Gel comes in a tube for easy application and comes in a variety of colors. You can use this to add veins, pustules, or other unsightly organic accents to your Plague Knight or Tyranid model.

Image: Amazon

Metallic Nail Powder and Nail Flakes

To add a metallic shine to your mini, try using metallic nail powder or flakes. Prepare your mini by applying a thin layer of clear, glossy paint to the desired area and, using a separate brush, lightly spraying the model with desired accents. Unlike regular glitter, these options are subtle enough that they don’t add any texture to the model. Make sure any brushes you use with any type of glitter or flake are labeled and intended for this purpose only. Unless you want That means all future Minis will have some sparkle.

Image: Airsee

electric nail clippers

Anyone who has ever assembled a miniature or scale model knows how cumbersome sprues can be. Cuticle trimmers can be a cheap way to free the minis from the mold, but they are generally not sturdy enough for long-term use on thick plastic, and their shape makes them difficult to secure in hard-to-reach spaces.

Even after collecting all the bits, manually sanding all the attachment points can be a hassle. Rotary drills like Dremel tools are a great choice and are great for cutting a variety of materials, but an inexpensive electric nail drill will get the job just about as well. Most models come with a variety of bits that make fixing attachment points or defects simple.

Image: O’Neillap

O’Neillab centrifuge

If you’re using several different paints at once, it can be difficult to make sure they’re all mixed properly. If you want to automate this cumbersome process, this Onilab mini centrifuge used for nail polish is equally suitable for consolidating acrylic paints into bottles of different sizes.

Image: Amazon

push pump bottle

Mixing water and paint thinner is a mistake you only make once. If you want to avoid these types of unfortunate accidents, it is a good idea to store your chemicals in dedicated containers. These kind of little push pump bottles are usually used for acetone (you can put whatever you want in it) and can dispense a small amount onto a cloth or whatever you use to clean your brushes.